The ultimate advent calendar guide

Whether you buy yourself an advent calendar year-in, year-out, if you’re responsible for buying someone else’s calendar, or if you want to mix it up and treat yourself to something different, our ultimate advent calendar guide is here to help!

We’ve divided up our guide by edible calendars, and non-edibles - so however you’re approaching the festive season, there’s something here for you. Enjoy!

Edible advent calendars

Livia’s Indulgence advent calendar

£39.99, available here.

When the treats are as yummy as Livia’s, it seems a bit naughty to have a full-sized product every day - but given that the treats in this calendar are vegan, gluten and dairy-free, it’s basically healthy in our eyes! The box is a large and heavy one, and with a full-size item behind each door, it’s worth the price in our eyes.

The Protein Ball Co. advent calendar

£19.99, available here.

Offering a truly healthy alternative to the traditional advent calendar, The Protein Ball Co. have packaged up their tasty protein balls with a vegan-friendly treat behind all 24 doors. Along with being gluten free, the treats are all natural with no added sugars, and come high in protein and fibre.

English Tea Shop advent calendars

From £8.99, available here.

Perfect for any tea-lover, the English Tea Shop advent calendar is a lovely way to start each of the 24 days of December. With the book-style calendar feeling really high-quality, containing a little box for each day with a different flavour tea within, this would really make a lovely gift - either to a loved one, or yourself!

Popcorn Shed Jingle Bell Pop advent calendar

£17.50, available here.

There are six gourmet flavours of handmade popcorn featured on this 24-day calendar, and even if you are being mindful of what you eat ahead of Christmas, the little packets the popcorn is in are great for snacking on throughout the day.

Montezuma advent calendars

From £7.49, available here.

We’ll hold our hands up - this is a chocolate advent calendar - but as the chocolate inside is all organic and in some cases, vegan, we couldn’t not include the range. What’s more, the milk and dark chocolate is so utterly delicious, and the calendar designs are so fun and friendly, these would be great for families.

Pukka Advent Calendar

£9.99, available here.

Another one for the herbal tea drinker in your life, this Pukka advent calendar is a little different from the rest! Open it up, and you’ll find a lovely long calendar that can be hung in your kitchen, with a different tea on display for each day.

Grenade Carb Killa advent calendar

£44.99, available here.

If you’re after an intense advent treat that’s high in protein and low in sugar, the Grenade Carb Killa calendar might be what you’re after. Perfect for after exercise or as a snack to keep you going until tea, the calendar also features the new festive gingerbread flavour to get you in the spirit!

Play in Choc advent calendar

£55.00, available here.

We’ve not spoken about many children-specific calendars here, but we simply can’t ignore the beautiful calendar on offer from Play in Choc! Plastic-free with vegan chocolate, this calendar has a little drawer for each of the 24 days, containing a small chocolate and cards which can be easily slotted together to form a nature-inspired toy. It’s seriously good - and the wraparound sleeve forms a playmat for your new creature toys to live on. Genius!

Cheese advent calendar

£10.00, available from ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Ocado, Waitrose, Lidl and Booths stores nationwide from November. More information here.

Cheese lovers, assemble - it’s back for another year! This cheese-filled calendar flies off the shelves every year, and with Applewood, Cheddar, Wensleydale and Double Gloucester treats within (plus lots more!), it’s not hard to see why. All items are suitable for vegetarians, and make a great alternative to sugar-filled advent calendars.

Non-edible advent calendars

MAD Beauty Oh Deer advent

£20,00, available here.

Treat yourself to a little daily pamper with the MAD Beauty advent calendar - with 24 beauty treats to make sure you feel fab ahead of Christmas. From nail polish and shadow palettes to lip glosses and eyeliners, this is the ideal way to treat yourself in the healthiest way of all - self care!

Personalised Spotify advent calendar

£17.99, available here.

Bear with us while we try to explain this one. This calendar has a special code behind each door that can be scanned on your phone, and links you to a song on Spotify. As the calendar here is personalised, you can pop their name on the design too - essentially, you’re gifting a playlist of the best festive songs to get you in the mood for Christmas. How fun!

Yankee Candle tealight advent calendar

£15.00, available here.

Who can resist Yankee Candles?! The delicious and unique smells make the home feel extra-special in the lead-up to Christmas, and with a different tea light behind each door of this calendar featuring scents like ‘candy cane forest’ and ‘sunlight on snow’, you’ll be in the festive spirit before you know it!

Yankee Candle tower advent calendar

£79.99, available here.

Now, this is a truly special calendar. Yes, it has a high price tag, but BOY is it a beauty! Wrapped and boxed like a gift in itself, the calendar unfolds to house 24 doors with a variety of treats behind each one. Along with lots of votive candles, tea lights and wax melts, you’ll also receive two small jar candles within, a dot/star votive holder, a candle snuffer and a wick trimmer. An amazing gift, whether it’s for yourself or a loved one.

Sony Film advent calendar

£25.00, available here.

There aren’t many advent calendars that can give you the gift of family time, but that’s exactly what this film advent calendar does! With 12 different film downloads inside - all firm family favourites - this calendar doesn’t just see you up until Christmas, but the goodies last far beyond too. It’s also available at Tesco, WHSmith and Argos!

RNLI Lifeboats Puzzle advent calendar

£22.00, available here.

What a lovely idea, to be able to give to charity when you’re picking your advent calendar of choice! The RNLI calendar for 2019 is a beauty, and contains 12 x 80-piece puzzles. Though these can be completed individually, they can also be combined on the 24th December to create a magical Christmas scene.

Photo advent calendar

From £8.99, available here.

If you’re looking for a calendar that you can completely customise, this might be the answer! Created online, you’re able to pop a different image behind each of the 24 doors, as well as deciding the image you’d like to pop on the front. What a lovely way to be reminded of the family values of the season ahead of Christmas - a perfect gift!

Phew! If you made it this far, thank you for reading! For more healthy Christmas articles, take a look here.