These cool advent calendars UK makers sell are the ones you keep after the last door. There is a gramophone that plays a carol a day, a set of stationery drawers from Papier and a cheese calendar that arrives in three parcels. There is also a jigsaw where each puzzle tells you which door to open next.
Advent starts on Tuesday 1 December 2026, and the good ones sell out first. So I have left out anything already sold out, and I name the catch on every pick. They run from £8.50 for a cat calendar to £295 for Chase & Wonder’s candle calendar. For presents rather than countdowns, my Christmas gift guide covers every kind of recipient.
How I picked
How I chose these cool UK advent calendars
In short, every pick had to be unusual, well made or still useful after Christmas.
Generally, the big advent calendar round-ups lean heavily on beauty boxes and chocolate. Instead, I looked for calendars from makers who are good at one thing: a cheesemonger, a stationery brand, a puzzle company, a London coffee roaster. I also wanted boxes worth keeping, so the Papier drawers, the gramophone and the Richard Scarry ornaments all carry on after December.
Next, I left out anything sold out on the day I checked, including Fortnum & Mason’s tea calendar. I also avoided anything already in my Christmas stationery gifts or gifts under £50 guides. For each pick I worked out the cost per door, because that says more than the price on the box.
Above all, order early. After all, doors open on 1 December, and the delivery times I could find run from two to five working days. So, to be safe, aim to order by Tuesday 24 November.
At a glanceAll 15 cool advent calendars on sale in the UK
Section 01 / Design and stationery
Design-led advent calendars worth keeping the box for
Four cool advent calendars from UK shops where the box, the drawers or the object stay useful after 24 December.
Papier 24 Day Advent Calendar
Papier has built this one as a piece of furniture for the desk. Each day’s gift sits in its own small paper box. Then the boxes live in a set of drawers inside a burgundy case. Once December is over, the drawers stay. After that, it carries on as a home for pens, stamps and washi tape long after the last door.
Inside is a mix of Papier’s mini bestsellers and a handful of full-size surprises, with prints that borrow from Italian food packaging. According to Papier, the contents are worth over £280. However, that is its own figure and I could not check it, because the contents are a secret until you open them. In practice, the real cost is about £6.04 a door, the fourth-dearest per door on this list. Alternatively, there is a new 12 day version in a keepsake house for £75.
For the person who will reuse the drawers all year
£145 at Papier
Fortnum & Mason Retro Recordable Musical Advent Gramophone
This is a small red gramophone with a gold horn, and the advent part is the records. First, there are 24 miniature discs of English and German Christmas carols to play one a day. On top of those, there are also three blank discs you can record a message on. As a result, it doubles as a voice note for a grandparent or a partner who is away.
The gramophone measures 15 x 9 x 5cm, so it is about the footprint of a phone. Barbara Behr designed it, while Thomas Schulte-Ebbert wrote the music. However, it needs three AA batteries, and Fortnum’s does not include them. Overall, £55 works out at £2.29 a disc, and the object outlives the countdown.
For the one who keeps the box on the shelf until next year
£55 at Fortnum & Mason
Puzzle Post Night Out at the North Pole
Behind each of the 24 doors is a jigsaw of 25 to 60 pieces. Each one shows part of a chaotic Christmas Eve in Elf Town, and together they also build one big picture. However, the doors are not numbered. Instead, each finished puzzle gives you the clue to the next door, so it plays like a slow mystery as well as a jigsaw.
Puzzle Post is based in London and posts orders the same day if you order by 2pm on a weekday, with free Royal Mail Tracked 48 delivery. The catch, though, is the clue system. For example, if a fragment stumps you on a busy weekday, you cannot skip ahead to tomorrow’s door without guessing. In total, £30 works out at £1.25 a door.
For the household that already argues over the edge pieces
£30 at Puzzle Post
Chase & Wonder 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar
Chase & Wonder makes candles and room fragrance, and this calendar holds 12 of them, each wrapped and numbered by hand. Specifically, there is a full-size candle in fine bone china, six glass candles, two room fragrances, two travel tins and a jar of matches. It all comes in a new keepsake box, so the box stays useful after Christmas too.
The catch, however, is the count. It is 12 days, not 24, so start it on 13 December or pair it with something else. Chase & Wonder says the contents are worth over £430, and I could not check that figure. At £295 it is the dearest pick here, at £24.58 a gift.
For the person who lights a candle every evening
£295 RRP at Chase & Wonder
Section 02 / Food and drink
Food and drink advent calendars from specialist makers
Above all, each of these comes from a maker that specialises in cheese, cocktails, matcha, coffee or chocolate.
Paxton & Whitfield Artisan Cheese Advent Calendar
Paxton & Whitfield has sold cheese on Jermyn Street since 1835, and its own cheesemongers pack the calendar. There are 24 numbered boxes, each holding at least 75g of cheese that the shop cuts and wraps by hand. Each box also comes with tasting notes and pairing ideas. In general, expect mostly British and European cheeses, from Cheddar and Stilton to styles you have not tried.
Fresh cheese will not last a month, so unlike the other cool advent calendars in this UK list, it arrives in three parcels of eight. You pick Friday 27 November for the first parcel. Then the next two follow on 4 and 11 December. That is because hand-cut cheese keeps for about 12 days from despatch. So you will need room in the salad drawer three times over. Finally, the £175 includes UK delivery and works out at £7.29 a box, the dearest food pick per door.
For the one who goes to the cheese counter before the bakery
£175 at Paxton & Whitfield, UK delivery included
MOTH Cocktail Advent Calendar
MOTH makes ready-to-drink cocktails in small cans, mixed with spirits from named distillers. Similarly, its calendar holds 24 of them, one behind each door. The box is a bold red and green with the numbers scattered across it, and it stands up on a sideboard rather than hanging off a wall.
It costs £79, which is £3.29 a cocktail. The downside, however, is that MOTH does not list the 24 drinks on the page, so you cannot check for one you dislike before you buy. Meanwhile, delivery takes two to three working days, and MOTH does not deliver to Northern Ireland. Also, you must be 18 or over to order.
For the one who has opinions about a negroni
£79 at MOTH
Bird & Blend Matcha Tea Advent Calendar
Bird & Blend’s calendar has 24 flavoured matchas, enough for 48 cups, all built on a ceremonial grade matcha base. For the first time, one of the doors is also a hojicha, a roasted Japanese green tea. In addition, the box is plastic free and the contents are vegan. Accordingly, it suits anyone following my vegan Christmas guide.
Bird & Blend says the contents are worth £80. Still, I could not verify that, because the flavours are not sold one by one in these sizes. Even so, at £55 the cost is £1.15 a cup. Bird & Blend also says it sells out fast every year, so this is one to order early.
For the person whose morning starts with a whisk
£55 at Bird & Blend
The cheese calendar comes in three parcels of eight, because hand-cut cheese keeps for about 12 days.From the Paxton & Whitfield delivery terms
Grind Whole Bean Coffee Advent Calendar
Grind roasts in London, and its calendar is a tasting tour of 12 single-origin coffees. Each sachet holds 18g of beans, which Grind says is the right amount for one cup. The drawers come in a box printed like a Grind café, and the lineup runs from a chocolatey Colombian to a bright Ethiopian.
The obvious downside, however, is the count. It is 12 days, not 24, so either start on 13 December or pair it with something else. Alternatively, there are ground and pod versions at the same price if they do not grind at home. As a result, £29.95 works out at £2.50 a cup. For more ideas for the same person, see my gifts for coffee lovers.
For the one who weighs their beans
£29.95 at Grind
Tony’s Chocolonely Small Advent Calendar
This is the cheapest calendar for people on the list, and the only straight chocolate one. Behind each of its 24 windows, for instance, is a small piece of Belgian chocolate, in either milk or milk caramel sea salt. In addition, Tony’s makes it with Fairtrade cocoa and campaigns against child labour in cocoa farming.
It measures 38 x 25cm, slightly smaller than a sheet of A3, so it fits on a desk or a narrow shelf. The downside, however, is variety. There are only two flavours, whereas the big version has ten. Even so, £14 works out at just 58p a door.
For the colleague with the snack drawer
£14 at Tony’s Chocolonely
Section 03 / Beauty and home
A beauty calendar and one for the garden
First, one famous splurge, then one that grows into something by spring.
Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
Liberty says its beauty calendar has sold out 11 years in a row. This year, for example, it holds 29 items, 21 of them full size, plus a Liberty print drawstring bag. The brands include Augustinus Bader, Sisley Paris, D.S. & Durga, Escentric Molecules, Ilia and Davines. Above all, the box itself is an illustrated version of the Liberty building.
At £285, however, it is the second most expensive pick here. Liberty says the contents are worth over £1,300, and I could not check that figure. More to the point, that value only counts if you would use the products. MoneySavingExpert suggests you work out what a calendar is worth to you and leave out anything you would not use.
For the person who reads ingredients lists for fun
£285 at Liberty
Something Pretty Plants Garden Seed Advent Calendar
These seeds are for planting next spring. Specifically, each day from 1 to 24 December there is a packet of flower, vegetable, herb or chilli seeds, so by Christmas the recipient has a year of planting lined up. Also, the packaging is fully recyclable. If they only grow one kind of thing, there are flower-only and vegetable-only versions too.
The downside, though, is that the varieties are a surprise and the shop does not list them. As a result, a dedicated grower may already have some of them. Overall, £36.50 works out at £1.52 a packet.
For the one already planning next year’s beds
£36.50 at Something Pretty Plants
Section 04 / Pets and kids
Advent calendars for dogs, cats and children
Specifically, there are two calendars for dogs, one for cats and a reusable one for a small child.
Lily’s Kitchen Dog Advent Calendar
Lily’s Kitchen has drawn its dog calendar as a festive treat shop. Behind the 24 doors, in turn, are baked biscuits in peanut butter and banana or chamomile flavours. I cover the contents in more detail on my Lily’s Kitchen dog advent calendar page.
Amazon lists it for adult dogs, so for a puppy see the next pick. Meanwhile, £10.50 works out at 44p a door. For more ideas, my gift guide for dog lovers has the rest.
For the dog who knows exactly which cupboard the treats live in
£10.50 on Amazon UK
Pooch & Mutt Gingerbread Advent Calendar for Dogs
Pooch & Mutt’s calendar is the one to pick for a younger dog, because the treats suit dogs from 12 weeks old. Behind the 24 doors are soft, grain-free meaty treats in a limited-edition gingerbread flavour, with cinnamon, ginger and anise. Chicken is the main ingredient, and the recipe also adds collagen and pumpkin.
The box is drawn as a dogs’ Christmas party, with a gingerbread house in the middle. The downside, however, is delivery. On an order of £9.99 or less, Pooch & Mutt adds £1.99, so this one calendar costs £11.98 delivered. Also, it does not say how much each treat weighs. At £9.99 it is 42p a door before delivery.
For the puppy having its first Christmas
£9.99 at Pooch & Mutt
Lily’s Kitchen Cat Advent Calendar
The cat version has the same treat shop design, this time with cats in scarves outside the window. This time, each door holds a turkey bite with a crunchy shell and a soft centre. Chicken liver and turkey are the two key ingredients, and the recipe is also grain-free.
It is for adult cats from six months, so it is not one for a kitten. Lily’s Kitchen also makes the treats in a factory that handles grains, so traces may be present. At £8.50 on Amazon UK it is the cheapest calendar on this list, at 35p a door.
For the cat who hears the treat bag from two rooms away
£8.50 on Amazon UK
Richard Scarry’s Best Advent Calendar Ever!
The British Library Shop sells this cardboard calendar from Richard Scarry’s Busytown. Instead of chocolate, there are 25 pop-out ornaments of Lowly Worm, Huckle Cat, Hilda Hippo and the rest. Each one then hangs on the tree with the 150 inch gold cord in the box, which is about 3.8 metres.
After Christmas the ornaments slot back into the box for next year, so it is a reusable calendar rather than a one-off. The downside is that there is no treat behind the door, which some children will notice on day two. At £30, it works out at £1.20 an ornament. Meanwhile, standard delivery takes three to five working days. My gifts for kids page has more.
For the child who already knows Lowly Worm by name
£30 at the British Library Shop
Before you buy
What these cool UK advent calendars cost per door
In fact, the box price hides how much you pay for each day.
In practice, dividing the price by the number of doors is the quickest way to compare a £14 calendar with a £285 one. Across these cool advent calendars from UK shops, the cost runs from 35p a door for the cat treats to £24.58 a gift for Chase & Wonder. Meanwhile, the “worth” figures that Papier, Bird & Blend and Liberty print are their own sums, and you cannot check any of them before opening.
| Calendar | Price | Days or items | Cost per door |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase & Wonder candles | £295 | 12 gifts | £24.58 |
| Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar | £285 | 29 items | £9.83 |
| Paxton & Whitfield cheese | £175 | 24 boxes | £7.29 |
| Papier 24 Day | £145 | 24 boxes | £6.04 |
| MOTH cocktails | £79 | 24 cans | £3.29 |
| Grind coffee | £29.95 | 12 sachets | £2.50 |
| Fortnum & Mason gramophone | £55 | 24 discs | £2.29 |
| Bird & Blend matcha | £55 | 24 flavours | £2.29 |
| Something Pretty Plants seeds | £36.50 | 24 packets | £1.52 |
| Puzzle Post jigsaw | £30 | 24 puzzles | £1.25 |
| Richard Scarry calendar | £30 | 25 ornaments | £1.20 |
| Tony’s Chocolonely small | £14 | 24 chocolates | £0.58 |
| Lily’s Kitchen for dogs | £10.50 | 24 biscuits | £0.44 |
| Pooch & Mutt for dogs | £9.99 | 24 treats | £0.42 |
| Lily’s Kitchen for cats | £8.50 | 24 treats | £0.35 |
Of course, a high cost per door is fine when the door holds something you would buy anyway, such as 75g of good cheese. On the other hand, it is poor value when half the doors hold things you will give away. Finally, if a calendar sells out, a price tracker such as camelcamelcamel will email you if an Amazon listing drops back in.
Frequently asked questions about advent calendars
When do advent calendars sell out?
In general, the popular ones sell out in November, and some go in October. For example, Liberty says its beauty calendar has sold out 11 years in a row, and Bird & Blend says its matcha calendar sells out fast every year. Fortnum & Mason’s tea calendar and the Taskmaster calendar had already sold out by the second week of November. So if you want a specific one, order it by the third week of November.
Are advent calendars worth the money?
They are worth it when you would use what is behind most of the doors. Work out the cost per door, then ignore the brand’s “worth” figure, which assumes you would have paid full price for every item. Similarly, MoneySavingExpert gives the same advice for beauty calendars. On this list, meanwhile, the cost runs from 35p a door to £24.58 a gift, as of 11 November 2026.
What is a good advent calendar for adults?
For adults in the UK, the cool advent calendars here work when they match something the person already loves. For example, the Paxton & Whitfield cheese calendar suits a cheese lover, while the MOTH cocktail calendar suits a cocktail drinker. Likewise, for a design lover, the Papier drawers or the Fortnum & Mason gramophone both last beyond Christmas. Finally, the Puzzle Post jigsaw calendar suits anyone who likes a daily puzzle.
When should you start an advent calendar?
Traditionally, you open the first door on 1 December and the last on 24 December. In 2026, 1 December falls on a Tuesday. A 12 day calendar, such as the Grind coffee one or Chase & Wonder’s candles, can start on 13 December so it still ends on Christmas Eve. However, the Paxton & Whitfield cheese calendar arrives on Friday 27 November, four days early.
Can you get advent calendars for dogs?
Yes. The Lily’s Kitchen dog advent calendar has 24 baked biscuits and costs £10.50 on Amazon UK, and Amazon lists it for adult dogs. For a puppy, the Pooch & Mutt gingerbread calendar suits dogs from 12 weeks and costs £9.99. Cats get their own Lily’s Kitchen calendar for £8.50. Beyond that, my dog lovers gift guide has more ideas for the dog and the owner.
More from CoolCuration
- Gifts for foodies: more presents for the person who would choose the cheese calendar.
- Moon jigsaw: a harder puzzle for after the elves, once the advent jigsaw is done.
- Black Friday 2026 UK guide: the dates, and which deals to wait for or buy now.
- Structured daily planner app: a tidy way to plan the month of December around everything else.
- TopCashback referral code: cashback on Christmas shopping at shops with no other discount.
Prices, stock and delivery times for cool advent calendars in the UK change, especially before Christmas, so check the shop’s page before you buy. This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don’t choose what I feature or what I say about them.
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