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15+ of the best Advent calendars for counting down to the holidays

'Tis the damn season.

Leah Stodart

Haley Henschel

, and

Jae Thomas

on December 12, 2024

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a collage of advent calendars available for 2024

Credit: LEGO / VINEBOX / Voluspa / Sephora / Mashable composite

Anyone who grew up in a Christian household knows two truths: One, you can learn a lot about biblical themes from a talking cucumber. And two, no holiday season is complete without an Advent calendar.

A religious custom that stems from 19th-century Lutherans in Germany, Advent calendars traditionally mark each day of (you guessed it) Advent — the hopeful season that spans four Sundays leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated on Dec. 25. They typically contain compartments or pockets that can be filled with tiny trinkets for kids, which are designed to be opened one at a time as a fun way of counting down the days until Christmas.

In a moderately blasphemous twist, recent adaptations by big-name brands have given Advent calendars secular appeal as a seasonal holiday indulgence for people (and even pets) of all ages. After hitting a mainstream stride in the mid-2010s, Google search interest has peaked several times — folks are anticipating them so hard, in fact, that search interest for the phrase "advent calendar" in June 2024 had already beat out the number from December 2022 (the previous all-time high). It's popping off in a similar fashion in the midst of the 2024 holiday season.

Much of Advent calendars' modern popularity can be credited to TikTok, where they've starred in myriad unboxing videos that are suspenseful and addictive to watch (in a similar vein as fashion hauls). But it's also because they're easy ways for retailers to tempt cagey, inflation-weary consumers into sampling products they may not have purchased otherwise: everything from fancy French jams to Lego sets. Advent calendars are a prime example of "needing a little treat" culture (treatcore? being treat-pilled?) at work.

Some Advent calendars have sold out already at this point in the season. (This is your reminder for next year to shop by Black Friday if you want your picking of all of the Lego ones, or Sephora's big box for the year.) But if you hurry, you can still order one before carolers start lining up on your doorstep. Keep reading for our curated list of the best Advent calendars for 2024.

Topics TikTok

cover art for "Games Advent Calendar" on nintendo switch

Credit: Mindscape

'Games Advent Calendar' for Nintendo Switch

For cozy gamers

Mindscape's "Games Advent Calendar" for Nintendo Switch and PC bundles 25 minigames you can play daily (or all at once), including a handful that are designed for multiple players. Don't expect lore-filled narratives or mind-blowing graphics — they're basically just festive, mindless fun.

$14.99 Target

Sephora Advent calendar boxes and beauty products arranged on ice cubes

Credit: Sephora

Sephora After Advent Calendar

For beauty buffs

Sephora's highly-awaited annual beauty Advent calendar is already sold out for 2024 — but the After Advent Calendar is a nice consolation prize. The extension box includes eight makeup, skincare, and bath gifts to unwrap between Dec. 25 and Dec. 31. It's a solid stocking stuffer for a teenager who's never used makeup before or anyone looking for a non-committal way to mix up their beauty routine.

$35 Sephora

Close-up of a child playing with figurines from a lego advent calendar

Credit: Lego

Lego Friends Advent Calendar 2024

For Lego masters

The flagship Lego City Advent Calendar is sold out pretty much everywhere, along with the Star Wars one. But kids big on building still have plenty of awesome options: This 272-piece Lego Friends one spotlights a figurine family getting ready for the holidays, complete with a cozy mini living room setup. The Disney Princess and Spider-Man Advent calendars are also still in stock.

$34.99 Amazon

Voluspa Advent calendar box, candles, wick cutter, and tree branches on table

Credit: Voluspa

Voluspa 12 Day Candle Advent Calendar

For candle connoisseurs

Set the mood with festive candles via Voluspa's Advent Calendar, which includes a dozen different scents from its bestselling Japonica line — Baltic Amber, Spiced Pumpkin Latte, Santal Vanille, and their ilk. If you wind up disliking how any of them smell, they do make nice stocking stuffers.

$165 Bloomingdale's

Credit: Inka & Markus Brand

'EXIT: The Silent Storm' Escape Room Advent calendar

For festive family game nights

"EXIT: Advent Calendar" is a seasonal escape room-style puzzle game that you can play alone or with other people. This year, it places you in the shoes of the chief toymaker at Santa's Workshop and challenges you to save Christmas amid a raging snowstorm. You've got 24 days to make it happen.

$49.95 Amazon

Credit: Insight Editions

'Wicked:' The Official Advent Calendar

For anyone who cried during 'Defying Gravity'

The pink and green magic keeps on coming with the officially-licensed Wicked Advent calendar. It includes collectibles like patches, magnets, coasters, and laptop stickers, totaling 25 new ways to hold space for the beloved film. The only problem? It's sold out at some retailers and on backorder at others, so hopefully you'll be just as obsessed when it (hopefully) ships in early 2025.

$34.99 Bookshop

Credit: National Geographic

National Geographic Mega Science Advent Calendar

For young scientists

More engaging than most Advent calendars for kids, National Geographic's Mega Science Advent Calendar is filled with 13 easy at-home science experiments and 11 different fossil and gemstone specimens. It culminates in a tabletop geology dig that "unearths" a hunk of pyrite (aka fool's gold).

$39.99 Amazon

vinebox wine advent calendar and glass of red wine on cabinet

Credit: VINEBOX

VINEBOX 12 Nights of Wine

For aspiring sommeliers

Stocked with 12 vials of wine (equalling one per glass) plus flavor notes and pairing tips, VINEBOX's popular Advent calendar hasn't sold out this year — yet. You can choose from two boxes: The Cozy Collection has a dozen different red wines, while the Chill Collection has whites, rosés, and some chillable reds. They're also bundleable for $199.

$129 Vinebox

Wooden lit aAdvent calendar wreath with snow and houses beneath

Credit: Balsam Hill

Balsam Hill Lit Wooden Advent Wreath

For non-traditionalists

This unconventional spin on an Advent calendar is also an unconventional spin on the traditional holiday wreath, which is composed of carefully-carved wooden houses displaying numbers 1 through 25. It's not necessarily interactive, but it is classy nostalgic decor for adults who grew up on Advent calendars — Michael Scott would have loved this in the "Classy Christmas" episode. A remote is included to turn the lights on or off, or set a timer.

$199 Balsam Hill

Pokémon Trading Card Game Advent calendar box

Credit: Pokémon

Pokémon Trading Card Game: Holiday Calendar

For Pokéxperts

Why catch 'em all when you could simply unbox them? The surprises inside the Pokémon Trading Card Game: Holiday Calendar range from foil cards with festive stamps to booster packs, stickers, and a keychain. It gets bonus points for the cool art on its packaging, which hardcore fans will probably want to hang onto.

$49.99 Amazon

Credit: LUSH

LUSH Advent Calendar

For self-care devotees

LUSH's $300 Advent Calendar is the priciest on our list, but you're going to be set on self-care for the whole damn year. You'll get 11 exclusive holiday-scented items like the Father Christmas Bath Bomb, Yog Nog Body Lotion, and a Hot Toddy scented candle, plus a slew of other wintery and year-round bath bombs, shower gels, bubble bars, lotions, and soaps.

$300 LUSH.com

Good & Gather Advent calendar box open showcasing coffee pods

Credit: Good & Gather

Good & Gather Light Roast Advent Calendar

For caffeine fiends

The coffee lovers of the world have already scooped up the iconic Keurig and Nespresso Advent calendars this season. But your winter mornings can still be merry and bright — Target makes a cheaper one with Keurig-compatible pods, and according to reviewers, it's pretty tasty. The light roast variety pack features 24 festive cups in 12 flavors made with Arabica beans. For just over $10 on sale, why not?

$17.69 Target

Credit: Anthropologie / Mashable composite

Louise Cunningham 'Merry & Bright' 12 Days of Christmas Advent Puzzle Calendar

For puzzle-doers

This set contains twelve 80-piece puzzles featuring the colorful art of Louise Cunningham, a British illustrator and surface pattern designer. Keep it in the back of your mind if you need a chic hostess gift for any holiday parties you're planning on attending this year.

$24.99 Amazon

Sex toys included in the Lovehoney X We Vibe Advent calendar

Credit: Lovehoney / We Vibe

Lovehoney X We Vibe Sex Toy Advent Calendar

For concupiscent couples

From massage oils to a kinky card game to shiny, bejeweled toys, Lovehoney's 12-day Advent calendar for 2024 features a veritable arsenal of goodies that give a new meaning to holiday cheer. (It's a combined value of nearly $300 — one of the vibrators is worth $139 alone.) Happy cuffing season to all and to all a good night.

$119 Lovehoney

Credit: Chapstick

ChapStick 12 Days of Holiday Advent Calendar

For a safe white elephant gift

If you need a cheap, low-stakes present for a coworker or second-cousin you barely know, ChapStick's Advent Calendar will do the trick. It comes with 12 lip balms in tasty flavors like Candy Cane, Vanilla Icing, and Sugar Cookie, which will easily get them through the dry winter months (and then some).

$16.99 Amazon

Credit: Shudder

'The Advent Calendar' movie

Honorable mention

Available to rent, buy, or stream through a Shudder or AMC+ subscription, this French horror movie from 2021 puts a sinister spin on the Advent calendar tradition. It's the rare Christmas movie that's genuinely scary, according to Mashable senior shopping reporter (and resident horror guru) Leah Stodart, but be warned: "There's a sickening scene that has to do with a bathtub and toenails," she said. Hey, you can only watch "Elf" so many times.

$4.99 Amazon Prime Video

Leah Stodart

Senior Shopping Reporter

Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers and tests essential home tech like vacuums and TVs, plus eco-friendly hacks. Her ever-evolving experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.

Haley Henschel

Senior Shopping Reporter

Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.

Person sitting in a field of grass with two dogs

Jae Thomas

Shopping Editor

Jae Thomas is a Colorado-based Shopping Editor for Mashable. They specialize in pet tech, smart fitness gear, finding the perfect gift, and sourcing the top deals on shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Jae has worked at Mashable since 2020, where they've written countless deals roundups and product reviews. Before Jae came to Mashable, they received a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature from New York University and wrote food and lifestyle content for publications like Bon Appétit, Epicurious, The Daily Beast, Apartment Therapy, and Marie Claire.

When they're not testing products or writing about online shopping, you'll find Jae whipping up an elaborate meal, hiking, camping, or training their dogs, Miso and Dashi. Reach out to them on X at @jaetaurina or by email at [email protected].