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The 24 best quirky & alternative advent calendars, from candles to cocktails
When chocolate won't suffice.
Christmas is a pretty special time for a lot of us; whether that's because we get to dust off our fave party dresses, eat chocolate for breakfast in cosy pyjamas, or buy gorgeous gifts for our loved ones. And one thing most of us look forward to is tucking into our advent calendars every morning in December. Or eating the whole thing one night in November — don't judge.
Best alternative advent calendars at a glance:
Best food & drink advent calendar: Bonne Maman Jam advent calendar 690g, £34.99
Best stationery advent calendar: Papier 24 Days of Desk Delights, £140
Best home & lifestyle advent calendar: Yankee Candle Fragrance Lover’s Book Advent Calendar, £49.99
Best novelty & quirky advent calendar: Urban Outfitters Googly & Bright Advent Calendar, £22
But if chocolate's not your thing (or it is, but you're looking for a more impressive/unconventional cally to gift to a friend this year), there are *so* many other options (FYI, you can never go wrong with chocolate, so you should probably make sure you've always got one, just in case).
From cheese calendars for the savoury lovers, to candle calendars for the wellness guys, behold the 24 best alternative advent calendars for a merry Christmas month. Because what could be better than getting a wee little present every morning for 24 days in a row?
Best stationery advent calendars
Calling all stationery fans, we have some big news for you – Papier’s advent calendar is back! The 24 Days of Desk Delights calendar contains 24 Papier surprises, including: a new A6 notebook, fineliners, two A7 notebooks, washi tape, a gratitude journal, and more. The calendar is £140, with the total products inside worth £200.
Colour Their Day Stationery Advent Calendar
The packaging on this alone is enough of a joy to wake up to everyday in December, however there's pens, pencils, stickers, washi tape, and more inside if the cute packaging isn't enough to entice you.
Best food & drink advent calendars
24 days of delicious tinnies? This countdown's for the cocktail lover. From Spicy Margs to Espresso Maritinis, the concoctions in this calendar are all bar-strength and mixologist-quality, plus there's a hidden golden can in one of these calendars – and it's worth £1000 of MOTH cocktails. Good luck!
Bonne Maman Bonne Maman Preserve Advent Calendar
The team had the pleasure of trying this one themselves and were absolutely obsessed. Thanks to this advent calendar, you won't be short of sweet toast toppings for a while. Complete with different jams from fig and cardamom to cherry and rose (as well as a big, chocolatey surprise), the little pots they come in are too cute.
Doughlicious 12 Days Of Cookie Dough & Gelato Bites Advent Calendar
Consider yourself a foodie, but don’t love chocolate? Then you’re in for a treat with this Doughilicious 12-day advent calendar. Behind every door awaits a chewy ball of cookie dough and ice cream joy. Plus, every bite-sized piece is gluten-free! Just remember to keep it in the freezer.
Yankee Candle Fragrance Lover's Book Advent Calendar
Ok, the advent calendar of our dreams has finally arrived. Yankee Candle has released their advent book filled with 24 individual tea lights and votives, each with its own unique fragrance, including festive options like Christmas Cookie and Letters To Santa.
Walkers Shortbread Advent calendar
It isn't the festive season without a bit of shortbread, and this Christmas we're celebrating early by opening a new door on the Walker's Shortbread advent calendar each day to reveal a shortbread ideal for our 3pm cuppa. In the calendar, there's a variety of butter shortbread fingers, mini shortbread rounds and mini chocolate chip shortbread.
Start most days with a coffee? Then add a little bit of festive to fun to your morning coffee ritual by opening up a new door on the Grind advent calendar each day, which features 25 compostable pods, including two limited edition Christmas blend pods.
Pukka Herbs Advent Calendar 2025 Organic Tea Selection
A pot of tea is made to be shared, and so what better way to celebrate the lead-up to Christmas than with a tea advent calendar? This selection of beautifully blended, premium teas will warm you right up this festive season.
Burmont's Speciality Gifts Where’s Joe & Seph’s? Illustrated Puzzle & Gourmet Popcorn Christmas Advent Calendar
Sorry, but popcorn is a wildly underrated snack and especially when it comes in such outrageously delicious flavours as those included in this Joe & Seph's advent calendar — Including Banoffee Pie and Salted Caramel.
Honeywell Bakes Jar Of Advent Biscuits
This jar of biscuits may be the cutest thing I've ever seen. For 24 days you'll pick out a beautifully decorated gingerbread biscuit, with designs such as a penguin, stocking and polar bear. And you get a nice jar to reuse afterwards!
Ilchester The Crafty Herd Cheese Advent Calendar
Expect an array of classic, new, and surprising cheeses in this 25-day advent calendar. From cheddar with sriracha and honey to Wensleydale with mango and orange, there's something for every kind of cheese lover. Just make sure you keep it in the fridge!
Best home & lifestyle advent calendars
You can never have too many socks, right? At least that’s our opinion (honestly, where do they all hide?). Open a new pair of bamboo-rich socks for every day of December and get ready to enjoy toasty, warm toes all month long.
We’re obsessed with this cute calendar. It doubles as a Chrismtas decoration and has 24 equally-sized boxes that you can fill with whatever you please — whether that’s chocolate, cheese or money. Who knew an advent calendar could offer ample cost per wear?
Modo Creative A Mindful Advent Candle Set
Not only is this an adorable gift idea but it's perfect for the hectic nature of the Christmas season. Featuring 24 handmade honey-scented candles, the idea is that with each one you dedicate some time to mindfulness during the 20-minute burn time. The set can also be personalised with a message of your choice to run along the inside of the box.
More of a coffee fan? Then this festive calendar is for you. The calendar contains 24 days of gourmet coffee, from French Vanilla to Irish Cream flavour to help re-energise and refocus over the festive period. Because let's be real, we all know how stressful Christmas can be.
“Marshmallows toasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose...”, that's how it goes, right? Well, in our heads it is, and this calendar, stuffed with homemade, individually wrapped marshmallows, is the perfect way to bring the song to life. There are eight flavours ranging from Gingerbread Man to Festive Funfetti, and OMG, why are our mouths watering already...
Daniella Scott is Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. As part of her role, Danny covers all things entertainment, from true crime to scandalous drama (if there’s a con involved, she’s probably already binged it) and celebrity interviews, including Nicola Coughlan. Danny’s also across lifestyle, travel, interiors and food and drink, in both digital and print. So when she’s not trawling Instagram for the next best Ikea hack, she’s trying out cocktail recipes or pretending she has a driving license researching the UK’s best road trips.
Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from TV and film, to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating quizzes, covering exciting new food releases and sharing the latest interior must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of The Kardashians. After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into fashion journalism, writing for the Daily Express, before working as Features Editor at The Tab, where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on LinkedIn.
Shadé (pronounced sh-ah-day) is the Senior Fashion & Lifestyle Ecommerce Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. From what to shop in the latest Revolve flash sale to how to style the hottest new trends, she shares shopping advice, reports on new collabs and reviews your fave fashion brands.
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