Which Advent Calendars Should We Buy This Year?

I remember when advent calendars were simply a small chocolate treat that you could usually sneak in before school every day in December. They were brilliant and personally I really looked forward to it. I remember asking my friends what shape they got in theirs, was it a stocking or a Santa face? But I don’t remember anyone ever getting anything other that a chocolate square now the advent options are endless! You can go all out with full chocolate bars instead of a small square or even get ones that give toys or books daily and if you’re in the market for adult advent calendars then you have everything from beauty products to gin to choose from.

To help make this a little easier here are some of our favourites

Simple can still be the best

These Cadbury Dairy Milk ones are the ones I remember from my childhood and the ones my children still get. Don’t get me wrong some years they have had others ones along side these but to me this is THE advent calendar. Plus they are usually priced between £1-3 so they are super affordable.

Heroes

If you want to go a bit bigger with your chocolate treats then these Cadbury Heroes advent calendars are fab. Instead of a square of chocolate you will get a miniature Heroes everyday from the 1st till the 24th. These include all your favourites

  • crunchie
  • dairy milk
  • wispa
  • double decker and more

The 3D Tower

If you want to go bigger still then these Cadbury 3D advent calendars look really impressive at a whopping 40cms high. They contain 24 treat size Cadbury products including

  • Freddo
  • buttons
  • chomp
  • fudge and more

Chocolate for the adults

For those that want a bit more of a sophisticated chocolate advent calendar then this Dairy milk one is the one for you. You will receive 24 individually wrapped chunks of Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel, Cadbury Dairy Milk Whole nut.

If you like the look of the dairy milk one but think you want something just a little bit more special then upgrade to this dairy milk advent as alongside the chunks of chocolate you will also get a Cadbury winter wonderland bar on the 24th.

Indulgent Advents

If you are looking for a chocolate advent but want something a little bit fancier, then the Wickedly Welsh advent is the one for you. It has 24 indulgent chocolate treats including

  • Raspberry Cream in Dark Chocolate
  • Toasted Marshmallow in Milk Chocolate
  • Orange Dark Praline
  • Salted Caramel in Milk Chocolate

and I can confirm they are exceptional!

Personalised Advents

If you are buying n advent for someone else as a gift then personalised ones are brilliant. Especially if they are for grandparents as it’s also away to give them an updated family picture they can have up n the house for a month. This one from Vistaprint allows you to upload a picture in either landscape or portrait and then contains 24 Fairtrade chocolates. It also has a pop out stand on the back so you can stand it up instead of having to lean it against the wall like you usually do with advents. These are easy to design, come in two sizes and have the option for vegan chocolate too.

Although I find it hard to believe that some people don’t actually like chocolate it is true and luckily there are some incredible alternatives available.

Sweets

If sweets are your thing then it has to be the Swizzels Sweet Shop advent calendar. This one contains 24 sweet treats from your childhood including

  • Plama Violets,
  • Refreshers,
  • Love Hearts,
  • Drumsticks and more

Popcorn

Never before have I seen a popcorn advent calendar but I am so here for it. This one is from Popcorn Kitchen and is the 12 days of Christmas filled with 12 full sized bags of 9 different flavoured bags of popcorn, all of which sound delicious.

  • Salted Caramel
  • Chocolate Orange
  • White Chocolate & Raspberry
  • Lemon Drizzle
  • Chocolate Mint
  • Chocolate Brownie
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Cherry Bakewell
  • Blueberry Muffin

The Coffee Advent

Oh yes you read that right! There is now a coffee advent and it has made my day. As someone who loves nothing more than a good cup of coffee to start my day the thought of an advent dedicated to delicious flavoured coffees is perfect. The Beanies advent contains

  • 2 x Mystery Jars (Flavour will vary)
  • 44 x Beanies stick sachets (2 per day; assorted flavours)

The Beanie’s coffee is delicious and they have so many amazing flavours. They are also low calorie, sugar free, nut free and suitable for vegans.

The Herbal Tea Advent

Pukka have a brilliant advent calendar available this year which is perfect for herbal tea lovers. It contains 24 organic, individually wrapped tea bags from the festive essence of cinnamon to the zesty notes of orange and the delightful sweetness of elderberry. But that’s not all as it also comes with a QR code that takes you to exclusive recipes, yoga and guided meditation, all for only £12.99!

The Beauty Advent

If you want an advent calendar that is full of sweet treats of a different kind then how about checking out what the The Body Shop have on offer. This year they have not 1 but 3 different advents for you to choose from, each one full of their gorgeous products. The one featured below is the Advent of Change and has been designed with a super cute pop up scene and contains 24 body-loving surprises from across the range. I don’t want to spoil the surprise but whatever your favourite Body Shop scent is you are bound to have at least one of them in here as there is such an excellent selection.

Book advent

This advent might just be one of my all time favourites. It’s perfect to gift to a child but also to have as a family advent that you can open and enjoy together. The Little People BIG DREAMS advent is fun and educational. It contains 24 mini books detailing the lives of some of the most influential people in the world. You and your children can enjoy reading about everyone from groundbreaking musicians like Sir Elton John to visionary artists like Frida Kohl, world class athletes like Muhammad Ali and scientists like Albert Einstein. Once finished you can save these books and read them over and over again all through the year.

If none of these advents are hitting the mark then how about making your own. One of the ones I make every year for my kids is the book advent. I wrap 24 Christmas stories up and place them in a nice wicker basket, then every evening in December we open one up together and have that as our bed time story. It’s magical for little children and I will very much miss it when my youngest is too old for it.

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