There was a time when an Advent calendar meant one thing: a cardboard picture of Father Christmas, 24 little doors and a tiny piece of chocolate behind each one.
And, to be honest, there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But Advent calendars have changed rather dramatically over the years.
These days you can find everything from LEGO and beauty products to coffee, candles, stationery, hot chocolate, gin, puzzles and even calendars filled with tiny surprises for your pets.
And we’re rather pleased about it.
With Christmas 2026 now getting closer by the day, we’ve been looking at some of the best Advent calendars available in the UK this year – from traditional favourites that bring back plenty of childhood memories to some wonderfully quirky alternatives.
So, whether you’re buying for a child, treating a grown-up, looking for something traditional or simply want something a little bit different, here are some of our favourite Advent calendars for Christmas 2026.
🎄 The Best Children’s Advent Calendars 2026
For children, Advent calendars are about much more than simply counting down the days.
They’re about that little bit of excitement every morning when they get to open a door and discover what’s waiting inside.
And thankfully, there are now plenty of alternatives to chocolate.
🧱 LEGO Advent Calendars 2026
LEGO’s Advent calendars have become something of a Christmas tradition in their own right, and there are several different versions available for 2026.
The LEGO City Advent Calendar 2026 is one of our favourites for younger LEGO fans. It contains 24 daily surprises, including Santa, Mrs Claus, three elves, a snowman and a baby reindeer, as well as festive mini-builds and a fold-out Santa’s workshop playmat.
It’s aimed at children aged five and over and costs £22.99 from LEGO.
There’s also a LEGO Friends Advent Calendar 2026, again priced at £22.99, with 24 surprises including three mini-dolls and six mini animal figures.
For slightly older children – and Star Wars fans in particular – the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar 2026 is another great choice. It contains 293 pieces and includes characters and mini-builds inspired by The Mandalorian.
It’s priced at £29.99.
⭐ Our children’s pick
If we had to choose just one, we’d probably go for the LEGO City Advent Calendar.
It’s festive, it lasts beyond December and, unlike a chocolate calendar, the little surprises can become part of a child’s LEGO collection.
And let’s be honest – anything involving a baby reindeer is always going to score highly with us.
🍫 Classic chocolate calendars for children
Of course, sometimes you simply can’t beat the traditional chocolate Advent calendar.
Cadbury, Galaxy, Milky Way, Maltesers and many other familiar names are back for 2026, with plenty of calendars available for just a few pounds.
For something a little more special, there are also more substantial chocolate calendars from brands such as Lindt and Hotel Chocolat.
View and buy Cadbury Dairy Milk Advent Calendar here.
The Lindt Chocolate Factory Advent Calendar, for example, gives the traditional chocolate countdown a bit of a luxury upgrade.
And if you’re buying for a child who is particularly fond of a certain chocolate brand, we’d probably stick with their favourite. Christmas isn’t really the time to be experimenting with unfamiliar chocolate!
🎁 The Best Adult Advent Calendars 2026
Who says Advent calendars are just for children?
One of the best things about the modern Advent calendar is the sheer number of options available for adults.
And some of them are seriously tempting.
🧴 Beauty and pampering Advent calendars
Beauty Advent calendars have become huge in recent years, and 2026 is no exception.
There are calendars from Boots, Liberty, Rituals, Lookfantastic, Cult Beauty and many other retailers and brands, ranging from relatively affordable options to calendars costing several hundred pounds.
If you’re buying one as a present, they’re particularly good because the recipient gets a little treat every day rather than having to wait until Christmas morning.
The Rituals Classic Advent Calendar 2026 is a particularly attractive option. It contains 24 treats covering body, bath and home products and is presented as a rather lovely pop-up festive townhouse.
It’s £99 and Rituals says the contents have a total value of £187.10.
For something considerably more extravagant, there are luxury beauty calendars from retailers such as Liberty and Harrods.
Just make sure you check the contents before buying. Some luxury Advent calendars contain lots of miniature products, while others include a greater number of full-sized items.
🍫 Chocolate for grown-ups
And then there is the obvious choice.
Chocolate.
But we’re not necessarily talking about the little square of chocolate you remember from childhood.
Hotel Chocolat has several Advent calendars for 2026, including its Grand Advent Calendar, while Lindt, Tony’s Chocolonely and other chocolate brands offer more indulgent versions of the traditional countdown.
The Hotel Chocolat Grand Advent Calendar is definitely one for serious chocolate lovers – although at £80, it is considerably more expensive than the calendar you probably had as a child!
🧘 Rituals Classic Advent Calendar
We also really like the idea of the Rituals calendar for someone who doesn’t necessarily have a particular hobby or interest that lends itself to an Advent calendar.
It’s a little bit of luxury every morning, with 24 surprises covering body, bath and home.
And the packaging is attractive enough that it feels like part of the Christmas decoration rather than something you’ll immediately want to put in the recycling bin.
🎄 The Best Traditional Advent Calendars 2026
There is something rather lovely about a traditional Advent calendar.
No skincare.
No gin.
No tiny gadgets.
Just a beautiful Christmas picture, 24 little doors and that familiar feeling of excitement.
If that’s what you’re looking for, there are still plenty available.
❤️ The Real Advent Calendar
If you’re looking for something traditional but with a little more substance, The Real Advent Calendar is an interesting option.
It contains Fairtrade chocolate and comes with a Christmas storybook, making it particularly suitable for families who want to combine the daily chocolate treat with something more meaningful.
It’s also produced with a strong focus on charitable giving.
It’s a lovely alternative to the mass-produced chocolate calendars found in most supermarkets.
🕯️ Traditional paper and card calendars
There are also plenty of beautiful paper and card Advent calendars available from specialist Christmas retailers.
Some feature snowy villages, Victorian Christmas scenes, Santa Claus, Christmas trees and traditional festive illustrations.
These are particularly nice if you’re looking for a calendar that can become part of your Christmas decorations.
And unlike a chocolate Advent calendar, you can bring the same one out year after year.
That’s something we really like.
There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about opening the same Advent calendar every December.
🎅 The Best Quirky Advent Calendars 2026
Now we’re getting into the fun stuff.
Because if chocolate, beauty products and LEGO don’t quite do it for you, there are some wonderfully strange Advent calendars around in 2026.
And some of them make rather brilliant Christmas presents.
🌶️ A chilli Advent calendar
For someone who likes their food with a little bit of heat, a chilli Advent calendar is a fantastic idea.
The Chilli No.5 Advent Calendar contains a huge selection of chilli products and is definitely not your average Christmas countdown.
It’s one of those gifts that immediately makes you think:
“That’s actually a really good idea.”
Just be careful about opening one of the hotter doors before breakfast.
✏️ A stationery Advent calendar
For stationery lovers, the Papier Stationery Advent Calendar takes a completely different approach.
Rather than chocolate or beauty products, it’s packed with stationery surprises.
It’s expensive at around £145, but for someone who genuinely loves notebooks, pens and beautiful paper products, it could make a very memorable December.
🎲 A gaming Advent calendar
For tabletop gamers, there are Advent calendars filled with dice and other gaming-themed surprises.
The FanRoll Advent Calendar is a particularly unusual option for anyone who enjoys Dungeons & Dragons, tabletop games or collecting dice.
It’s certainly not one we’d have expected to see on an Advent calendar list a few years ago!
🐮 The wonderfully random Advent calendar
And then there are the calendars that exist simply because somebody, somewhere, thought:
“You know what people really need at Christmas? Twenty-four tiny Highland cows.”
There are plenty of novelty and decorative Advent calendars featuring animals, ornaments and completely random collectibles.
They might not be the most traditional way to count down to Christmas, but that’s rather the point.
Sometimes the weirder the Advent calendar, the better the present.
🎁 Which Advent Calendar Should You Buy?
With so many options available, it can be surprisingly difficult to choose.
Our advice is to think about what the person actually enjoys rather than simply buying the most expensive calendar you can find.
For younger children
Look for LEGO, toys, books or their favourite characters.
For older children
LEGO, gaming, beauty, stationery and collectible calendars can be great choices.
For chocolate lovers
There are now calendars for practically every level of chocolate obsession, from supermarket favourites to Hotel Chocolat and luxury chocolatiers.
For someone who loves beauty
A beauty Advent calendar can make an excellent present – particularly if you choose one with a good mixture of full-sized and miniature products.
For the person who has everything
This is where the quirky calendars come into their own.
Coffee, chilli sauce, stationery, candles, puzzles, games and unusual food calendars can make much more interesting presents than another pair of socks.
For Christmas traditionalists
Don’t overlook the humble paper Advent calendar.
Sometimes the simplest option is the one that feels most like Christmas.
🎄 Our Favourite Advent Calendars For Christmas 2026
If we had to narrow everything down, these would be some of our favourites:
Best for children: LEGO City Advent Calendar 2026
Best for LEGO fans: LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar 2026
Best traditional chocolate: Lindt Chocolate Factory Advent Calendar
Best luxury chocolate: Hotel Chocolat Grand Advent Calendar
Best for beauty lovers: Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar
Best for a bit of luxury: Rituals Classic Advent Calendar
Best traditional option: The Real Advent Calendar
Best quirky foodie option: Chilli No.5 Advent Calendar
Best for stationery lovers: Papier Stationery Advent Calendar
Best for gamers: FanRoll Advent Calendar
🎄 Don’t Leave It Until December
One final piece of advice: don’t assume Advent calendars will still be available in November.
The popularity of the more unusual and premium calendars means that some sell out surprisingly early, and many 2026 calendars are already available or on pre-order in September.
That’s particularly true of beauty, luxury and specialist calendars.
If you’ve spotted the perfect one, it can be worth buying it early rather than waiting until December and discovering it’s disappeared.
And, of course, there’s another advantage to buying your Advent calendar in September…
You get to spend the next couple of months admiring it and pretending you’re definitely going to wait until 1 December before opening that first door.
We all know how that’s going to end.
Bring on Christmas! 🎄
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