Advent Calendars for You, Friends and Family
Are you a planner? I like to plan ahead so I’m starting to think about Advent Calendars. Floss our daughter has been dairy free since 10 days old, so I’ve always been on the look out for Advent Calendars that are not just chocolate ones. It’s 2024 and I’ve updated this post from the previous Christmas.
This website contains affiliate links. As an affiliate I may earn money from qualifying purchases. As an Amazon Influencer/ Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Thank you if you do use one of my links – it helps keep my website going. Please see affiliate link and disclaimer page for more information.
Advent calendars are a special family time for us and we’ve tested out quite a few over the years. We love ones that give us a small, daily, shared experience most. This post has some that are on our wish list, some highly talked about and the ones we love.
Setting a Scene – The Nativity Calendar
Do you have Advent Calendars to mark the days before Christmas? Here’s ours that I made for when Floss was one. We have little animals/ people and mini Christmas books that we reuse each year.
The animals and people from our calendar come together to form our nativity scene. It’s a lovely way to piece together the nativity story each year as the scene begins to grow.
Each year a few of the days have a new treat for that year just to have a surprise alongside treasured returning friends.
New Advent Calendar Gifts – Yoto Cards and Tonie Characters
Each year I’ve saved a couple of Yoto cards and Tonie characters for our audio players to pop in. If you’re tempted by an audio player you can find out more about them in our post here.
Tonies have also made a lovely reusable advent calendar. You can find more details and images here.
Advent Calendar for All Year Play
Toy animals are a lovely advent calendar idea and a toy that children can play with throughout the year too. When Floss was one we had Lanka Kade animals in the calendar and her ‘big’ present on Christmas day was a Lanka Kade Ark for the animals.
Advent Calendars for Family Time
As a family we often look for little rituals which mean we come together. Advent Calendars are a perfect opportunity to do this depending upon the calendar you go for. We love a little poetry tea time with a scone and some jam.
Bonne Maman Advent Calendar
One of our favourite calendars is the Bonne Maman jams and marmalade calendar. This year will be our 3rd year of having one of these calendars and we’re so excited to get started. You can find it here.
Whether you have a shared breakfast time or a cheeky scone in the afternoon it’s always such a lovely way to come together in the bustle of December.
Joe and Seph’s Popcorn Calendar
If a little family time is what you’re looking for with your calendar then you might like Joe and Seph’s Popcorn calendar. Share a couple of popcorn nibbles together or eat the lot for yourself! You could save up your popcorns during the week for a special movie showing at the weekend.
More 2024 Advent Calendars
Here are some advent calendars that have caught our eye so far this year. I’ll add more as I spot them.
Moomin Advent Calendar
One of our favourite Advent Calendars in 2023 was our Moomin characters one. Floss and I got so much joy out of opening each window and the characters have been played with throughout the year.
Last year was a jungle theme and this year we’re debating whether to indulge again. 2024 is a lighthouse theme. You get 17 characters this year and parts to make a cardboard lighthouse.
Usborne Magic Paint Books
Love the idea of the Magic Painting Advent Calendar from Usborne. This would make a lovely calm after school Advent Calendar to open. The Works have it on 50% off here.
Crystal Advent Calendar
An Advent Calendar that first caught my eye in 2023 was this crystal one that I was sent to review below. Floss loved opening this one last year and it’s really sparked a love of gems and finding out more about them and their origin.
You get a different crystal for each day. You can then match it to the list and find out a little more information. A lovely alternative to chocolate!
Creative Playdoh Advent Calendar
This would be a perfect family calendar. You get 5 tubs of playdough with different surprises to form and adorn your creations. Find more information here.
Must Have 2024 Advent Calendars
There’s always certain calendars that everyone is talking about and waiting for.
The Molton Brown Advent Calendar
The Molton Brown Advent Calendar is one that is always highly sought after. A little treat to yourself. You can buy direct for Molton Brown UK or Molton Brown US.
I’ve not tried the Molton Brown Advent Calendar but I have been lucky enough to have something similar that has brought me much delight – a canvas L’Occitane Advent Calendar.
L’Occitane do a range of different Advent Calendars. The first year they did a canvas one I was given it by my other half as a birthday present ready for Advent.
I love it and I use it all year round as storage on my bathroom door. This year’s canvas Advent Calendar is looking fabulous. I love that they are for Christmas but the designs are well considered so they can be utilised all year round.
24 Days Of Stationery Advent Calendar
24 Days of Stationery is a very popular advent calendar that goes out of stock very quickly. It’s certainly one to get notified of when it comes into stock.
Discover More Advent Calendars from:
Gifting Advent Calendars
Starting during the Covid pandemic we changed the way we gifted for families at Christmas. We wanted friends and family to have things to look forward to in the run up to Christmas, not just on the day.
For some families we gifted an advent calendar along with a festive book, a family game and something tasty. It was a little hamper from our family to theirs. They went down so well we continued the year after and plan to continue going forward.
Looking for screen free fun that encourages reading and writing skills then this subscription is perfect. Join Banjo monthly in a different location around the world. Learn about the language, culture, food and landmarks in this child friendly way.