Guess what? Advent calendars aren’t just for kids anymore. You can countdown to the holiday season with a host of advent calendars for adults. Read on for some of our favorites.
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The origin of advent calendars for adults
It’s unclear which company first thought up an advent calendar for adults. However, here is what is clear: marketers and retailers love the concept as a way of attracting new customers.
In this article about the history of the advent calendar, I wrote about how companies refer to them as anticipation calendars. Much like children look forward to opening a new window and getting a piece of chocolate, adults enjoy the activity, too.
Back in 2009, advertising agency Wieden and Kennedy set up a life-size advent calendar in a London shop window. Each day, they revealed a newly wrapped, life-sized gift, such as a bicycle or a waterproof snowman. Considering Wieden and Kennedy are the brains behind the Nike slogan “Just Do It,” it’s also possible they’re the inspiration behind the grown-up advent calendar.
Grown-ups love these calendars
Perhaps one of the reasons that advent calendars for adults have caught on is because of the popularity of subscription boxes. With these boxes, you get a surprise in your mailbox or on your doorstep each month. It’s like being able to enjoy Christmas all year long.
Therefore, you could extrapolate that there is a similarly enjoyable feeling about having a special present for adults to open in December.
“Why should the kids have all the fun in the countdown to the holiday? I get myself an advent calendar each year because I am still a kid at heart. I try to find one that is full of items I wouldn’t normally purchase for myself,” said Sarah Mock of Savoring the Good. “One year it was mini bottles of wine. Another year it was a LEGO calendar because who doesn’t love putting together LEGOs?”
Finally, because adult advent calendars tend to include more expensive or larger items, some may have only 12 windows to open versus the traditional 24 that you open between December 1 and December 24.
Alcoholic advent calendars
This past fall, my local Costco was selling two different kinds of boozy calendars for those of drinking age. They were:
- German beer advent calendar, with 24 different cans. Each of the windows contains a 16.9-ounce can of beer.
- Take a wine adventure advent calendar with 24 375 ml bottles of wine.
I was impressed with the size and heft of each of these advent boxes. Each included a good serving of either beer or wine. Plus, they give you the opportunity to try a new vintage or brew on each of the 24 days in December.
None of these were from Kirkland, the Costco brand. However, if you want to find them in your local Costco, you have to live in a state that allows Costco to carry alcohol. Not all states do.
Another alcoholic advent calendar comes from GiveThemBeer.com. The company sells advent calendars with beer, wine, hard seltzer, whiskey, bourbon and more.
We got the red wine advent calendar to try out. They include, among other vintages:
- Cabernet sauvignon
- Merlot
- Pinot noir
Each advent window contains a half bottle of wine. Be careful when opening them and pulling out the bottles, though. We didn’t realize that these would be twist-off wine tops. So, as we were pulling out the day one wine, we twisted off the cap of the first bottle and spilled it on the floor. Don’t worry — there was enough of the 2021 California pinot noir left to enjoy with dinner, which we did.
DIY alcoholic advent calendar
On the other hand, you can always make your own adult beverage advent calendar like Susannah Brinkley Henry of Feast and West does.
“Each year I love putting together a boozy advent calendar for my husband and me. I stock up on a combination of mini bottles of brands we love and ones we haven’t tried yet,” she explained. “Sometimes I add bar items like bottle stoppers or whiskey stones. It’s fun to try new things each day or save them up for weekend cocktails. At the end, we usually have a list of new favorites.”
Other adult advent calendars
Beyond wine, beer and bar-oriented calendars, you can find plenty of different premade, store-bought, grown-up advent calendars online or in your favorite store. We treated ourselves to three of our favorite things: coffee, the TV show “Friends” and jam.
Keurig 24 Cups of Cheer
Normally, I like to use my refillable K-cup in my Keurig to cut down on waste. But this year, I splurged on the Keurig 24 Cups of Cheer coffee advent calendar — and I’m so glad I did.
Not only does the calendar include K-cup coffee from well-known brands like Newman’s Own and Caribou Coffee, but there are also Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa K-cups. Some of the flavored coffees include:
- McCafe Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
- Original Donut Shop Peppermint Bark
- Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Dark Chocolate Hazelnut
Friends 12 Days of Socks Calendar
We’re big “Friends” fans. I mean, when my husband and I text hello, we’ll often send, “How YOU doin’?” IYKYK.
I was stoked to discover the Friends 12 Days of Socks Calendar. The calendar includes 12 pairs of socks that say, among other catchphrases:
- “Oh. My. God!”
- “Pivot!”
- “We were on a break.”
Again, if you know, you know. Sizes are medium to large in women’s or small to medium in men’s, so it is practically unisex.
Bonne Maman Jam and Honey Advent Calendar
In this Bonne Maman 2023 Limited Edition Advent Calendar, you get 23 mini jars of fruit spread plus one jar of honey. The jars are 28 grams or about one ounce.
Along with the traditional flavors, you’ll get new variations, including raspberry chocolate and pineapple with ginger. My breakfast toast never tasted so wonderful.
Final thoughts on advent calendars for adults
We attempted to try some of these luxury advent calendars, too, like makeup calendars. However, the beauty retailers where we made our purchases just couldn’t compare to Amazon when it came to easy ordering and speedy delivery.
So, if you’re craving a beauty advent calendar, stick with the ones you can find on Amazon to ensure timely arrival.
Or get one in person at Trader Joe’s like Gen La Rocca of Two Cloves Kitchen did. “I received a beauty product advent calendar from Trader Joe’s last year that I just loved. It had samples of lotions, lip balms and facial products,” she recalled. “This was a great way to try several products without committing to the larger sizes.”
Leah Ingram is the author of 15 books, including “Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier for Less” and “The Complete Guide to Paying for College.” She shares shopping advice for getting the most value for your time and money at Leah Ingram Real Sophisticated Consumer.