28 best advent calendars

Treating yourself to the best advent calendar? Good idea: this should brighten up your December, lockdown or not. Especially if you get something alcohol-based – gin, wine or beer options exist! – but we have got something for everyone in our guide. Specifically, 30 top options that are sold everywhere from Not on the High Street to Amazon and John Lewis. Buy now, ready for December 1st. And, don't forget Black Friday – advent calendars are heavily discounted right now (see deals below!).

Check out our top picks of the best advent calendars and countdown to Christmas in style. Something for the kids, something for parents, another option for teens and even something for cheese lovers – yes!

Head to our dedicated Christmas page for more ways to get ready for the big day. See our favourite Black Friday deals for plenty of great Christmas offers from advent calendars to presents and Christmas decor

Black Friday advent calendar deals

The best advent calendars

Jump to see advent calendars by type.

• Food advent calendars
• Drink advent calendars
• Non-edible advent calendars

Food advent calendars

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It's official: Fortnum's Feasting Advent Calendar is the best advent calendar. With 24 little doors and one rather large one, it's a great gift for all the family.  Everything from biscuits to coffee, champagne, preserves and even chocolates are included, all of which sit behind big red and green doors. Festive, fun and incredibly tasty. We can't think of a better way to countdown to Christmas – advent isn't just for chocolate (or kids)...

Because your pet deserves a treat a day in December, too, Lily's Kitchen have released two advent calendars, one for cats and the other for dogs. Both calendars have 24 doors and behind them sits organic, tasty treats for your favourite non-human. The dog calendar contains three types of treats – Rise & Shines for the morning, Cheese & Apple Training Treats for any time of day and Bedtime Biscuits for nighttime. The cat advent calendar has two different treats including a chicken treat with liver, and a turkey treat with cranberry. Don't leave them out of the festive fun...

What a great idea! The Cewe World Advent Calendar can be personalised with your favourite photo on the front. It's filled with delicious Ferrero chocolate (there's also a Kinder option) and can be your choice of landscape or portrait. It features 24 doors and is the perfect option for someone who lives alone – perhaps a grandparent – or if you want a very personal advent calendar this year. It has been a tough time for all of us!

Whether you try to be careful with what you put in your body or you love the taste of protein balls, during the month of December you can enjoy one a day. The Protein Ball Co's Advent Calendar is filled with, you guessed it: protein balls. All of which are vegan, gluten-free and 100 per cent natural. With six different flavours inside from goji and coconut to lemon and pistachio, the protein in these balls comes from pea and brown rice. No nasties!

Cheese lover? Whether you prefer your cheese with a side of crackers or red wine, or you like to indulge any time of the day, with anything, this is the advent calendar for you. It's filled with everything from Applewood to Mexicana, Jarlsberg and even Wensleydale cheese. All inside a unique book-style package, they even have a cheese cracker on offer, too.

Buying an advent calendar for someone who loves their meat? This one is a no-brainer, then. It's filled with packets of pork scratchings, all of which are different flavours to spice up your December. Flavours include: Low & Slow BBQ, Marvellous Maple and Perfectly Salted. It's gluten-free, too.

With 12 large doors, this Pringles advent calendar is super tasty. Four classic flavours sit inside, from red to green, blue and purple. A great budget-friendly option for those who prefer savoury over sweet!

This Organix Kids Christmas Advent Calendar is great for little ones over 18 months old. Filled with scrumptious treats, this way your baby can enjoy advent, too.  From Organix Jammie Monsters Biscuits to Mini Oaty Bites, they'll love it.

Drink advent calendars

A little expensive but completely worth it, the The Premium Gin Advent Calendar from Drinks by the Dram is incredible. It comes with 24 different mini gins ranging in taste from all different brands. We're taking Edinburgh Gin, Four Pillars, Hendricks, Blinking Owl, No.3 and many more. Each 30ml bottle is wax-sealed, too. Something to brighten up your December, or a great gift for a ginthusiast.

A bargain price for this very large Beer Hawk advent calendar, beer lovers will hop (see what we did there?) for joy when they see this. Inside lives 24 full-size (yes, you read that right) bottles of craft beer. Not just that but these beers are from some of the best breweries around the world. With it also comes notes sheets so you can remember which ones you liked and which ones you didn't, ready to stock up for Christmas.

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Tea lover? The Pukka Christmas Calendar is the one for you. It's affordable, a great opportunity to try new teas and it contains some of Pukka's most loved blends from Turmeric Gold to Peppermint and even Liquorice. Festive favourites are also included just to get you in the spirit – Wild Apple and Cinnamon is our fave. A great way to enjoy the countdown to Christmas while looking after your body, aiding digestion and immunity and enjoying a good ol'cuppa. The best part? All 24 teas are certified organic, Fair for Life and FairWild – sustainably harvested and a guarantee that farmers are paid fairly. 

Prefer coffee over tea? Then this advent calendar from Tea Revv is the one for you. Embark on a caffeine-filled adventure this December and taste 24 different types of coffee from all around the world. Each sachet of coffee measures 18g, and the sachets themselves are biodegradable, too. You can even choose from ground coffee or coffee beans. 

Non-edible advent calendars

We love the idea of the Advent of Change Premium Charity Advent Calendar. Behind each box lies a donation to a different charity so instead of receiving each day of December, you are giving back. From picking 10 items of litter to giving a hot meal to a homeless person, 85 per cent of proceeds go directly to charities. There are 24 doors and each door represents a £1 donation, with non-profit organizations such as Equally Ours,  Hospice UK, Pancreatic Cancer Action, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Plastic Oceans UK taking part. Not just that but the advent calendar itself is eco-friendly, plastic-free and fully recyclable. It's also biodegradable, too, for when you are finished with it.

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It's official: John Lewis & Partners' Beauty Advent Calendar is the best offering, especially considering its price tag. With 25 little doors, this advent calendar is filled with everything from Nars lipstick, Sunday Riley sleeping oil, Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow pencil and even Neom sleep spray. With a total value of £376.87, it's more than worth the price. The best part? Once finished, either reverse the boxes to make a sweet jewellery box or just recycle it all. Seriously: some of the best beauty buys are waiting for you inside this calendar. Bring on December...

Candle lover? Then this is the advent calendar for you. Especially if you don't fancy spending a hot penny on something super luxurious. This one is filled with tea lights so you can jazz up the copious holders you have around your home. The best part? Each tea light can burn for up to eight hours. Think: 23 tealights and one votive candle –perfect!

Check out this No7 advent calendar – AKA Boots' beauty advent calendar – as it's filled with everything from eyeliner to lipstick and even a mini mirror. It's Wizard of Oz themed, too, and it's on sale.

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Pretty Little Thing's 2020 advent calendar is filled with all of the best (and reasonably-priced) beauty buys. With up to £160 worth of goodies inside, they'll love it. We're talking everything from a Jade facial roller to Sleek eyeshadow an Illamasqua lipstick and a Morphe makeup sponge. They're selling VERY fast...

This games-based advent calendar is our best pick for teens. Behind each door lives an electronic component that will eventually, come December 24th, build an electronic game. With this electronic game they can play 24 different games from Code Breaker to Wire Maze, Whack a Mole and more. All you need is three AA batteries.

Looking for a luxury advent calendar option? We suggest the Molton Brown Advent Calendar. We're not sure about you guys, but we don't tend to spend this much on hand wash, creams, lotions and shower gels. So, this definitely feels like a treat. The perfect way to countdown to Christmas, and it's much friendlier on the bank balance than other luxury options. Win win!

If you are looking for an advent calendar to place in your home with pride – perhaps on display in your living or dining room – then the Folk House wood advent calendar is it! It's wooden, shaped like a house and it features 24 doors (well, drawers). It arrives empty so you can fill it yourself, while it's even battery powered. Use it year after year after year. 

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Not too keen on your kids having a piece of chocolate every day throughout December? Buy them the PLAYin CHOC Organic Chocolate Advent Calendar – it's filled with a mix of chocolate, toys and stencils. Not only that but it's vegan, gluten-free and plastic-free. With 24 pull-out drawers, get them to re-insert the drawers backwards to reveal and grand design on Christmas Eve. It comes in a sleeve, too, which is reversible to reveal a beautifully illustrated play mat. What a great idea.

This completely vegan advent calendar also comes in recyclable packaging, too! Win win. It's filled with 11 sample-size products and 14 full-size products – that's 25 doors if you are counting. We're talking everything from facial oil to neck mouse, face masks, shampoo and conditioner bars and even a wooden mirror. Something different to chocolate, and a great way to try out new vegan products before investing in full size versions.

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Looking to buy a joint advent calendar this year, perhaps one for couples? We love the Personalised A Date A Day Couples Advent Calendar by Clara and Macy. Hang it on your wall and each day you'll open a date idea each day – something for the two of you to do together. Whether it's to play a board game or put your phones in a drawer for one evening, or even to go for a romantic dinner for two. Either way, you'll be spending 24 days (or evenings) of quality time together. Very romantic and it can be personalised, too. 

Looking for an advent calendar for someone who always has their tools out? Draper Tools have their very own advent calendar this year, and inside is everything from a tape measurer to drill bits and an adjustable wrench. They are also donating £1 from each purchase directly to NHS Charities Together. With a whopping 49 tools included, it's well worth the £35.

Available to buy online from October.

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Filled with everything from page markers to sticky notes, stamps, paperclips and more, this Martha Brook advent calendar features 24 fancy foil embossed boxes that look like colourful books on a shelf. Its packaging is 100 per cent recycling and biodegradable with no plastics, too. You can also get it personalised. A great option for any stationery lover. 

Harry Potter fan or not, this LEGO advent calendar will be sure to entertain the kids. Each day they'll open a door to reveal a surprise toy. These include everything from mini figures to accessories – the Great Hall dining table, statues – and at the end they'll have a full set of LEGO to play with. 

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Amazon have released their very own beauty advent calendar this year, and we are certainly not disappointed. This advent calendar is filled with beauty buys – from toner to eyeshadow and face cream – and it retails at only £60. Although everything inside is worth up to £215. These babies are available for purchase now, and not only that but this advent calendar is pretty so definitely won't be an eyesore in your kitchen (or wherever else you choose to store it) and it has 24 doors of all different sizes to open. Inside lives products from all of the best brands such as Emma Hardy, ThisWorks, E.L.F, Elemis, Real Techniques and more. They are selling fast – we're not surprised since it's a bargain – and it comes with full-size products as well as samples.

Love getting your nails done? Sometimes do them yourself? Expand your home collection with ease thanks to this nail varnish advent calendar. Yep, a range of full-size and mini pots of nail varnish come included – eight full size and four mini size to be exact – as well as four surprises. Use these colours for your Christmas manicure (and pedicure)...