For the last several years, my mom has given my family the popular Bonne Maman advent calendar. It’s become a fun December tradition for us: each morning, we open a tiny jar of jam, have it with toast and compare it with the flavors we’ve already tried.
Advent calendars have become much more interesting than the thin chocolate versions we grew up with. This year, there are calendars filled with tiny coloring books, stationery, Sichuan sauces and even actual Craftsman tools.
You don't need an advent calendar in September, but that's when you may need to buy one. Limited-edition favorites routinely disappear before December, and several have sold out early in previous years. These are the ones I think are worth planning ahead for.
The Bonne Maman 2026 Limited-Edition Advent Calendar is the reason this list exists. This year’s calendar contains 24 miniature jars of limited-edition preserves and spreads, with flavors including strawberry with Madagascar vanilla, raspberry with dark chocolate, lemon with lavender and milk caramel with salted butter. They’re fun to open, actually useful and just the right size for turning an ordinary piece of toast into a small December event.
The calendar costs $55.99 and has a history of selling out early. Bonne Maman is limiting purchases to two per order this year, which is a good sign that waiting until December is not the move.
The LEGO City Advent Calendar is the one of the most reliable children’s picks on this list. Instead of opening a collection of unrelated plastic trinkets, kids get minifigures and small builds they can combine into one festive LEGO scene.
The City version is for ages 5 and up and includes a mix of holiday characters, animals, vehicles and accessories. It’s familiar enough to be a guaranteed hit without requiring your child to follow a particular franchise. If your kid does have a particular allegiance, LEGO also released Star Wars, Marvel, Disney Princess and Friends calendars this year.
The See’s Candies 2026 Advent Calendar is a major step up from the waxy chocolate calendars at the grocery store. Its 24 pull-out drawers hold more than a pound of See’s favorites, including chocolates, lollipops and pieces like Dark Scotchmallow and Milk Bordeaux. If you haven’t tried the Bordeaux candies, they were a favorite in my family growing up—creamy, rich and such a treat.
At $85, this is definitely one of the splurges on the list. But the sturdy box is designed to be kept and reused, and the candy inside feels like a real treat rather than something you’re obligated to eat because you opened the door. It’s currently available for preorder with November delivery.
I'm picky about the beauty advent calendars out there, and the Anthropologie 24 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar is a great one. It costs $98 but contains more than $300 worth of products from brands including Sunday Riley, Supergoop!, Phlur, Caudalie, Living Proof and Boy Smells.
The 24 picks are mostly premium-size samples rather than a collection of random full-size items, but that makes this good for someone who enjoys trying new products without committing to an entire bottle. Anthropologie’s beauty calendar has sold out as early as October in previous years, so this is another one I wouldn’t wait to buy.
As a former calligrapher, I'm serious about my stationery. I have a preferred pen, I notice good paper and I see a new notebook as a legitimate fresh start. The Papier 24 Days of Desk Delights was made for people like me. Its daily surprises include a mix of stationery and desk accessories packaged in a pretty calendar that feels festive without being overly cutesy.
Papier’s stationery calendar has sold out in previous years, and it’s unusual enough to make a great gift for the person who doesn’t want more beauty samples or chocolate. Papier is currently offering early access, so you’ll need to sign up for an invite if this is your pick.
The Hot Wheels 2026 Advent Calendar includes eight vehicles along with 16 winter-themed accessories revealed throughout the month. Kids can use the pieces together to create a holiday play scene, and several of the cars come with clips that turn them into Christmas ornaments—whether or not you’re prepared for a Hot Wheels-covered tree.
The standout is an exclusive Snow Globe Yeti car made specifically for this calendar. At around $33, it’s also one of the more reasonably priced toy options on the list and a reliable choice for a child who already has an impressive fleet parked throughout the house.
The Coco Wyo Cozy Countdown may be my favorite new idea on this list. Behind its doors are 24 miniature coloring books featuring Coco Wyo’s cozy, cheerful illustration style. It’s a screen-free activity, but it doesn’t feel like a calendar someone chose solely because it was “educational.” Each day offers something you can actually sit down and do, and the miniature books make the entire thing feel especially charming.
Coco Wyo describes it as suitable for coloring fans of all ages, which feels accurate. I can see this working equally well for an artistic older child, a teenager or an adult who finds coloring relaxing. It costs $29.99.
The MAGNA-TILES microMAGS Advent Calendar takes the daily-building idea in a different direction. Instead of 24 completely separate toys, kids gradually collect miniature magnetic tiles and pieces they can use together. Advent calendars can create a surprising amount of tiny-object clutter by Christmas morning, so I appreciate one that ends with a real building set rather than a pile of unrelated surprises. It’s a particularly good choice for younger children who already love MAGNA-TILES, although the smaller microMAGS pieces make it especially important to check the recommended age.
The National Geographic Gemstone Advent Calendar lets kids uncover a different polished stone, fossil or mineral specimen each day, depending on the edition. It hits the sweet spot between educational and genuinely exciting—especially for the child who already keeps interesting rocks in every pocket. By the end of the countdown, they have a small collection they can examine and display. This is also one of the more affordable calendars on the list and a good option for older elementary-age kids who may have outgrown character calendars but still want something to open each morning.
The 2026 McSweeney’s Advent Calendar contains 24 miniature books filled with short stories, comics, letters, humor and other unexpected pieces of holiday reading. This year’s titles include The New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner Interviews Santa Claus and Three Kings White Elephant Gift Exchange, which should give you a sense of the tone.
At $80, it’s not an inexpensive stack of tiny books. But it feels more personal—and substantially more interesting—than a calendar filled with anonymous trinkets. It’s especially good for the person who reads everything, appreciates slightly offbeat humor and does not need another miniature bottle of hand cream. McSweeney’s says its calendar has sold out in record time for the past two years. The 2026 edition is currently available for preorder and will begin shipping in October.
Craftsman made its first advent calendar this year, and it is filled with actual tools. The Craftsman Advent Calendar includes an eight-inch ratchet, a magnetic bit driver with 11 bits, two socket sets, stubby screwdrivers, a magnetic pickup tool and a hard case to hold most of it. There are also a few less-serious extras, like playing cards, a key-chain tape measure and a bottle opener.
The calendar costs $65 and contains more than $200 worth of products, according to the brand. It won’t replace a complete tool kit, but it is substantially more useful than most novelty advent calendars—and much more fun to give than another pair of socks.
The Fly By Jing 12-Day Advent Calendar replaces sugar with 12 days of Sichuan-inspired flavor. The assortment includes a mix of chili crisp, noodles, Mala Spice Mix, limited-edition items and a brand-new hot sauce, along with a few surprises the company hasn’t revealed. This is the calendar for the person whose refrigerator door is already crowded with condiments and who considers “a little spicy” a disappointing description. There's a 12-day and a 24-day countdown offer. It also makes a much more interesting host or holiday gift than another generic food basket.
Advent calendars vary wildly in value. Some give you a genuine assortment of products for less than you would pay separately. Others are mostly elaborate packaging around small samples. Before buying, I’d consider three things: whether you'd enjoy most of what’s inside, whether the daily surprises add up to something useful and whether you’re paying for products or simply for the experience of opening them. That experience can still be worth paying for. December moves quickly, and a tiny daily ritual is one way to slow it down. Just choose the calendar that feels most like the person opening it.
As for me, I’ll be over here opening another tiny jar of jam.