The 1st of December marks the official start of the christmas season and with it the beginning of the darling advent calendars which honour the Christian celebration up to Christmas. These joy-filled boxes kickstart the holiday season with individual gifts each day throughout the build up to the big Christmas day. Though many may not take part in advent calendars, it is never too late to start and I strongly urge you to invest in one for the simple festive joy they provide. Given the overwhelming range of types of advent calenders, I am here to provide a clear guide through the masses of delicious goodies at your disposal. Recently, I have become familiarised with interactive calendars where you build the structure yourself and fill each pouch with the provided goodies such as the Candy Kitten Advent Calendar which forms an impressive standing christmas tree. This serves as an entertaining festive activity for children and stirs up christmas excitement. The industry has also expanded into frozen goods with the creation of a mochi advent calendar by Little Moons.
Not only are advent calendars for children, but alcoholic versions have been created to entertain adults through the month of December offering beverages such as wine, gin and beer. Similarly, millennial-crazed matcha has been transformed into an advent calendar by David’s Tea which offers a variety of flavoured matcha powders each morning, including christmas-esque flavours such as pumpkin pie and gingerbread. On the other hand, if you wish to avoid caffeine, plenty of non-caffeinated beverages are available in calendar forms such as the Whittard hot chocolate advent calendar as well as many well-known tea brands’ advent calendars where you receive a different type of tea bag upon each of the 25 days. The hot chocolate calendar is especially festive as it is made for two so you can share the comforting beverage each day with a loved one. My favourite tea calendar is made by Pukka however I am eager to try the PG tips version too.
If food and beverage orientated advent calendars are not your cup of tea, cosmetic versions have been designed which consist of 25 miniature products (one each day). The only down-sides to these types of calendars are the expensive pricing, some costing hundreds of pounds, as well as the uncertainty in the products as you can never be sure whether you will enjoy or use the products offered. Popular companies producing these calendars are The Body Shop, Lush and Dyptique which produce miniature candles and festive body lotions. The vast variety of products is truly shown by the inclusion of dogs in the advent calendar industry. Lily’s Kitchen created a calendar which is filled with chicken and apple treats to keep the festivities alive amongst our adorable pups.
To cut to the chase, no matter the absurdity of your desires I am sure it will most likely be in advent calendar form and can be obtained through a simple online shop. The growing range of options permits everyone’s Christmas wishes to be fulfilled and extends the act of gifting throughout the entire month of December. And if you are worn down by the commercial aspect of christmas, you can always take the creative route and make your own!
