Christmas
Advent calendars
Advent calendars now hold far more than chocolate: beauty minis, LEGO builds, hot sauce, tea and treats for the dog. Here are this season's calendars from lots of US stores, with each one's prices lined up side by side so you can order the right one well before December 1.
Tip: Calendars start on December 1, so order early enough for shipping. The popular beauty and toy calendars can sell out before then.
Best Choice ProductsWooden Christmas Shooting Star Advent Calendar w/ LED Light Background
Best Choice Products
Picking the right kind
Think about what the person would enjoy opening every morning for 24 days. With beauty calendars, compare the contents list with what they actually use: most are travel and sample sizes, and the value printed on the box is usually what those products would cost at full size.
For kids, a LEGO calendar gives a mini build each morning, and many add up to a small scene by Christmas Eve; a candy calendar is the simple, low-cost option.
Ordering in time
A calendar has to arrive by November 30 to be any use, and the week after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest for shipping. Order by mid-November if you can, and go by the store's delivery estimate rather than assuming standard shipping times.
For grown-ups and pets
Adult calendars hold wine, craft beer, tea, coffee, hot sauce or cheese. Rules for shipping alcohol vary by state, so check that a wine or beer calendar can be delivered to the address you have in mind. Dog and cat calendars have a treat or toy behind each door; check the treat size suits the pet.
Use the filters above the picks to see one kind of calendar at a time.
How we pick
We rank by how many shops stock each item — a far better signal of a genuinely good gift than a headline discount, which is the easiest number to fake. Every price is the lowest we can find across the shops that sell it, and we send you straight to that shop. We never take payment to rank something higher.