Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers
Advent calendars come in many forms — but my favorites contain food. There’s something that just makes sense about opening a tiny box or drawer every night in the lead up to Christmas and finding a little treat you can eat. Here are all my favorites I’ve found so far, with something for everyone. There are, of course, many sweets, like fancy bonbons and sour candies and hot chocolates. There are also snacks you can enjoy in the moment, like popcorn for movie night or tea to wind down. Other advent calendars include edible surprises that can be enjoyed over a longer stretch, like a curation of high-quality spices you can use throughout the winter.
Some of the calendars are available now; many are for preorder to ship when the timing is right. Either way, these sell out fast (last year it was before Thanksgiving, though my colleague and expert on the subject, Ambar Pardilla, suspects they might go even earlier this year). It’d be smart to buy sooner than later.
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Each of these 24 doors holds a different variety of popcorn that comes from Wabash Valley Farms in Indiana’s popcorn country. You’ll find some different colored kernels, as well as some with ready-to-go seasonings both sweet (salted caramel cocoa and chocolate chip cookie dough) and savory (ranch, dill pickle, and white cheddar).
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Here’s another fun one from Williams Sonoma, made with Parisian spice distributor Le Comptoir Colonial. There are little packets of smoked sea salt, green curry, za’atar, paella seasoning, a fine herb mix, and 19 more.
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Dandelion Chocolate makes a stunner of an advent calendar every year, and this one — which holds 25 chocolate confections made by 24 chocolatiers from across North America and Japan — is no exception. There are caramels, bonbons, toffees, and more, each packaged in a small box with hand-drawn illustrations of Danish artist Lisa Grue. There’s a storybook of Nordic folklore and a star decoration for your window (a Scandinavian tradition) included.
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For more chocolate goodies, consider Compartés, which has three advent calendars this year: one with a winter forest theme, another the Nutcracker, and this enchanted forest with flavors like buttered croissant, eggnog crème brûlée, pistachio marzipan, and salted honeycomb.
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Harry & David have quite a few advent calendars: one dedicated to tea, and one dedicated to truffles, for example. But this is a nice well-rounded offering, full of all kinds of treats including trail mix, cookies, mini galettes, chocolate-covered fruit, relish, and more.
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For those that can’t get enough cheese, Murray’s advent calendar has nine different varieties — plus four Murray’s-exclusive jams and some crackers to eat them with.
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For mostly treats, plus some other holiday trinkets, consider this 24-day calendar from Bokksu. It contains 32 Japanese snacks that range from matcha and hojicha chocolate crunch to savory senbei.
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This is quite an affordable advent calendar, featuring Walker’s classic shortbread cookies. They’re a classic for a reason: crisp and buttery and sweet, but not too sweet. Inside you’ll find eight thin shortbread fingers, four mini chocolate chip shortbreads, four shortbread hearts, three shortbread rounds, four salted caramel squares, and one shortbread star.
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If you’ve never explored the grocery aisles of World Market, you’ve been missing out. But good news: Here they are in advent calendar form. Inside you’ll find all types of edible treasures: fancy mustard, hot honey, onion-balsamic jam, cheese crisps, balsamic vinegar, and a myriad of other condiments, snacks, and sweets.
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Bonne Maman’s advent calendar, filled with 24 mini jam jars, is a classic. Open one a day, or else do like senior editor Jen Trolio’s family does: have at them in one go (to enjoy with homemade sourdough).
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One of the only things that signifies the lead up to the holidays more than an advent calendar is watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” This limited-edition version combines both, with sugary, sour, chewy sweet treats and part of a Peanuts comic behind every flap.
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For the wine lover, consider this booze-filled calendar with 24 mini bottles so they can taste a different varietal — from Italy, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, Washington, Sonoma, and more — every night.
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Or maybe hot chocolate is more their speed. This is an especially pretty box, with 12 drawers, each one holding a flavor of hot chocolate, including sticky toffee, hazelnut, sea salt, white chocolate, and more.
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And one more full of drinks: This Fortnum & Mason calendar has jade oolong, camomile and bee pollen, Moroccan mint, rooibos gingerbread chai, and many more. It’s kind of the perfect way to start (or end) each day.
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Last year, Fly by Jing’s 12-day advent calendar sold out by early November. This year, they’ve brought it back, along with this larger 24-day version. Both feature an especially exciting array of goods: bestsellers from the brand, previously discontinued items, and yet-to-be-officially-launched newcomers.
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Dining and Cooking