Upgrade Your Christmas Countdown With These 20 Adult Advent Calendars

Advent calendars aren’t just for impatient kids anymore. A handful of brands have designed adult advent calendars to keep us sane while we wait out December — just like they keep the kids happy with daily candy.

But, you won’t find generic chocolates in the best adult advent calendars. Instead, the contents vary wildly, depending on what you’re looking for. You can certainly find super-niche calendars, like those for Super Mario fans or NFL watchers, but a few themes seemed to pop up regularly when we searched out the best advent calendars for adults. These include:

• Alcohol (like the famous Aldi wine calendar)
• Premium chocolates
• Sex toys
• Candles
• Grooming products
• Edibles (jams, teas, coffees, etc.)
• Christmas decor
• Collectibles

Grown-up advent calendars also make great early holiday gifts, and most of them double as tasteful Christmas decorations, too.

To spruce up your December countdown, we’ve rounded up 20 of the best adult advent calendars with daily surprises. Check them out below.

1. Mr Porter 12 Days of Grooming Advent Calendar

BEST OVERALL

The Mr Porter Grooming team knows all about skin and hair care for men, and every year they use that knowledge to select the 12 best products they’ve discovered in the past 12 months, including luxurious creams, masks and oils. These products are then placed into a watercolor-illustrated box with 12 numbered doors. This year, the 12 Days of Grooming Advent Calendar boasts nine full sized products and three additional samples with a combined value of more than $500. We won’t spoil all the surprises, but a few of the products featured in this advent calendar are Malin + Goetz’s Eucalyptus Deodorant, Elemis’ Smooth Result Shave and Beard Oil and Grown Alchemist’s Age-Repair Lip Treatment.

2. Spa Life Fizzle All the Way Bath Bomb Advent Calendar

BEST BUDGET

The holidays can be way stressful, so make sure to give yourself a bit of down time with the Spa Life Fizzle All the Way Bath Bomb Advent Calendar. Behind each door, you’ll find a different festive bath bomb to help you get the “you time” you deserve. The bath bombs themselves feature aromatherapy scents and plenty of fizz as well as different colors. And, they’ll leave your skin feeling rejuvenated and lightly scented for hours after your bath.

3. Tingletouch Love Calendar for Couples

FOR THE ROMANTIC COUPLE

This advent calendar from Tingletouch spices up you and your partners December with activity ideas for each day. When you flip open a window in the morning you’ll find three options ranging from easy (for busy schedules) to more complicated. The activities include things like giving each other compliments, having a movie night as well as fun ideas for the bedroom.

4. Toyvian Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar

BEST HOLIDAY-THEMED CONTENTS

While most advent calendars have edibles or small toys behind each door, the Toyvian Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar features daily gifts that are much more useful this time of year. Behind each door, you’ll find a different Christmas tree ornament. In this way, you’ll be able to add another decoration to your home every day leading up to December 25. Some of the ornaments in the calendar include a reindeer ornament, a Santa Claus ornament, an angel ornament and many more.

5. D-FantiX Christmas Advent Calendar

FOR THE DECORATOR

Advent calendars and Christmas decorations, in general, can be eyesores. If you want a more chic holiday look in your home, pick up some of these advent calendar pouches to string on the wall. They’re great for adults or kids, as you can stock them with whatever you want, such as cheese, chocolate, alcohol, or personal notes.

6. Lindt Bear Advent Calendar

BEST CHOCOLATE CALENDAR

Adults are allowed to love chocolate too. However, if you want to indulge a loved one’s sweet tooth with a chocolate advent calendar, opt for this more grown-up set from Lindt. It comes stocked with 24 bear-shaped chocolates, including a special treat behind door 24.

7. English Tea Shop Book Style Advent

FOR THE TEA-LOVER

If chocolate and alcohol sound too unhealthy, try this Tea Shop advent calendar. The compact calendar has 25 bags of tea for each chilly day this December, and 12 variations so you get to sample some new flavors. Plus, the tea comes from English Tea Shop, meaning you’re actually getting some high-quality stuff.

8. Man’stuff Grooming Advent Calendar

FOR THE BEST (OR WORST) GROOMED

This men’s grooming advent calendar is perfect for the guy that loves to stay well-groomed…or the guy that needs some help staying well-groomed. The box includes 12 travel-sized grooming essentials for a half-month countdown to Christmas. Inside, you’ll find a bottle of face wash, a comb, shower gel and much more. Plus, the travel size makes them great for gradually stocking up for a post-Christmas vacation.

9. LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar

BEST FOR LEGO FANS

The LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar may have been designed with children in mind, but adults will love these small toys just as much. That’s especially true for fans of the Star Wars saga. Each day features a different buildable vehicle, location or Christmas-themed mini figure. You’ll also find codes on each door to unlock Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga game content. All together, there are 311 LEGO pieces in the calendar, and it’s suitable for ages 7 and up.

10. The Office 12 Days Of Socks Advent Calendar Set

QUIRKIEST

One of the weirdest and most functional advent calendars naturally lends itself to a theme around The Office. In this blue box, you’ll find 12 pairs of socks, one for each day leading up to Christmas. Each pair features a different pattern referencing the famous comedy show. Eight pairs are low cut, while the other four pairs are crew cut. While you might be tempted to keep these socks for yourself, this makes an incredible gift for your favorite The Office fan.

11. Funko Harry Potter Advent Calendar

FOR THE HARRY POTTER NERD

Pair your yearly Harry Potter marathon with this Harry Potter Funko Pop advent calendar. Each day contains a mini character from the beloved movies, ranging from Ron to Viktor Krum. Obviously, kids will love this too, so it’s great to use as a whole-family countdown if you have Potter-fans of all ages.

12. La Maison du Chocolat Advent Calendar

BEST EDIBLE

You’re not a kid any more, so why settle for child-themed chocolates in your advent calendar? For the chocolate loving adult, there’s no better choice than the La Maison du Chocolat Advent Calendar. This party cracker-shaped box contains 24 luxe chocolates, from dark chocolate pralines to mini-bars and fruity concoctions. All the treats inside were created by pastry chef Nicolas Cloiseau, who has been making French chocolates for more than 40 years. If you can make it through the month of December only eating one of these chocolates per day, you’ll probably be one of the most self disciplined people in the world.

13. Bonne Maman Advent Calendar

MOST UPSCALE

This premium Bonne Maman calendar is about as classy as adult advent calendars get. It comes stocked with 24 jars of delicious fruit spreads or honey, including holiday exclusive flavors like rhubarb & strawberry and raspberry & lychee. Grab a new jar each morning to upgrade your breakfast experience.

14. Funko Marvel Advent Calendar

FOR THE MARVEL NERD

Another great advent calendar for adult geeks is this Funko Marvel calendar. Countdown to Christmas by discovering a new mini Marvel character behind each door, including heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, as well as villains such as Thanos. Like the Harry Potter set, this makes a great whole-family advent calendar because let’s be honest: we all love the iconic characters of the MCU.

15. Hot Sauce Gift Set Advent Calendar

FOR THE SPICE-LOVER

We all know that person that drenches every meal in hot sauce (or maybe you’re one of them). If you want to spice up their December (literally), get this 25-piece hot sauce gift set. The box unfolds to reveal an advent-calendar, allowing your hot-sauce lover to grab a new bottle every day. It’s very fun, and reviewers say the hot sauces themselves also taste great.

16. Hyggehaus Wooden Advent Calendar

BEST CUSTOM CALENDAR

Our favorite custom advent calendar is this one from Hyggehaus. It’s a decent-sized box (12.5” x 14.5”) and made of high-quality wood. Instead of cheesy Christmas pictures, the graphics are Nordic-themed prints that look great by the Christmas tree or on the mantle. The compartments are also quite large, allowing you to fit a variety of decent-sized gifts, or, say, five gifts for each member of the family in every box.

17. Vinebox 12 Nights of Wine

BEST BOOZY

Ever since the grocery chain Aldi went viral in America with the idea of a wine calendar, a boozy advent has become the new norm, especially this year. As Vinebox notes, “It’s 2020 and chocolate just doesn’t cut it.” In this vein, Vinebox makes one of the most popular wine advent calendars every year thanks to its classy packaging and wine choices that perfectly pair with the season. This year’s box includes 12 glasses of premium wine bottled in single serving vials. The mix of whites and reds hail from wineries around the world, so you just might find a new favorite bottle amongst them.

18. Lovehoney Couple’s Sex Toy Advent Calendar

BEST FOR THE BEDROOM

If you and your partner are looking to fill long December nights with some bedroom excitement, go for this Lovehoney Couple’s Sex Toy Advent Calendar advent calendar. Each of the 24 days offers a new sex toy, ranging from vibrating cock rings to manual ticklers. With $365 worth of sex toys for just $130, this is an excellent deal. It even includes the company’s popular Womanizer Starlet 2, which is worth $79.99 alone. This advent calendar is certainly for the adventurous couple, but if you’re up for it (and you can afford it), this is a very fun way to heat up the winter.

19. Diptyque Advent Calendar

BEST SMELLING CALENDAR

“Designer” candles are having a movement, and Diptyque, a Paris-based scent company, is at the top of the pile. These luxe candles feature bold scents to remind users of times gone by with a finesse only the French have perfected. Although they are wildly popular, Diptyque candles are still manually produced in small batches, leading to a higher quality product. In the company’s 2020 advent calendar, you’ll really get a great sample of Diptyque’s best products. In addition to a limited edition candle and ornament, the calendar contains 11 35g scented candles, seven 10ml eaux de toilette and eaux de parfum, two scented gestures, one body cream and one body scrub.

20. Jo Malone Advent Calendar

BEST SPLURGE

For a truly luxurious advent season, look no further than the Jo Malone Advent Calendar. The perfume maker pulls out all the stops in their advent calendar, which features 24 surprises. You might find colognes, miniature candles or bath and body luxuries behind each door. Of course, each one is infused with the famous Jo Malone scents. Throughout the month of December, you’ll take a journey to find your new favorite Jo Malone product. This is great as a splurge for yourself or a gift for your favorite someone.

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