Remember the humble Advent calendar? For generations, it was a simple cardboard affair with a piece of chocolate waiting behind each tiny door. Those days are firmly in the past.
Today, the modern Advent calendar has undergone a remarkable transformation. It has blossomed into a creatively designed collection, offering a daily dose of surprise that caters to a vast array of hobbies and passions. These calendars now serve as festive decor and tap into our collective love for ritual, anticipation, and the joy of small, daily treats. If you're planning to give one, remember to do so early, ensuring your recipient can start the countdown to Christmas or another milestone right on time.
For The Pet People And Green-Fingered Enthusiasts
Our furry friends deserve a festive countdown too. For the (mostly) good boys and girls in your life, consider a dedicated pet Advent calendar.
Petco offers a Merry Makings' feline calendar featuring 12 days of catnip-infused goodies and toys housed in a charming cottage design. There's an equivalent version for dogs, packed with biscuits, chewies, and small plush toys, priced between $25 and $30.
New York's Bocce’s Bakery, a specialist in dog snacks, provides a 12-day calendar filled with their signature treats. These are free from wheat, corn, and soy, and are made with wholesome ingredients like peanut butter, banana, and chickpeas for $14.
For a budget-friendly option, Trader Joe’s has a cat calendar with freeze-dried sweet potato and salmon treats, and a dog version focused on freeze-dried chicken, each costing just $7.99.
Gardeners will adore a beautiful calendar from Terrain that contains seven seed bombs, each packaged inside a decorative ornament shaped like bees, butterflies, or bunnies. You can hang them on your tree until planting season, when they will bloom into a pollinator-friendly mix of chamomile, clover, coriander, and marigold. This unique gift is priced at $48.
For Crafters, Makers, And Creative Kids
For those who love to create, there are calendars that turn the countdown into a hands-on project.
Needlecraft artist Amanda Watson from Bend, Oregon, has designed a DIY embroidery Advent calendar. It provides a new design to stitch each day from the 1st of December through to Christmas. This project is suitable for beginners, and the finished piece can be framed or transformed into a tote bag or pillow. It costs $45.
Mondo Llama's 25 Days of Christmas Crafts calendar is perfect for crafty children. It includes all the necessary materials—sticks, foam and felt pieces, mini markers, and googly eyes—to create a host of adorable holiday crafts for $30.
Uncommon Goods offers a more ambitious Craft Project calendar where the finished buildings slot together to form a colourful holiday village. The comprehensive kit includes paint markers, watercolours, and glittery gel pens. This creative centrepiece is available for $95.
Indoor Fun, Outdoor Adventures, And A Touch Of Glamour
The fun isn't limited to crafts and pets. Science-loving children aged 8 and up will be thrilled with the Experiment a Day Science Advent Calendar from Thames & Kosmos. This kit, available at Uncommon Goods for $40, includes all the supplies needed for daily chemistry, biology, and physics experiments.
Also from Thames & Kosmos is an advent calendar version of its popular escape-room board games. 'Exit: The Game' sends players on an intergalactic race, with a new clue revealed each day. This puzzle-lover's dream costs $49.95.
Anglers haven't been forgotten. Colitt offers a calendar for fishing fans containing 24 reusable lures, presented in a box featuring a dramatic deep-sea creature on the cover, priced at $54.99.
For family game nights, The Purple Cow's 24 Family Games calendar provides a daily dose of fun with brainteasers, dice games, and outdoor activities for $40.
And for fans of the musical "Wicked," Centric Beauty has a themed advent calendar filled with sparkly balms, powders, and stick-ons for lips, eyes, and nails, offering a touch of glamour for $16.49.
The evolution of the Advent calendar proves that the countdown to Christmas can now be a highly personalised and engaging experience for everyone, regardless of their age or interests.
