Christmas is coming. Which you may not know if you haven’t bought your Advent calendar yet. If you’re still looking for one, our list of Advent Calendar Ideas For The Whole Family will help you decide.
For more ways to make this the best holiday season, check out all of our Christmas posts.
Every year, my brother buys me a chocolate Advent calendar for my birthday (in mid-November) and I use it to count down to Christmas. It’s one of my favorite Christmas traditions and such a fun way to get excited during the Christmas season.
A couple years ago, he bought me one and gave it to me in front of his two sons. And, according to them and all the open little doors on the calendar, Christmas was at the end of November, not December.
Unless you have nephews who can devour their weight in chocolate men in a single setting, you’re still getting ready to count down to Christmas. So, one of these really festive Advent Calendars For The Whole Family is perfect for you to start or continue your own holiday tradition.
We filled this list with a variety of the best Advent calendars, not just the same one in different packaging. So be sure to check them all out.
Advent calendars are a way to count down to Christmas — which means they basically show you how many shopping days you have left.
Speaking of shopping, our Holiday Gift Guide can help you find great ideas for gifts for everyone this holiday season.
Advent Calendar Ideas For The Whole Family
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Disney Doorables Advent Calendar
Doorables are Disney’s first foray into blind bags. To make them a little different than the others out there, Doorables are actually hidden behind a door.
It makes them perfect for an Advent calendar, which is basically hidden treasures behind doors.
This Disney Doorables Advent Calendar has 24 pieces, which includes 20 figures. What the other four items are is a big mystery.
Barissimo Coffee Advent Calendar
If you’re buying an Advent calendar for a coffee lover, this Barissimo Coffee Advent Calendar is perfect. Each day, your recipient will open a different K-Cup.
That’s absolutely perfect since your recipient is going to start their day with a cup of coffee anyway. This is a great way for them to add a little bit of festive fun into that routine.
I’m not sure if every K-Cup is different, although it would be so much fun if it was. You’ll just have to pick this up and find out.
The Grinch Hot Cocoa Advent Calendar
If you’re more into hot chocolate than hot coffee, this Grinch Hot Cocoa Advent Calendar is for you.
My brother got it for me a couple years ago (I told you, it’s a family tradition). It’s filled with 12 different hot chocolate packets, from caramel to toasted marshmallow to candy cane, all packed into really cute boxes with illustrations from Grinch on them.
This is great for the Advent season or if you’re doing an at home Christmas movie night and watching the Grinch together as a family.
Thomas Kinkade Puzzle Advent Calendar
Puzzles are such a great and simple way to hang out as a family. It’s so nice to sit around the table together, putting in the pieces, completing something together rather than looking at screens.
So this Thomas Kinkade Puzzle Advent calendar is great for families.
There are 12 puzzles of Thomas Kinkade paintings. When you’re done with all the puzzles, they combine to make a large 24 x 18 inch, 500 piece puzzle.
Kids Craft Christmas Craft Advent Calendar
If you have kids who love crafts, this Kids Craft Christmas Craft Advent Calendar is absolutely perfect.
There are 25 craft kits inside, one for every day through Christmas Day. Each kit contains all the contents to make a felt Christmas ornament, everything from the instructions to the string to hang it.
I made a dozen or so of these with my 2-year-old niece and 5-year-old nephew (obviously not following the proper Advent schedule) last year, and it was actually so easy for them to make the ornaments. For my niece, I was pointing out the differences between the three step instructions so she could easily see what to do next. With my nephew, I asked him to find the differences.
When Christmas morning is here, you have a ton of ornaments on your tree (or to give away as small gifts for family members).
National Geographic Dinosaur Advent Calendar
Dinosaurs are so popular for little kids at a certain time in their lives. So if your little is at that time, this National Geographic Dinosaur Advent Calendar is perfect.
It comes with 24 dinosaur figures, plus a dig brick activity set with a dinosaur tooth replica.
Because it’s made by National Geographic, there’s more than just plastic figures. There’s actually a fact sheet so your kid can learn about the dinosaurs too.
Peanuts Countdown Calendar
Everyone loves the Charlie Brown tree. But what about Charlie Brown on a tree. Even cuter.
This Peanuts Countdown Calendar is basically just that. Each day, you open a different Peanuts character and hang him or her on the Christmas tree. By Christmas Eve, the tree is full of friends.
What’s even cuter is that each character is dressed in their costume from the play they do in A Charlie Brown Christmas, which I just think is such a sweet addition to this.
The best part, though, is that this is a reusable Advent calendar. You can put the figures back in the packaging and open it again next year, which is really great as far as sustainability goes.
If you’re buying this for someone who loves the Peanuts, be sure to check out our list of Top 10+ Gifts for Snoopy Lovers too.
Hello Kitty And Friends Advent Calendar
Hello Kitty is having such a big comeback and I’m here for it. I remember when she and her friends were so niche and now they’re all over. I love it.
And if you know someone who loves Hello Kitty too, they’ll love this Hello Kitty And Friends Advent Calendar.
Each day, you open hair, beauty, and jewelry surprises, which you can use to make charm bracelets, friendship bracelets, and more.
Playmobil Advent Calendar
Playmobil toys make great gifts. They’re perfect for little hands and really good quality. We give them as gifts to our nieces and nephews when they’re young because of how well they hold up and how they encourage play.
So I love that Playmobil has an Advent calendar. Even better, though, it has a new one every year. So even if you opened one with your child last year (and the toys from that set have gotten misplaced because of excess play), you can purchase a new calendar this year.
After Christmas, your child can use these new toys with their other Playmobil toys.
This year’s calendar is a Christmas Market version, filled with coffee cups and baked goods.
Disney Holiday Countdown Calendar
Disney fans will love this Disney Holiday Countdown Calendar. (Except if you’re like me and a little crazy because they call it a Holiday Countdown Calendar when it’s obviously a Christmas countdown calendar because it has 24 little doors and literally says Noel on the front. But, I digress.)
Each door hides a piece of milk chocolate, just like a classic Advent calendar from back in the day.
We had this type growing up, so it’s so familiar and classic to me. Plus, when Christmas comes, the calendar is finished and can be tossed in the trash (so no small toys to find space for once the calendar is fully opened).
If you’re buying this for someone who likes Disney, check out our list of 20 Cute Mugs For Disney Lovers and The 20+ Best Gifts For Disney Princess Fans too.
Play-Doh Advent Calendar
Play-Doh is so great for little kids. Well, as long as you’re supervising them because it can get into the carpet and really make a mess.
So buy this Play-Doh Advent Calendar for your kids, but supervise them while they’re opening the daily surprises.
Each day, there’s a small can of Play-Doh with new surprise tools to make a creative activity daily.
Harry Potter 12 Days Of Socks Box
Harry Potter fans will absolutely love this Harry Potter 12 Days Of Socks Box.
Each day, you open a new pair of socks. There are eight pairs of ankle socks and four pairs of crew socks, all with different Harry Potter-related designs.
My cousin said that a better way to make this would be to allow you to only be able to open one sock a day so it’s a true Advent calendar and has 24 days worth of surprises. So, if anyone is looking for a marketing genius, email me and I’ll send you her number.
And, if you need another gift for your Harry Potter fan, our list of The Best 20 Gifts For Harry Potter Fans is sure to help.
Godiva Advent Calendar
One of our family traditions growing up was that my mom would buy us each our own Advent calendar that was filled with tiny chocolates. When we were a little older, she would make her own DIY Advent calendar of sorts and wrap chocolates in wrapping paper and we’d open one every day.
My brother keeps that tradition alive for me by buying me an Advent calendar every year.
A few years ago, he got me a Godiva Advent calendar filled with special treats, like chocolate Santa figures, caramel-filled squares, and more. I really did look forward to opening a sweet treat every night after dinner, just like I did when I was a little kid.
DIY Dog Treat Advent Calendar
We said this list was for everyone in your family and that includes your pets.
If you’re looking for the perfect way to incorporate Fido or Fluffy into your Christmas activities, make this DIY Dog Treat Advent Calendar.
A great thing about this Advent calendar is that it’s reusable, so you can make it this year and then use it every year from now until eternity. All you’ll have to do in the future is purchase a box of small pet treats to use to fill the pockets.
Purchase Advent Calendars Online:
Of course, these aren’t all the Christmas Advent calendar options out there, just our favorites. There are more like the Tidings of Joy Fabric Advent Calendar pictured above. That one comes empty, so you can fill it with your own gifts each year.
You can find more Advent calendars at the following stores below:
You can also find a variety of Advent calendars at your local grocery stores. I found a bunch at LIDL this year. You can order those and have them delivered via Instacart.
Be mindful of a store’s minimum cart total to qualify for free shipping. Also, consider instore or curbside pickup to avoid shipping charges.
Which of these Advent Calendar Ideas for the entire family are you picking up this year? Let us know in the comments.