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Nov 06, 2024

Best Advent calendars of 2024: Beauty, kids and more

Let the countdown begin: Today marks just 51 days until Christmas! If you haven't already, now is the time to stock up on matching pajamas, hunker down with hot cocoa and order your Advent calendars

Let the countdown begin: Today marks just 51 days until Christmas! If you haven't already, now is the time to stock up on matching pajamas, hunker down with hot cocoa and order your Advent calendars before they sell out.

To escalate the excitement leading into the holiday season, Shop TODAY editorial director Adrianna Brach stopped by Studio 1A with the best Advent calendars in 2024 that we can't get enough of. From a daily mini puzzle to the Bonne Maman set that sells out every year, these Advent calendars are a fun daily ritual that's sure to become the highlight of your day.

Below, we've compiled a comprehensive list of the best Advent calendars across styles and budgets, from options designed for wine lovers and skin care obsessives to great gifts for kids — and of course, some classic chocolate options.

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This massive beauty Advent calendar contains bestsellers to pamper yourself from head to toe — literally! In the calendar, Brach says you'll find cult-loved skin care, makeup, designer fragrance, hair care and more from Clinique, Elizabeth Arden, Lancôme, Sunday Riley, Tarte and so many other top brands. Macy's says this set has a $293 value, but you can score it for under $85.

Brach says this year's Kitsch Advent calendar contains 12 full-sized favorites that make amazing gifts. We spotted Shop TODAY bestsellers like an overnight heatless curler set, a face roller, a satin pillowcase and more to upgrade your whole routine.

Everyone could use another lip balm this time of year, especially if you keep one in every bag like Brach does! That's why the Burt's Bees 12-Day Advent calendar is a genius gift for coworkers, teachers, white elephant and more, with almost 90,000 ratings. It contains bestselling lip balm flavors like Cranberry Spritz, Shortbread Cookie, Vanilla Maple and more.

"I also love the idea of splitting this up for stocking stuffers," Brach says. "If you do the math, it's about $2 per lip balm, which is such a steal!"

This puzzle calendar contains a dozen 80-piece mini-puzzles that are so fun to put together as you sip your morning coffee or unwind before bed. Each puzzle is five by seven inches when completed (so you can do it on your coffee table) and shows how a different country around the world celebrates Christmas. Brach says these are so fun to do with the family or solo — it took one of our editors under an hour to complete.

For the child (or kid at heart) who is constantly begging for Legos around the holidays, gift them with this set that allows them to unveil 24 new figurines and characters to add to their collection. There are 195 total pieces in this set that comes with animals, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, bicycles, trains and more.

Brach says this is a great creative gift for kids, grandkids and more to kickstart the holiday season and keep them entertained all month long. Each day for 25 days, you'll find a mini kit with instructions and felt stickers to put together a new craft. The felt backs are adhesive, so no glue is required and there's no mess! Plus, the completed crafts double as soft, kid-friendly ornaments, so you can put them on the tree together each day.

If the way to your heart is through your stomach, you’ll have no problem topping, spreading, dipping and enjoying the jams included in this fan-favorite Advent calendar. Each year, Bonne Maman creates a calendar filled with 24 of their classic offerings, including sweet and fruity flavors alongside savory options that pair well with any charcuterie board.

It also gets senior SEO editor Jess Bender’s seal of approval: “To me, Bonne Maman has perfected the art of how to curate the ideal Advent calendar. Every year they include a fun mix of shopper faves and never-before-seen preserves and spreads, which in turn builds up the anticipation months ahead of time. I’ve already opened up my Advent well ahead of the season — whoops! — and I can’t emphasize how delectable some of these tiny jars are, especially the revelation that is the orange/yuzu/grapefruit spread.”

Of course, we had to include a chocolate Advent calendar in our picks! This one from Lindt contains 24 delectable confections. You'll find seasonal favorites from truffles to holiday reindeer, all in the melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate the brand is adored for.

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Just in time to get in the "spirit," you can enjoy 24 days of tastings during the holidays with this wine calendar. From Sauvignon Blanc to Pinot Noir, the brand says the mini bottles are sourced from all over, including Sicily and California.

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Calling all makeup enthusiasts! Whether you’re searching for a gift for the beauty obsessed or simply want to add to your own collection, this Advent calendar checks every box. The 12 Days of Mischief Advent Calendar includes the brand’s lip plumper, primer, brow gel and more, which can all be used to perfect the best holiday look.

Filled with 24 days of makeup products, this Advent calendar is perfect for the beauty lover in your life. It has everything you need to create full glam from brow gel and blushes to ample lip products and mini palettes.

The skin care enthusiast will adore this Advent calendar filled with 12 days of lip treatments, face masks, eye patches, a claw clip and a terry headband/wristband duo for face washing.

Last year, social media video producer Anita Chomenko treated herself to this calendar from Olive & June and says it’s perfect for building out your polish collection! She adds that it’s “nice at the start of the season so you can wear the polishes for all the parties.”

This one comes loaded with 25 days of goodies that include several polishes, nail files, nail art stickers, a hand serum, a cuticle serum, a nail strengthener and even press-ons!

This calendar is filled with both full-sized and mini versions of some of the brands bestsellers, including the viral Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops, the Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops (an editor favorite), a hyaluronic gloss balm and more.

Beauty lovers have been anxiously awaiting the release of this year’s Advent calendar from fan-favorite brand Charlotte Tilbury. It’s finally here and filled with the most luxurious goodies! Housed inside a heart-shaped chest, you’ll find 12 items ranging from the iconic Magic Cream to the viral Glowgasm Beauty Light Wand.

If you're familiar with Elemis, you know this isn't something to pass up. It comes with full-sized and mini versions of some of the brands top products including the Pro-Collagen Marine Cream and the ever popular Pro-Collagen Naked Cleansing Balm. Valued at nearly $800, it's the perfect opportunity to try a little bit of everything.

Meat and vegetable treats, oh my! Your furry friend will think every day is a holiday with the treats included within this Advent calendar from DreamBone.

Don't be a cottonheaded ninnymuggins and miss the opportunity to gift your favorite elf with this Advent calendar, which gives them the chance to be surprised with 25 accessories based off the movie.

Appearing on Shop TODAY’s Hot List last year, each day brings with it new puzzle pieces to solve one large puzzle, the end result revealing itself after the holidays. Each numbered door looks into a window of an apartment building, showing off a cute wintry brownstone on the front.

For the person who's always got their head in a book, they'd probably prefer something more than just chocolate. Luckily, this Advent calendar was designed just for them. Inside the pocket for each day, they'll uncover fun (and practical) knickknacks such as magnetic bookmarks, stickers, ornaments and more.

If you’ve already got your tickets secured for opening night, this Advent calendar is an immediate “add to cart” moment. Inside, you’ll find 25 pockets filled with “Wicked”-themed collectibles inspired by Elphaba, Glinda, the Emerald City and more!

Pups are a part of the family so it's only right they get their own Advent calendar as well. This one is filled with a dozen plush, rope and latex toys. Petco offers a few other options for dogs — 25 days of chews and 25 days of treats — as well as cat toys, cat treats and small animals (guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters and gerbils).

Move Hans Gruber down the building as we get closer to the holiday in this “Die Hard” wooden Advent calendar. Reviewers love this “super cool piece” whose “quality and craftsmanship” are worth the price.

For the fashionista, we found a bestselling Advent calendar that'll have them decked out in a new piece of jewelry each day for ten days. Inside, you'll find earrings, necklaces, a jewelry box to store your new treasures in and more.

Filled with various treats and trinkets, this fun month-long calendar will have you ready for your next (or first) trip to Japan. Inside, you'll find things like a Kirby plush, cherry blossom tea and more!

If snail mail is their love language or they're a sucker for decorative desk decor, this Advent calendar from Papier will leave them with goodies galore once they're done unboxing.

Full of stamps, notepads, envelopes, paper clips and more, it's no surprise this Advent calendar has sold out quickly in the past so don't wait to order yours!

Chilly nights equal piping mugs filled with something decadent and soul-warming like hot chocolate. In preparation for many nights like that ahead, Hickory Farms curated a sweet spread of a dozen hot cocoa bombs in three indulgent flavors inside this 12-day countdown calendar.

Whether they like pairing shortbread with their morning tea or evening scotch or just like to savor it solo, Walker's Shortbread's classic countdown will please any kind of cookie lover. While its approach is traditional by today's Advent calendar standards (the biggest surprise is the shortbread shape behind each door), you'll feel good knowing each day will be a guaranteed treat.

"If you’re a shortbread fan, you know that Walker’s is pretty much the best you can get on the market," says Bender. "I, like many, grew up with the perfectly buttery, slightly crumbly cookie, so eating through this Advent calendar is like taking a 24-day trip down memory lane for me."

To satisfy your sweet tooth, Godiva just dropped its 2024 holiday Advent calendar. Inside, you'll find two dozen pieces of dark, milk and white chocolate and a mix of praline, caramel, ganache and more fillings.

Another set of sweet treats that's high up on our list is this countdown calendar from Tony's Chocolonely. Over 24 days, you'll unwrap ten flavors of Tiny Tony's treats, the brand says.

Their hearts might grow three sizes when they open their way through this Grinch-themed holiday countdown calendar. Awaiting behind every door are a variety of treats that Whovillians can't get enough of — twisty caramels and gummy rings and stars, to start.

Tea Forte's Advent calendars are a hit every year. Inside the tree-shaped box, you'll find 24 different blends in individual pyramid tea infusers. If you're more of an herbal tea person, the brand has something for you, too.

Even the sweetest of sweet tooths will be satisfied with this candy-filled gingerbread-themed Advent calendar. It's filled with treats ranging from peppermint bark cookies and chocolate-covered cookie dough to gummy Christmas trees and gingerbread cuties.

They’ll never go back to the street vendors once they get a taste of the gourmet varieties featured in this Advent calendar.

With options like salted pistachios, coconut curry peanuts, butter cinnamon pecans and more unique mouthwatering selections, they’ll want to order more from the brand’s distinct array of products.

Macarons — typically bite-sized treats — are super-sized in this bunch of giant, Christmas-themed delights. It'll have you looking forward to festive nibbles each day.

Whether your family is whipping up dozens of colorful sugar cookies or jam-filled linzer tarts during the holiday, this Advent calendar is hiding all the essentials you'll need for optimal holiday baking success.

Several members of the Shop TODAY team swear by See’s Candies for all kinds of holiday gifting — Bender says the packaging alone “blew her away” — so we’re thrilled to nibble our way through their Advent calendar this year. The brand promises a generous mix of timeless treats and a few special surprises just for the holidays.

With a dozen different beers from breweries across the nation, from ales to stouts and IPAs, they won’t be bored experimenting with these new flavors!

Each box — adorned with a lyric from “The 12 Days of Christmas” carol displayed — contains a different sweet treat, from popcorn to chocolate-covered cherries, truffles and more.

There's nothing like a little sweet treat after dinner. Compartes takes that and elevates it with chocolate flavors like black forest gateau, toasted pine nut, salted caramel bomboloni and creme brulee.

Whether you're planning to wow your guests while hosting or are looking forward to keeping this one all to yourself, this countdown calendar from Tilllamook isn't one to be missed. It has two parts — one that's to be refrigerated and one that's counter-safe with trinkets to elevate your cheese enjoyment.

Some of the cheeses included are a smoked black pepper white cheddar, spicy habanero jack, hickory-smoked cheddar and English-style sweet cheddar.

What better way to count down to the holidays then by introducing your little one to some classic Sesame Street characters? All 24 books are individually wrapped in a paper sleeve to keep every story leading up to Christmas a surprise!

A hands-on way for kids to get into the holiday spirit, this wooden tree from toymaker Melissa & Doug makes keeping track of Santa easy with 24 magnetic ornaments. Be sure to read the Christmas poem on the back!

Unveil a myriad of magical accessories in this 25-day Advent calendar, perfect for the Potterhead in your life. From trading cards to miniature coloring books, they’ll relive the magic of the movies and the books each day in December.

For the child who is always asking for souvenir rocks at museum gift shops, gift them with this Advent calendar that includes 24 days worth of rocks, from gemstones to fossils and minerals.

Disney lovers can’t get enough of Mickey Mouse, Pluto and the rest of their friends, so this swell Funko Advent calendar — featuring two dozen Pocket Pops! decked out for the holidays — will surely bring about tons of good cheer.

With four different seasonings and eight popcorn blends to add variety to their nightly snack time, they’ll have fun mixing and matching flavors to find one that suits their fancy. From rainbow to mushroom kernels to dill pickle and salted caramel seasonings, reviewers enjoyed this Amazon Advent calendar because “it’s fun to decide what kind is next” once you’ve unveiled them all.

Fans of “The Office” will adore this sweet Funko Advent calendar filled with limited-edition figures from the iconic comedies series. The characters are placed randomly, so you’ll never know who to expect.

12 days of Smoko! Perfect for the teen that can't get enough of the super cute brand, each day comes with plush ornaments of their favorite characters decked out in their holiday finest.

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The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews and even use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.

As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think TODAY.com readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not TODAY. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.