Holidays & Entertaining Holidays Christmas The 25 Best Advent Calendars for 2021 By Lisa Milbrand Lisa Milbrand Lisa Milbrand is a copy writer for Real Simple, with a passion for writing about food, travel, and hacks to make life easier. Loves fancy restaurants, good coffee and her family (of course); not a fan of waiting in lines. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 1, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Photo: food52.com The Christmas fun can last all season with the right advent calendar. They're a great way to celebrate every day leading up to Christmas and build anticipation for the big day. No matter what your passion is—from pop culture trinkets to beauty goodies to wine—you'll find the perfect advent calendar on our list. (Or you can always spring for a reusable advent calendar and customize the mix of gifts and notes to suit your own family's preferences.) Whether you opt for a 12-day or full 24-day version, order right now—many of the most popular ones sell out long before December! 01 of 25 For Plant Parents: Botanical Advent Calendar Anthropologie Unwrap and hang one of these pretty pressed flowers or leaves each day during the lead-up to Christmas. (Bonus: This will be a beautiful calendar you can reuse year after year.) $228, anthropologie.com 02 of 25 For a Total Softie: XO Marshmallow Advent Calendar XO Marshmallow These aren't your standard-issue ooey-gooey sweets. XO's 24 marshmallows come in an array of different flavors, including calendar-exclusive flavors like eggnog, maple pancake, and sugar plum. (Just think of the s'mores and hot chocolate possibilities.) $53, xomarshmallow.com 03 of 25 For the Best Baker: Cookie Making Calendar Uncommon Goods Gear up for a Christmas Eve bake fest with this charming calendar that offers gourmet ingredients, tools, and recipes every day, so you have the hard-to-get goodies (think vanilla sugar and caramel bits) you need to make six types of cookies. $70, uncommongoods.com 04 of 25 For the Dolly Parton Devotee: Holly Dolly Advent Calendar Williams-Sonoma It's kind of hard to find anyone who isn't a Dolly Parton fan—but this collection of Dolly's favorite candies (including caramels, fruity chews, and gummy butterflies) is a perfect way to channel your inner Dolly this holiday season. $40, williams-sonoma.com 05 of 25 For the Family That's A Little Extra: Pottery Barn Light-Up Glitter Houses Pottery Barn Each of the translucent windows glows when this pretty, battery-operated calendar is turned on, making it a perfect centerpiece for your holiday decor. There's plenty of room in each house to include a note or tiny treats for the family who wants to DIY their advent calendar experience. $129, potterybarn.com 06 of 25 For Your Tiny Dancer: Nutcracker Theater Advent Calendar MOMA Every day, your favorite ballet dancer can open a new character or set piece from the legendary ballet to place upon the elegant 3D stage—and some of the pieces come on wooden sticks to allow your child to act out their favorite scenes. $65, store.moma.org 07 of 25 For the Family With No Shelf Space: Fair Isle Hat and Mitten Advent Calendar Garnet Hill These tiny hats and mittens are the perfect size for small notes or trinkets—and the strand can be hung on a mantel, doorway, or even on the Christmas tree so it doesn't take up precious table space. $99, garnethill.com 08 of 25 For Your Favorite Builder: LEGO City Advent Calendar Target.com Sure, you could go with Harry Potter or the Avengers, but this classic set is much more Christmassy—and lets you build your very own Santa, too. $30, target.com 09 of 25 For the Science Nerd: Crazy Scientist Advent Calendar Amazon.com Kids definitely get enough sweets during the holiday season—so feed their brains instead of their bellies. Let kids eight and up get experimenting with 24 new daily projects in this science-filled advent calendar. $40, amazon.com 10 of 25 For the Guy Who Takes His Beard Seriously: 24 Days of Beard Treats Calendar Etsy.com Keep his beard well groomed (and smelling awesome) with this set of 24 different beard grooming products in a slew of scents—including sandalwood and Sicilian lemon. $46, thebeardedmancompany.etsy.com 11 of 25 For the Coffee Connoisseur: Bean Box 12 Mornings of Coffee Bean Box This coffee-themed calendar helps your recipient kick start the holiday season with 12 mornings of festive specialty coffee from top coffee roasters, with hints of roasted chestnuts, cranberries, and other seasonal flavors. $68, beanbox.com 12 of 25 For the Tea Drinker: Warming Joy Advent Calendar Tea Forte Try 24 different flavors of tea (including holiday-ready types like cherry marzipan, harvest apple spice, winter chai, and caramel nougat), in this charming tree-shaped calendar. $60, williams-sonoma.com 13 of 25 For the Francophile: Laduree Advent Calendar Food52 Enjoy a taste of Paris from one of the city's most legendary sweets makers. The calendar comes stocked with an array of French treats, including chocolates, caramels, nougats, and calissons. $65, food52.com 14 of 25 For the Person Awaiting Their Invite to Hogwarts: Luxe Harry Potter Advent Calendar Williams-Sonoma This wooden reusable calendar is like taking a trip to Honeydukes, with a magical array of candies including lemon sherbets, gummies, and of course, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor beans. $111, williams-sonoma.com 15 of 25 For the Manicure Fan: OPI 2021 Mini Amazon.com Packed with 25 high-end nail lacquers, this nail polish Advent calendar offers months of gorgeous, colorful nails. Colors range from a snowy white to deep, rich tones perfect for the holiday season, all with OPI's signature luster. The bottles are mini, but they'll still last through a few at-home manicures. $50, amazon.com 16 of 25 For the Doers: Advent Calendar Activity Cards Print Go Go/Etsy Looking for experiences instead of stuff? Put these reusable activity cards in your advent calendar as IOUs for cookie baking, checking out holiday light displays, watching Christmas specials, and other festive fun. (Bonus: No need to worry about slow shipping—this is a digital download you can print at home.) $6, printgogo.etsy.com 17 of 25 For Your Pandemic Puppy: Wufers Advent Cookie Calendar Wufers Don't leave your doggo out when you're shopping for advent calendars. These popular canine cookies are made with all-natural, human-grade ingredients like whole wheat flour and applesauce—and come festively decorated to celebrate the season. $60, wufers.com 18 of 25 For the Whisky/Whiskey Fan: Whiskies of the Galaxy Advent Calendar Flaviar Get 24 tastes of some of the best whiskies on this planet, from top whiskey destinations like Japan, Scotland, Ireland, and the U.S.—including tasting notes and a Glencairn tasting glass for sipping each sample. $250, flaviar.com 19 of 25 For the Wine Lover: Vinebox 12 Nights of Wine Vinebox Enjoy a different glass of wine for each of the 12 nights of Christmas with this compact, sleek wine advent calendar, which doubles as decor while it's enjoyed. $129, getvinebox.com 20 of 25 For the Beauty Product Buff: Sephora Holiday Vibes Advent Calendar Get a taste of 24 of Sephora's most popular products in this deluxe set, featuring everything from sheet and eye masks to lip stains and nail polish. $45, sephora.com 21 of 25 For the Passionate Puzzler: Michael Storring's 12 Days of Christmas Puzzle Calendar Barnes and Noble A dozen puzzles await in this advent calendar, with charming illustrations of holiday celebrations from around the world. Each puzzle is just 80 pieces, so you can probably manage to finish them on even the busiest pre-holiday days. $24, bn.com 22 of 25 For Your Mystical Family Member: 12 Days of Crystal Magic Advent Calendar WorldMarket.com This 12-day self-care calendar includes a different crystal for each day—including amethyst and rose quartz—along with directions on how to use them to enhance their life. $35, worldmarket.com 23 of 25 For the Skincare Devotee: Kiehl's Limited Edition Holiday Calendar Kiehls.com This calendar is chock-full of Kieh's legendary skincare products, including customer favorites and new-for-2021 face masks, serums, body lotions, and more. $99, kiehls.com 24 of 25 For the Jewelry Fan: Story of You Jewelry Advent Calendar NotOnHighStreet.com This personalized set of 12 pretty jewelry items is customized with your recipient's monogram and their star sign—along with a choice of sterling silver, gold or rose gold, or a mix of metals. From $219, notonhighstreet.com 25 of 25 For the Gluten-Free Vegan Gourmand: Goodio Vegan Chocolates Food52.com Foodie splurges for GF and vegan folks are sometimes a little hard to come by. But this deluxe chocolate advent calendar features decadent chocolates with rich, fruit-based flavors like sea buckthorn, strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry. $65, food52.com Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit