Welcome to our annual review of advent calendars! We can’t wait until 1 December to start opening the doors!
** Some (not all) of these advent calendars have been gifted to PackThePJs **
Tony’s Chocolonely Countdown Calendar
Starting off our advent reviews, I have to say this one has instant impact – because as well as being very colourful, it is huge! Have you ever tried Tony’s chocolate? It’s really good! Not just that, but their mission is to end slavery and illegal child labour within cocoa plantations, by having traceable cocoa beans and paying the farmer a higher price. The cocoa beans that make Tony’s Chocolonely come from the Ivory Coast and Ghana, from slave-free plantations.
This Tony’s Chocolonely Countdown Calendar (£13.98) has 24 Tiny’s inside (little Tony’s) – mini bars from across their range of flavours (including my favourite, which is dark chocolate with pretzel toffee). As well as a daily bar to look forward to there’s also a ‘fact (or activity) of the day’; fascinating facts about the chocolate industry mixed with feel-good and considerate acts of kindness – it’s what Christmas is all about. I absolutely love this advent calendar!
The Really Good Whisky Company Selection Box
This is one a-m-a-z-i-n-g selection box! Who needs bars of chocolates when you can have 25 drams of top quality whisky? What I totally love about this whisky advent calendar is that, each day during December, The Really Good Whisky Company will be opening and reviewing the dram for that day – all available for you to watch and follow on their YouTube channel. So it’s not just an epic advent calendar, but it’s a whisky education too!
The adults in this household are counting down the days until 1st December!
Village Wax Melts Advent Calendar
I do love a good wax melt. One where the scent lasts for more than an hour! Village Wax Melts are some of the best I’ve ever used in terms of scent longevity and the range on offer. And now they have an advent calendar (£16.99)! Yay! Behind each door is a mystery wax melt. I accidentally poked my thumb into door number 3, which opened slightly. So I opened it (as you do!) The heart-shaped wax melt inside is ‘snow fairies’ – quite sweet scented, with a hint of candy. And that’s before I’ve popped it in the burner! Some of the 24 melts are festive scented, so I’m looking forward to discovering those ones. The others are selected from their bestselling wax melts.
If you want a lovely smelling home this Christmas, this is the advent calendar for you.
Personalised Pet Advent Calendar
Now this is a fabulous idea! If you are looking for an advent calendar for your pet that can be used every year, this one from I Want To Buy A Gift (£19.99) is just what you need. What’s more, you can personalise it with your pet’s name. There are 24 generous-sized pockets – large enough for more than one treat … so if you have more than one pet, this one advent calendar could cater for them all! And once Christmas arrives, you can roll it up and put it away until the end of next November. You don’t have to have the paw print design – there are lots to choose from.
Advent Village Box from Goupie Chocolates
This Goupie Advent Village Box (£30.00) is a fantastic advent calendar that you can personalise/design however you want. What you get is a box full of flatpack houses of different shapes and sizes. After some cutting out, a bit of glueing, hole punching and string threading, you are ready to fill each numbered one with some goodies. In this case you are sent 25 individually wrapped Goupie chocolate bites to use. Of course, how you present your advent village is up to you. Maybe let the kids use glue and glitter to add snow to the roofs? Use some felt pens to draw festive designs on them? Have them suspended on a wall on a long string or have them on a tray or table. This could be a great festive family collaborative project!
Green & Black’s Organic Advent Calendar
Green & Black’s is my favourite organic dark chocolate brand. I try to buy organic whenever I can – and that includes chocolate. And dark chocolate specifically is a particular favourite of mine; maybe because my children aren’t fans, so I know I won’t lose it! This Green & Black’s Organic advent calendar (£12.99) contains a mini bar behind each door. Oh I can’t wait for December 1 to arrive 😊
L’Occitane Classic Beauty Advent Calendar
My love of all things L’Occitane never wanes. Every year my advent calendar introduces me to a new product I’ve never tried before. That product goes on to become my new favourite! What I love about the Classic Beauty advent calendar (£55.00) is that it is full of mini/travel-sized bottles of products that have a total value of £99.50. I travel a lot, so take my advent gifts with me – it makes for a luxurious shower, a pampering hair treatment, a refreshing face cleanse with indulgent moisturisers to try out. My hands have never felt so soft! A night in a hotel becomes a spa experience for me with my toiletry bag full of L’Occitane goodies!
This is definitely one of my favourite advent calendars.
Lily’s Kitchen Advent Calendars for Cats and Dogs
Pets love Christmas too … so why not get them their very own advent calendar? These, from Lily’s Kitchen, are filled with quality festive treats. For dogs (£10.00), there are three different treats: Cheese & Apple Training Treats (mini organic bone-shaped biscuits, made with organic apples and farmhouse cheddar); Rise & Shines (Flower-shaped treats made with beef liver, fresh carrots, blackstrap molasses and alfalfa); and Bedtime Biscuits (bedtime treats, made with honey, yoghurt, chamomile and passion flowers). For cats (£10.00), there are two types of treats: Festive Salmon Nibbles (a soft centre and crunchy shell, made with freshly prepared salmon and chicken liver); and Cracking Chicken Nibbles (made with fresh chicken).
Cadbury Build Your Own Christmas Tree Advent Calendar
Cadbury never disappoint when it comes to releasing an advent calendar ‘with a difference’. Last year you built a Christmas ‘gingerbread’ house – this year they have launched a ‘Build Your Own Christmas Tree’ (£6.00) advent calendar. Included in the calendar are some flat tree pieces that you slot together to form a freestanding 3D tree. Then, as you open the doors during December (and after eating the mini choc bars inside) the advent doors become decorations that you can hang on the tree! What a great idea.
The Spicery’s ‘Twelve Curries of Christmas’
This is a must-buy for any curry-loving foodie. The Spicery’s Twelve Curries of Christmas (£29.95) is a rather large and incredibly colourful advent calendar, and the contents behind each door are the starting point for a delicious spice education! You get a spice sachet, and a recipe that uses it. So think of the amazing meals you can eat, every day, if you buy this advent for someone in your household!
I ‘accidentally’ opened door 4, to find a sachet of Chaat Spices and a recipe for Chicken Tikka Chaat. I can’t wait to try it!
Haribo Glow in the Dark Advent Calendar
Christmas isn’t Christmas without Haribo! An advent calendar (£7.49) filled with little bags of mini gummy sweets is highly fought after in our house … I rarely win (it won’t stop me from continuing to try!) This year, the whole front image is glow in the dark too.
Pooch & Mutt Merry Poochmas Advent Calendar
Another great advent calendar for your favourite furbaby. Behind each door of this Merry Poochmas (£7.49) advent calendar are two star-shaped treats. Each natural treat is bursting with added extra benefits to help keep your dog healthy and happy. They include turkey, cranberries, cinnamon and probiotics.
Lynx Africa ‘The Countdown’
Here’s one for a teenage boy … well, definitely my teenage son who is ‘just a bit’ of a Lynx Africa fan! This Lynx Africa 12 Day Countdown advent calendar (£15.99) is jam-packed with full size and travel-sized body sprays, body washes, antiperspirants, some branded socks, nail clippers, face cloth and comb. Excellent value too!
