Every year as a kid, I looked forward to my annual chocolate Advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas. Starting December 1, I’d peel back a paper door each day to pop out miniature milk chocolates in the shape of Santa’s face or a tiny bell. (Well, except for the year I was five, when I ate all 24 chocolates in one sitting, unbeknownst to my mom.)
Not only have I grown up—so have my beloved Advent calendars. Today you can mark the days to December 25 with Advent calendars for adults filled with high-end chocolate from Paris, beauty products from artisanal skincare brands in upstate New York, and sustainably sourced loose leaf tea from India. I’ve scoured the internet to find something for everyone, including Anglophiles, whiskey drinkers, and even lovers of Danish licorice (I know you’re out there).
Best of all, each one of these Advent calendars can be ordered online and shipped to the United States. Just be sure to place your order ASAP, so it arrives in time to start the countdown on December 1.
Candy Advent calendars aren’t only for kids.
Courtesy of Lakrids by Bülow
1. Lakrids by Bülow Danish Licorice Advent Calendar
- From: Denmark
- Type: Candy Advent calendar
- Buy now: $60, lakridsbybulow.us; food52.com
Good & Plenty this is not. Inside this Advent calendar by Danish brand Lakrids by Bülow, you’ll find 48 pieces of gourmet candy-coated licorice—two per day—in a variety of flavors like salted caramel, passion fruit, and milk chocolate. This year, the calendar comes in a fully recyclable box made with just a few grams of plastic and decorated with a golden braided Christmas heart—a traditional ornament in Denmark. Gluten free or vegetarian? This licorice is made with rice flour and is free of gluten and gelatin.
Although the Murray’s Advent calendar only has 12 days—instead of the standard 24—the servings of cheese are generously sized.
Courtesy of Murray’s Cheese
2. 12 Days of Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar
- From: New York
- Type: Cheese Advent calendar
- Buy now: $65, murrayscheese.com
Season’s brie-tings! Beloved six-decade-old Manhattan institution Murray’s Cheese has curated an around-the-world dairy adventure that includes nine crowd-pleasing cheeses from Spain (manchego), Italy (Parmigiano Reggiano), Ireland (Irish cheddar), and beyond, with accompaniments including Effie’s Oatcakes, apple butter, and three types of jams (spiced cherry, wild blueberry, strawberry rhubarb). You could get in the Advent spirit and sample a different three-to-five-ounce serving of cheese or accoutrement each day—or simply wait until the end of December and have yourself the perfect ready-made cheese plate for your New Year’s Eve bash. Of course, that approach won’t land you on Santa’s gouda list.
The 24 drawers of Bokksu’s Advent calendar are filled with dozens of snacks, candies, and more imported from Japan.
Courtesy of Bokksu
3. Bokksu Japan Wonderland Advent Calendar
- From: Japan
- Type: Snack Advent calendar
- Buy now: $175, bokksu.com
From Bokksu, a premium Japanese subscription box company, this Christmas Advent calendar is filled with 45 Japanese snacks, candies, and collectible holiday items. While most items are designed to be a surprise, preview images on the website show gifts like a miniature Mount Fuji candle, a daruma doll, and chocolates.
Each day reveals a beautiful and tasty flavored chocolate.
Courtesy of Compartés
4. Compartés Gourmet Chocolate Advent Calendar - Garden
- From: Los Angeles
- Type: Chocolate Advent calendar
- Buy now: $110, compartes.com
Handmade in Los Angeles, Compartés chocolates are known for wild and wacky flavors like potato chip crisp milk chocolate or doughnuts and coffee milk chocolate. Expect nothing less from its 2023 garden-themed Advent calendar, which is decorated with peacocks, palm trees, and lotus flowers. It’s filled with 24 chocolates with flavors exclusive to this calendar like honey lavender, caramel apple, and passionfruit.
This lovely blue box is filled with 24 days of Parisian candies.
Courtesy of Food52
5. Food52 x Maison Boissier Parisian Advent Calendar
- From: France
- Type: Candy Advent calendar
- Preorder now: $99, food52.com
Founded in 1827 in Paris, Maison Boissier is famous for its classic French confections and its iconic art nouveau packaging. Available exclusively in the USA at Food52.com, this Advent calendar takes its design inspiration from those beautiful tins of candy. Behind the daily doors, you’ll reveal treats like chocolate-coated nuts, caramels, and heart-shaped gummies. Available for preorder now, this advent calendar starts shipping November 15, 2023.
If you can’t go to Italy this Christmas, an Advent calendar filled with Italian chocolates is a good consolation prize.
Courtesy of Venchi
6. Venchi Prestige Italian Chocolate Advent Calendar
- From: Italy
- Type: Chocolate Advent calendar
- Buy now: $99, us.venchi.com; food52.com
Founded in Italy’s Piedmont region in 1878, Venchi has been handmaking chocolate for over 140 years. The outside of its book-shaped Advent calendar is illustrated with a festive wreath by artist Andrew Bannecker. Inside the 25 drawers—which can be rearranged to show four different designs—you’ll find a variety of chocolates, including milk, dark, and gianduja hazelnut flavors.
A beauty Advent calendar is one way to restock your travel-size toiletries.
Courtesy of Beekman 1802
7. Beekman 1802 Decadent Advent Calendar
- From: New York
- Type: Beauty Advent calendar
- Buy now: $175, beekman1802.com
Meticulously hand-assembled, this Advent calendar filled with goat milk–based skincare products from upstate New York is designed to look like a three-layer cake. It comes topped with a nutcracker that looks like one of the company’s beloved goats (reuse it as a cake topper after the holidays!). Inside the Advent calendar, you’ll find 24 drawers filled with $320 worth of hand creams, serums, and soaps (both mini and full size).
Enjoy a different type of tea each afternoon leading up to Christmas.
Courtesy of Vahdam Teas
8. Vahdam Teas Loose Leaf Tea Advent Calendar
- From: India
- Type: Tea Advent calendar
- Buy now: $70 (was $150), vahdamteas.com
Pop open each of the 24 boxes in this Advent calendar to find a metal tin filled with enough loose leaf tea for two cuppas. Handpicked in India, the tea varieties include Earl Grey citrus black tea, turmeric ginger herbal tea, and ginger masala chai, to name a few. Beloved by Oprah, Vahdam Teas works directly with tea estates in India to eliminate middlemen and ensure farmers get a fair price. Additionally, Vahdam Teas gives 1 percent of its revenue to the education of its farmers’ children.
This coffee advent calendar includes enough beans per day for two cups so you can share with your family.
Photo by Niki Weegens
9. Onyx Coffee Lab Advent Calendar
- From: Arkansas
- Type: Coffee Advent calendar
- Preorder now: $189, onyxcoffeelab.com
Based in northwest Arkansas, Onyx Coffee Lab is known for its mindful bean sourcing and sustainable roasting practices. Each of the 24 drawers in its Advent calendar includes two ounces of whole bean coffee—enough for two 12-ounce cups. Each day includes a different blend of beans sourced from such places as Ethiopia, Mexico, Ecuador, and Kenya. The calendars are available for preorder now and will begin shipping starting November 15, 2023.
The Flaviar Advent calendar comes with 24 vials of whiskey that are 1.7 ounces each.
Courtesy of Flaviar
10. Flaviar Whiskey Advent Calendar
- From: Various countries
- Type: Whiskey Advent calendar
- Buy now: $250, flaviar.com
Prefer your beverages harder? This whiskey Advent calendar from the online spirits club Flaviar will take you on a tour of the world with two dozen 1.7-ounce vials of bourbon, rye, and scotch, as well as whiskeys from Ireland, Japan, and Australia. Two Glencairn tasting glasses and a tasting booklet with details about each whiskey are also included with the Advent calendar.
Count down the days to Christmas by burning through a number a day in December.
Courtesy of Georg Jensen
11. Georg Jensen Advent Calendar Candle
- From: Denmark
- Type: Advent calendar candle
- Buy now: $20, nordicnest.com
Ubiquitous in Denmark, Advent calendar candles are just now starting to catch on and be sold in the United States. Here’s how they work: Each morning leading up to Christmas, Danes light these candles marked with the numbers 1 to 24 and burn off one number each day. This pillar-shaped version from Danish brand Georg Jensen features a gold or silver Christmas tree designed by Sanne Lund Traberg. It usually takes about one hour to burn through each number.
12. Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar
- From: United Kingdom
- Type: Beauty Advent calendar
- Buy now: $320, libertylondon.com
Anglophiles will love this beauty Advent calendar illustrated by artist Clym Evernden to look like Liberty’s famous London shop on the outside. Tucked into each of the drawers you’ll find 29 skin care and beauty products—including 20 that are full size—from luxury brands like Sunday Riley, Le Labo, and Liberty’s own line. In a Willy Wonka–esque move, Liberty is also hiding Golden Tickets—worth £1,000 to spend at Liberty—inside drawers in five calendars.
In addition to being filled with gourmet chocolates, the Vosges Advent calendar lights up and plays music.
Courtesy of Vosges Haut-Chocolate
13. Vosges Haut-Chocolate Calendar of Advent
- From: Chicago
- Type: Chocolate Advent calendar
- Buy now: $300, vosgeschocolate.com
Inspired by Parisian candy stores, Chicago-based Vosges Haut-Chocolat’s tagline is “travel the world through chocolate.” Its 2023 Advent calendar is illustrated to look like an old-fashioned chocolate shop: Push a button and the lights on the outside of the box glow and “Dance of the Reed Flutes” plays from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker.
Inside, you’ll find drawings of woodland critters and Christmas trees, as well as 25 boxes filled with everything from red Hawaiian sea salt caramels to peppermint candy cane gnomes, Japanese kokuto black sugar caramels, and Belgian Speculoos cookies coated in milk chocolate topped with sprinkles. This woman-owned small business uses Fair Trade certified cacao.
14. Diptyque Advent Calendar
- From: France
- Type: Beauty Advent calendar
- Buy now: $510, diptyqueparis.com
If you’re going to treat yourself this holiday season, this Advent calendar filled with 25 scented goodies from French luxury brand Diptyque is a worthy splurge. Behind some of the doors, you’ll find 11 candles in classic Diptyque scents like Feu de Bois (wood fire) and Baies (berries) as well as limited-edition holiday scents like Coton (cotton) and Sapin (pine tree). You’ll also discover a selection of eaux de toilettes, a solid perfume, hand wash, and limited-edition holiday decorations. The flame-shaped calligrams on this calendar are so beautiful you’ll want to reuse it after the holidays to store your jewelry and other valuables.
The Super NYC Chocolate Advent Calendar is illustrated with New York landmarks.
Courtesy of MoMA
15. Super NYC Chocolate Advent Calendar
- From: New York (by way of France)
- Type: Chocolate Advent calendar
- Buy now: $45, store.moma.org
Though the chocolates are made in the south of France by Le Chocolat des Français, this MoMA-exclusive Advent calendar is all about New York City. British artist Jenny Bowers illustrated the colorful calendar with iconic landmarks like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty all decked out for the holiday season. The 24 chocolates feature 14 different flavors, including a praline and a caramelized hazelnut.
Nicholas DeRenzo contributed reporting to this article, which was originally published in 2021; it was updated on October 27, 2023, with new information.
