The Best Advent Calendars to Buy Now (yes, in September)

food and drinkgifts for everyoneholiday gifts
Written By Kristin West

These Advent Calendars Are Worth The Hype And The Price.

I don’t love that I am bringing up the holidays when It's still September and the leaves are barely changing colors. But here's the thing: good advent calendars sell out faster than Taylor Swift tickets. The fancy Harrods beauty calendars? Gone during pre-sales. Even Trader Joe's $1.49 calendars vanish quickly. If you want a really good one, you need to start planning now.

You can easily go down an advent calendar rabbit hole since there is a calendar for pretty much everything. I saw an advent calendar for Sour Patch Kids. What???? Luckily I have gone down the rabbit hole for you and put together a curated list of truly great advent calendars that are worth your money. (Sour Patch Kid advent calendar not included.)

Adult Beverage Advent Calendars:

  • For wine lovers. The In Good Taste Wine Advent Calendar ($149) delivers 24 mini bottles of wine. You can choose from red and white wines, just reds, or white and rosé options. Feeling extra generous? They've got a luxury version for $249 for the wine snob connoisseur. You can order now, and calendars ship in October.

    If you want something a bit more curated, Vinebox’s 12-nights of wine ($129) is another choice, but it is primarily geared for one person. 100ml isn’t really shareable. The Bold Collection includes nine red and three white wines. The Bright Collection includes a mix of red, white and rosé wines. You can order now and calendars ship mid-October.

  • Whiskey enthusiasts, listen up. The Flaviar Whiskey Advent Calendar ($260) is the real deal. My parents got this last year and they really enjoyed their tasting each night. You get 24 glass vials of whiskey samples, two collectible glasses, and a one-year black membership. Pre-orders are live and they start shipping in September, so don't sleep on this one.

  • More of a beer person? I got you. While there are a lot of beer advent calendar options, my advice is to check with a local brewery first. Supporting local businesses always feels good. If that's not an option, hit up the grocery store and create your own sampler pack. This allows you to weed out any styles of beer that you know someone may not like.

    If you want simplicity (and who doesn’t), pre-orders of Give Them Beer 12-days of beer advent calendar($85) is happening now.

Non-Alcoholic Beverage Advent Calendars:

  • For my sober-curious and non-drinking friends. I'd recommend sticking with non-alcoholic beer over the canned mocktails. Why? Because some mocktails can taste artificial and downright funky, while NA beer tends to be more consistent. My husband and I tried the NA Beer Club last year and we were genuinely impressed with the variety. Their advent calendar offers 24 beers for $119.

  • For those who need their morning coffee. Onyx Coffee Lab’s advent calendar is highly touted. You receive about 2 oz. of whole coffee beans which equals about 24 oz of brewed coffee. Their 2025 calendar is not live yet, but their 2024 calendar was $189.

    If you know someone who is obsessed with their Keurig, you can pre-order the 24-cups of cheer advent calendar ($29.99).

  • Prefer tea over coffee? No problem. Personally, I’m not a tea person, but David’s Tea 24 trips with tea advent calendar ($69) is highly rated and is included on multiple “best of” lists. This calendar offers two 8 oz servings each day. There is a variety of tea flavors and all of them are certified organic. They also offer a 12-nights of herbal tea option ($49).

Beauty Advent Calendars:

  • Primp from head to toe. There are two great options that include an array of products from buzzy brands. The Anthropologie 24 days of beauty calendar ($98) Includes travel size goodies from Salt & Stone, Caudalie, L’Occitane, Supergoop, Tocca, Patchology and more. Revolve’s beauty advent calendar ($150 in 2024) is the grand poo-bah with travel and full size products from brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Benefit, Salt & Stone, Summer Friday’s and more. Revolve’s calendar is not on sale yet. I don’t recommend waiting to add either of these (or both) to your shopping cart.

Food Advent Calendars:

  • For those with a sweet tooth. My go-to for the past two years is the Sugarfina Advent Calendar ($60). It always has a cute design and you can’t beat the array of sweets, such as sugar cookies, caramels, cookie dough bites, sours and more.

    A slightly more expensive option is the See’s Candies Advent Calendar ($80). Cute design and lots of chocolate, including dark peppermint patty, dark marshmallow tree, milk butterscotch square, cafe latte krispies and more. You can pre-order now and calendars ship in November.

  • Prefer salty snacks? Oh yeah. Sugar Plum’s 12-days of gourmet nuts advent calendar ($55) is a great option for those who like salty snacks and don’t have a nut allergy. It includes 12 tins of items like honey sea salt almonds, tap room mix, cajun cashews and more.

  • Better than jelly of the month club. I will admit jellies are not my jam (pun intended). For those of you who love jams and spreads, the Bonne Maman advent calendar ($55) is the real deal. Flavors like blueberry and maple syrup sound good enough for me to even try.

Non-Food or Drink Advent Calendars:

  • Socks don’t have to be a bad gift. Socks aren’t something I actively go out and buy, but I definitely would turn away receiving fun and colorful socks. Happy Socks delivers 24-crew socks ($104) in different colors and designs. They even have a Beatles edition.

  • You love a challenge. This unique advent calendar by Thigreact ($22) includes 17 wooden puzzles and 7 metal puzzles. Each puzzle requires a different solution. This can keep someone busy during the holiday season.

These advent calendars won’t stick around. They are an early investment in future holiday joy. Trust me, your future December self will thank you for acting now.

Kristin West
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