25 Cool Advent Calendars for a Unique Countdown to Christmas
Grab these unusual advent calendars before they're gone!
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Here's a secret about adulthood: We tell kids to be patient in the run-up to the holidays, but grown-ups really know that counting down the days until Christmas morning doesn't get any easier as you get older. The other great thing about being an adult? We get to buy ourselves whatever we want (within reason). After all, everyone deserves a treat to get through the cold, dark winter days.
That's where a good advent calendar comes in. You get just a little something every day, making the interminable wait until Christmas go a little easier, but you don't get something so big you'll spoil yourself for the big day. And while toy advent calendars and chocolate advent calendars are always fun, when you're an adult, you can branch out. That means you can get boozy advent calendars, beauty advent calendars or advent calendars for basically anyone you can think of, from coffee lovers to cheese fiends.
These unique and unusual alternative advent calendars cover a range of interests, but they all have one thing in common: You'll get a thrill opening them every day and discovering what's inside.
A small piece of chocolate? Psssh. You can't share that with a loved one. This daring advent calendar offers something else instead: Every day it offers suggestions of three activities to do with a partner, and you can choose one to do together. We'd provide a few examples of the suggested activities, but they're NSFW.
Insight Editions Friends: The Official Advent Calendar
Could this advent calendar be any funnier? Each day is filled with fun, Friends-themed surprises, from paper ornaments to classic recipes tied into old episodes. And if Friends wasn't your favorite show, there are similar advent calendars for Fallout, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Batman, Marvel and many others.
The Republic of Tea Hallmark Countdown to Christmas Tea Companion Advent Calendar
There's nothing better than snuggling up with a soft blanket, a biscotti and a cup of tea and watching a Hallmark Christmas Movie. This advent calendar offers the perfect brews to compliment those holiday rom-coms. There are 12 doors to open, with two bags of tea in each one.
Everyone has that friend who's super into crystals. (Maybe it's you?) Give them an energy boost with this calendar, which comes with 12 cool crystals, including stones like quartz, calcite, peach moonstone, Xiuyan jade and others.
Does it get any cooler than Dolly? For her "Holly Dolly" Advent Calendar, Parton has filled 24 compartments with her favorite treats, including chocolates, caramels, gummies and mints.
Benefit Cosmetics Sincerely Yours Beauty Advent Calendar
Get your makeup bag ready for holiday party season with this advent calendar, which offers 12 mini version of Benefit's top sellers. You get a little of everything, including mascaras, pore primers, bronzers and blush face powders.
Believe ... that this the best Ted Lasso advent calendar you can buy for your feet. It comes with 15 pairs of socks, both short and long, that are full of references to the show. If Ted Lasso isn't your No. 1, there are also sock advent calendars for Marvel, Star Wars, NASA, Harry Potter and others.
RELATED: All the Best Sock Advent Calendars
When the days get shorter, you need some candles. This advent calendar offers 12 votives in different fragrances, so you an do some aromatherapy to get you through the winter.
Make sure everyone in the family can get in on the fun, including those pups! This calendar will give them what they really want: mini, chicken-flavored bones (and humans will appreciate the fun holiday shapes, like candy canes).
RELATED: 10 Best Dog Advent Calendars
Get into the holiday spirit with some actual spirits. The Heritage Distilling Co. fills its advent calendar with 24 tastes of unusual libations, including award winning vodkas, gins and whiskeys. Cheers!
RELATED: The Best Advent Calendars for Men Who Love Beer, Comics, Meat, and More
Cottagecore is in, and cozy is cool! Stay warm and relaxed while counting down the days until Christmas with this holiday-themed 25-day advent calendar. Flavors include festive-sounding brews like Gingerbread Treat, Irish Holiday, Peppermint Candy and Winter Warmer, among others.
Even if you're not traveling for the holidays, you can tour 12 of the country's breweries with this craft beer advent calendar. Each day contains one of GiveThemBeer.com's highest rated beers. The calendar ships out in November, but you have to order it beforehand or it'll sell out!
RELATED: 12 Best Beer Advent Calendars
Finally, an excuse to eat noodles every day! The noodles are air-dried instead of fried, made with plant-based protein and free of artificial flavors, and you get four servings of three different flavors to try.
Uncommon Goods Holiday Scratch-Off Playlist Advent Calendar
Switch up your December routine and your annual playlist of the best holiday songs at the same time. Each day, you'll scratch of a square that reveals a QR code. Scan it, and it'll take you to a holiday song performed by an emerging artist.
PostboxParty Enamel Pin Advent Calendar
If there are tweens and teens at home that are too cool for toys, accessorize their outfits with this advent calendar, which comes with 24 small enamel pins. You can even get the box personalized with their name on it.
Who needs chocolate? With this advent calendar, you get 24 tastes of pork crackling in a variety of flavors. You can also get one that comes pre-paired with beer.
If your tongue can stand it, try 12 different hot-sauce blends on your December dinners. Flavors range from softer flavors like mild mango and garlic all the way up to wasabi and something called "Carolina Reaper."
When not just any old grocery-store candy will do, try Sugarfina's delightfully decadent candy advent calendar, which comes in packaging that looks like a gingerbread house. You get a new sweet each day, including dark chocolate sea salt caramels, raspberry Eiffel Towers, petite strawberries, sprinkle cookies and many more.
Show up to every holiday gathering and party with a new nail look, thanks to these mini bottles of OPI polish. The hues span the spectrum, from light and shimmery to rich and dark.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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