Advent calendars are a great way to spice up the countdown to Christmas. Traditionally, children are given chocolate advent calendars, but if your child does not like chocolate or wants something unusual, then there is an increasing number of non-chocolate advent calendars.
To help you find the best Advent calendar for your child, we researched the market to see which brands are available and found options for everyone. Let’s dive in!
Usborne Advent Calendar (under $35)
For children who like to read, this Advent calendar is an ideal option. It opens like a book, and inside, behind each door, there is a wonderful classic story, such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Pinocchio, and the Nativity of Christ. It's also a great joint activity: every evening before Christmas, you can read books together with your children.
LEGO CITY Advent Calendar (under $30)
LEGO Advent calendars are very popular, and every day your child gets not only pleasure but also joy from assembling the contents. Behind each door, you will find minifigures or small festive figures. The calendar has a snow play mat that folds onto the surface of the box and allows you to create a magical winter scene.
If you have other LEGO sets, you can combine them to create even bigger holiday scenes. If you want a LEGO-themed advent calendar, then there are Harry Potter, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Star Wars in the assortment. In short, there is a LEGO calendar for everyone.
Pokemon Advent Calendar (under $50)
Pokemon fans can collect Pokemon figurines every day to fight and play with them. Inside the Advent calendar, you will find 24 figurines and accessories dedicated to the holiday. All the figures have an exclusive shiny finish, which makes them fun and festive. At the end of the countdown, your child will have a whole bunch of collectible Pokemon figures that they can play with all year round.
PLAYMOBIL Advent Calendar - Christmas Baking (under $30)
This Playmobil Advent calendar is a fabulous combination of a game and real life. As in the LEGO CITY calendar, you can create your own festive scene with the help of figures behind each door, for example, a snowman or Santa Claus himself. But the best thing about this Advent calendar is that it also has baking accessories, such as cookie cutters, which will help your children bake festive treats.
Peppa Pig's Advent Calendar (under $35)
Fans of Peppa Pig, this Advent calendar is for you. Open 24 windows and find a Peppa Pig toy behind each door. Have fun and build a Christmas scene from the figurines and objects that you will receive throughout the days leading to the holiday. Inside you will find Peppa herself, George, and Santa, as well as many cute accessories, including a Christmas tree.
How to choose an advent calendar?
Advent calendars are an end-of-year tradition that provides daily enjoyment in the weeks leading up to Christmas. There are a lot of such calendars you can choose from and there are a few things you should keep in mind.
A lot of plastic
Most children's Advent calendars cause headaches for eco-activists. Why? Many of them contain a large number of gifts that are quickly sent to the trash and eventually to the landfill. But although the Advent calendars we recommend are still filled with plastic, we believe that they contain toys that will eventually live much longer than others. Options from Playmobil and Lego are gifts that can be passed on and reused when the time comes.
But if the idea of a children's advent calendar still puts you off, take a look at some of our alternative and more eco-friendly options.
The sequence is the key
If you really want your child to be delighted with Christmas Eve, then the sequence of gifts behind each window is very important. A burning red Hot Wheels car, followed the next day by a small plastic snowman, is not an ideal option. We have made sure that the Advent calendars recommended by us contain a good gift almost every day.
Don't be fooled by the pictures on the box The box of each of the calendars almost always paints a much more favorable picture than reality.
You can make your own
To some, a children's calendar may seem excessive. And this certainly can happen when you open every door. If you like more wholesome Christmas entertainment and perhaps less wasteful, you can create your own Advent calendar. There are a lot of online guides on how to do it best, so check one out if that is something you might be interested in.
Online you can find calendars that are suitable not only for children, but there are also options for teenagers, and if you want such a calendar for yourself, you can even find Advent calendars for adults.
