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The season of joy is here, and we all need as much holiday magic as the world will provide right now. Whether you’re a diehard Christmas fanatic—or you’re just happy to have a few days off work—this series will help you pick the perfect presents, playlists, meals, and activities to make this Christmas the Best Christmas Ever.
Advent calendars have been around for a long time, but if you’re thinking of the simple, paper calendars that revealed a cute little picture or piece of candy every day leading up to Christmas, you haven’t been keeping up. Advent calendars are a thing these days (though a lot of folks treat them as holiday-themed unboxing opportunities, which kind of ruins the charming patience traditionally required), offering steady samples of everything from beauty products to beer to make your holiday season a little more magical. Considering how much stress all the house guests and holiday travel can generate, the simple joy of getting a little treat every day is compelling.
In fact, we’re living in a kind of Advent Calendar Golden Age. Whatever you and the other folks in your household enjoy, there’s an advent calendar offering the simple pleasure of discovery and daily moments of joy that’s in your wheelhouse. Here are some of the most interesting advent calendars that will make your holiday season uniquely fun.
LEGO (and Star Wars)
You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy LEGO sets—or Star Wars. With 18 mini models (including an X-Wing, a TIE fighter, and the Millennium Falcon) and six minifigures (including Luke, Leia, and Ahsoka), the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar will bring a little adventure into your house every day until Christmas.
Puzzles
If your family loves a good puzzle, this is the advent calendar for you. Featuring 24 connected puzzles augmented by digital extras like online videos, Professor Charlie’s World Tour isn’t just a way to mark the time until you can tear open presents, it’s a group activity that turns time usually spent waiting impatiently for the holiday to arrive into a challenging, stimulating experience.
Hot sauce
The world is divided into two people: those who start to sweat just looking at a bottle of hot sauce, and those who carry hot sauce with them everywhere just in case. If you or someone you love is part of the latter tribe, an advent calendar offering 12 different samples of variously-hot hot sauces should be absolute heaven.
Advent for Pets
The holidays aren’t just about you, you selfish person. Your fur friends would also love to participate, and what better way to get them in the spirit of things than a treat-dispensing advent calendar? Whether you’re a dog person or a cat person, turn December into the most mysteriously wonderful time of the year for your extended critter family.
Play-Doh
Sure, technically it’s for kids. But if you’re an adult who can spot Play-Doh in your home and not play with it, something may be wrong with you. This advent calendar offers 24 cans of Play-Doh in various colors, plus activity mats, molds, and tools to unlock everyone’s creativity. You can either build the pre-planned scenes as you go, or just go wild with the Play-Doh and have fun. Either way: Best Christmas ever.
Lip balm
If you know other human beings, there is a 100% chance at least one of them is addicted to lip balm of some sort. The ChapStick Advent Calendar offers 12 different flavors of lip balm, guaranteeing that no matter what else might go wrong during the holidays this year, chapped lips won’t be on the list.
Dungeons & Dragons
Whether you were there when the deep magic was written or you’ve caught the tabletop role-playing bug recently, what could be better than a D&D-themed advent calendar? Offering 25 mini-treasures (inspired by the Forgotten Realms) you probably won’t find in any standard campaign, this advent calendar turns every day into a mini dungeon crawl—except without the danger of losing a saving throw.
Wine and cheese
If you like your treats a little more adult and savory, why not turn each day of the month leading to Christmas into a tiny party? With with an advent calendar that offers a 12 samples of surprise wine combined with a calendar that offers 12 samples of surprise cheese, you can have a little tasting event every day. As a bonus, this let’s you get your liver and stomach in shape for the marathon of parties that will mark the end of the year.
Japanese snacks
Japan knows a thing or two about food and celebrations, and this unique advent calendar is a celebration of Japanese snacking and culture. Each year’s calendar has a different theme: This year’s is kintsugi, the charming concept of repairing broken things with gold that highlights the flaw, creating something beautiful. Something tells us that concept will be comforting in the coming year, and the snacks and little gifts found inside each box will bring a little international joy to your life in the meantime.
Science!
What could possibly be more fun than an advent calendar that offers a collection of gemstone samples, science experiments (that can double as magic tricks, as science often does), and even a mini-dig that lets you uncover some Fool’s Gold? Who needs more candy when you could be making stuff glow or float using just the fundamental forces of our universe?
Socks!
Never did we ever imagine a future so glorious that you can enjoy a sock-filled advent calendar during the holiday season. With twelve pairs of holiday-themed socks, you not only get the joy of discovery each day, you get to wear the socks around the house—a fresh pair every single day leading up to Christmas.
Burger King Advent Calendar
If your childhood memories include a lot of visits to Burger King (that was where my parents took me whenever I deserved a reward; burgers are still my love language), this odd little advent calendar might be ideal, if you can find it. Each box contains a BK-inspired item celebrating iconic menu items and Burger King history. Is it a little weird? Yes! Is it a lot of fun? Also yes!
Couples only
Whether you’re trying to keep things spicy or just want some racy adventures with your partner, this adults-only advent calendar offers a variety of activities and challenges designed to deepen your bond and spice up your time together. Each day offers a choice of activity, so you can calibrate exactly how you want to approach this couples-centric experience, putting you in the right frame of mind to celebrate the holidays.
