The Daily Star's resident Santa Claus, Adam Cailler, has revealed the top advent calendars for the 2026 festive season, with the Boots 24 Days of Luxe taking the crown as the best overall pick.
Priced at £150, the Boots calendar contains 27 luxury products from brands including Huda Beauty and Clinique, with 19 full-sized items worth over £700 in total. For those on a tighter budget, Boots also offers the 24 Days of Skin at £70 and the 24 Days of Scent at £90.
Luxury and Beauty Standouts
The P.Louise What Glows Around 2026 calendar is a spinning light-up carousel box priced at £250, containing £502 worth of makeup across 25 full-sized surprises. It features exclusive Christmas formulas, lip kits, blush palettes and a 10-piece brush set.
For men, the LookFantastic The Grooming Advent Calendar at £90 offers 25 doors of men's skincare, haircare and fragrance, including 15 full-sized items. With brands like Elemis, ESPA, Shiseido, Rituals and Murdock London, it represents £469 worth of products.
Food and Drink Options
Cartwright & Butler's Advent Calendar, weighing 5kg, hides 24 full-sized sweet and savoury treats behind illustrated drawers. Priced at £199, it includes artisan shortbread, fudge, preserves, crackers, tea and Christmas pudding.
Virgin Wines' Mixed Wine Advent Calendar at £99.99 features 24 mini bottles of red, white, rosé and Prosecco, plus a full-sized bottle of French sparkling wine for Christmas Day. Roly's Fudge Advent Calendar offers 500g of Devon fudge across 25 doors for £60, with flavours including Vanilla Clotted Cream, Salted Maple & Pecan and Christmas Pudding.
Family and Fun Picks
The Crazy Fun Original Mystery Squishy Dumpling calendar from The Entertainer, priced at £40, features 24 tactile Squishy Dumpling bao buns for children who love sensory toys. The LEGO Marvel Advent Calendar 2026, at £29.99, offers 317 pieces with 24 festive Marvel superhero minifigures and mini-builds.
CEWE's personalised photo calendars start from £9.99, with options to add Kinder chocolates from £16.99, Ferrero from £25.99, Tony's Chocolonely from £38.99, or a 500-piece photo jigsaw at £34.99.
More Festive Favourites
Reese's Peanut Butter Miniatures Advent Calendar, available at Sainsbury's, is a 245g calendar filled with milk and white chocolate peanut butter miniatures. Terry's Chocolate Orange Advent Calendar at £3 provides a daily piece of zesty orange chocolate, finishing with the world's largest Terry's segment behind door 24.
The Lovehoney Couple's Advent Calendar at £149 offers 24 days of saucy treats, while the Siren Craft Brew Beer Advent Calendar at £95 includes 24 unique cans and a festive glass.
Chilli No. 5's calendar at £125 spans 24 days with sauces, spices, chilli oil and marinades. Standouts include the Chinese Hot & Sour, Louisiana BBQ, and the Limited Edition Pure Hot Sauce, offering a fiery kick and tangier flavour compared to classic sauces.
