Advent Calendars 2025 - Let the Unboxings Begin!!

[itsfi]

The holiday countdown has begun!! 🎉 Please use this thread to share your advent calendar unboxings. 🎁

Whether you open all the doors to your calendar at once, or you open a box one day at a time and follow the traditional schedule (e.g., 24 day unboxing beginning on 12.1 and 12-day calendar unboxing beginning 12.13 or 12.25), WELCOME!! 

For those of us who just can't wait to see what goodies are in our advent calendars, if you will be opening all the doors/boxes at once before the end of the season, please consider hiding your unboxing posts behind a spoiler tab so those who want to be surprised day by day can still do so.

[caitbird]

@Samtian  right? It's so cute! 😻

[itsfi]

@caitbird, the Tony Moly x Squishmallow collab was/is a good one (I think I've tried that sheet mask!); fun to see they are doing an advent calendar. For those who are picking up one of these sets to gift to younger folks, just a note that if the calendar includes the lip gloss that in the regular line hs a tingling (some have said plumping/burning) effect. 

[caitbird]

Jewelry advent calendars are another option if you love a bit of sparkle; Missoma is releasing theirs on 9/24 - sign up now for 24-hour early access. It's $777 for 12 days of their gold jewelry (there will be a silver and a solid gold option, as well).

Astrid & Miyu is another popular jewelry brand that does an annual advent calendar, but they haven't released this year's yet. And Altar'd State has several (relatively) less expensive advent calendar options.

[itsfi]

Advents are continuing to roll out in the US

BEEKMAN 1802 The G.O.A.T. 2025 Advent Calendar: $199 ($460 value) 🐐 - It's a very cute set up. 

Spoiler

MACY'S has a few different options for beauty advent calendars.

Macy's 12 Days of Luxury Beauty Advent Calendar: $120 ($322 value)

Spoiler

Macy's 25 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar: $99 ($325 value)

Spoiler

Macy's Lip Advent Calendar: $99 ($192 value)

Spoiler

Macy's Glow Getter Advent Calendar: $75 ($236 value)

Spoiler

[danielledanielle]

 She's on sale! As of 11/15

[caitbird]

@itsfi  the Beekman one is super cute. And I love how the Macy's lip advent looks like a giant lipstick, how fun! 💄

[itsfi]

@caitbird, those teams stepped up their game when it came to putting their ideas and designs together. By the looks of it, there are some good products in those calendars as well. 

[curlychiquita]

I don’t use anything from Beekman 1802, so I’m not going to buy it, but I do love how cute the circus setup is! @itsfi 

[itsfi]

@curlychiquita, I've tried a few of their skincare items and their merch is always cute, as we can tell by the design of the advent calendar! The team that came up with this aesthetic definitely deserves some kudos. 👏

[danielledanielle]

I just want the lipstick one for the packaging 😶. That's amazing!

[itsfi]

@danielledanielle, it is pretty spectacular! I wonder how large it is IRL. 🤔

[caitbird]

Margot Elena (creator of TokyoMilk, Lollia, Library of Flowers, and more), has just released this year's advent calendar. It's 12 days of mini perfumes, hand creams, and more for $115, and apparently last year's sold out in a day, so if you're interested I would jump on it!

[itsfi]

Ohhhh, this is a possible contender for me @caitbird! Love the packaging for the advent calendar too. Thank you for sharing the info! I remember hers selling out quickly. I don't know if I can make a decision today. If she had an all candle one, I might be more inclined to go for it - do you recall if she had an all candle one last year, or in any previous years? 

[caitbird]

@itsfi  it is a nice one! She makes really nice self care and fragrance products. I think she only has the one advent calendar each year, as far as I know.

Are you thinking of getting a candle advent calendar this year?

[itsfi]

@caitbird, yes and no?! 😅 I'm not wedded to any particular type of beauty advent calendar but am probably veering towards a candle / fragrance one, or combination, similar to the Diptyque one I had last year. I had several advent calendars last year - the Diptyque advent, a nail one, a chocolate one, along with a tea, coffee and one from Voluspa. As I write all of that, I'm thinking, 'ack, that was a lot of advent calendars!!' 😬 The Voluspa one I'm still working through as I treat it like a candle of the month thing beginning in January.

[caitbird]

@itsfi  a candle and/or fragrance advent calendar sounds lovely! And I love the idea of a candle a month advent! Haha, I think I ended up having 4 advent calendars last year - Cult Pens (stationery), Olive & June (nails), William Morris (bath & body), and Burt's Bees (lip balms). They were all fun! I liked having a few different ones, I'd like to do something like that again this year.

[danielledanielle]

Ipsy Early Access 

At first I 😮 at the price, but I think there's 15 FS and 10 DS .  I'm continuously victimized by Ipsy when I'm trying to not buy things

[itsfi]

"when I'm trying to not buy things" 

hahahahaha! October is usually when it starts for me @danielledanielle, but it seems brands and retailers are getting a head start this year! Ugh!!!

That's a good assortment of products in the ipsy advent.

[caitbird]

Ah, advent calendars are always so exciting! I love the experience of unboxing a surprise treat every day in the countdown to Christmas. I've rounded up a few possibilities that I don't think have been mentioned in this thread yet:

Parfums de Marly just released their Countdown Calendar for preorder - this one is a little different as it is an "after advent" advent calendar, designed to be opened between Christmas and New Year's Day. $445 on their site.

If you love chocolate and are in the market for a more high end/luxe advent calendar, Dandelion Chocolate has a gorgeous one every year, featuring fancy chocolates from top chocolatiers across North America. Available for preorder on their site, the calendar for one goes for $198 (there is also a calendar for two option, if you want to share).

Other fancy chocolate advents include Compartes Chocolate, La Maison de Chocolate (available soon), and Vosges Chocolate.

Other additions to the K-beauty advent category are Sukoshi (available through their site and app), which goes for $185 for 37(!) items across 25 days - 30 full size and 7 travel size. It's available for preorder now. Olive Young also had an advent calendar last year, but haven't released this year's yet.

If you love all things Japan, especially food, Bokksu and Sakuraco each have advent calendars available (actually Sakuraco has 2 different options, each with a different theme), filled with 24 days of Japanese goodies, both snacks and home decor or kitchen ware, etc.

The Bokksu advent calendar is normally $199, but if you preorder in the next 12 days you get $20 off.

Sakuraco's advent calendars are also each $199 normally, but available now for preorder at 20% off, or $159. The 2 advents are Onsen Retreat and Midnight in Tokyo; here's Onsen Retreat:

If you are a tea fan, good news - there are lots of options for you! There's:

-Fortnum and Mason - 24 days, $89.95 (available in the US via Williams Sonoma)

-Harney & Sons - 12 days (2 teabags each), $15.19 via Amazon

-Harrods - 24 days (2 teabags each), $95 (+ $30 shipping to the US)

-Palais de Thes - 24 days, $38

-Pukka - 24 days, $23.99 via Amazon

-The Republic of Tea - 12 days (2 teabags each), $19.99

-Stash - 24 days, $20 via Amazon

-Vahdam - 24 days (5 teabags each), $79.99 (but if you sign up for their emails, you get 15% off)

-Whittard - 24 days (2 teabags each), $36.50

I think Tea Forte also has a winter-themed 12-day advent. Fortnum and Mason and Vahdam also offer loose-leaf advent calendar options.

For stationery enthusiasts, in addition to Cult Pens (whose advent calendar I really enjoyed last year), there's also Papier, which I have ordered this year. It's $175 (plus shipping, which was rather expensive) for 24 days of beautifully packaged stationery goodies. It's so gorgeous, I can't wait to open mine!

And finally, if you like Burt's Bees and particularly their lip balms, they usually do a 12-day lip balm advent full of fun flavors.

Are there any that have caught your eye this year? Personally, in addition to the Papier stationery advent calendar, I'm planning to order a tea advent, and maybe one of the K-beauty ones, too. 💜

[itsfi]

@caitbird, I've picked up for myself and gifted the Palais des Thes advent calendar in previous years. Some stores (and the brand) will offer a set later in the year that includes an infuser mug with the year's limited edition design on it for a little something extra.

[caitbird]

@itsfi  ooh, good to know, thank you! Love that packaging design!