Advent has come a long way since a square of waxy chocolate behind a cardboard door. These are the calendars that keep giving long after the last one is opened, and even our chocolate pick does some good.
Divine Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar
£7.50, divinechocolate.com
If it's got to be chocolate, make it Divine. Behind each window is a creamy milk chocolate heart, made by the world's only farmer-owned Fairtrade chocolate company, so every daily treat helps the cocoa farmers who grow it. It's B Corp certified, free from palm oil and soya, and comes in FSC-certified packaging. Worth knowing: the printing inside each window tells the nativity story.
Annika Reed Studio House Advent Calendar
£24.95, annikareed.com
Woodblock designer Annika Reed has turned her wallpapers into a little paper house that opens like a doll's house. Each room is papered in her whimsical patterns, and behind the 24 doors are illustrations inspired by her hand-carved designs. Printed in the UK on heavy card and posted in a biodegradable bag, it's made to be kept, brought down from the loft each December and become part of the family's Christmas.
Seed Revolution Wild Flower Seed Advent Calendar
£24.99, seedrevolution.co.uk
No chocolate, no trinkets, just 24 packets of native British wildflower seeds, one behind each door. Which flower is next stays a surprise until you open it, and on Christmas Eve the calendar folds out to reveal the meadow you'll be growing come spring. A lovely way to stretch the excitement well past December, with a reminder written into every packet that the bees need us. Seed Revolution offers a refund if anything fails to grow.
Bizzy Bear Advent Calendar Book Collection
£25, nosycrow.com
Benji Davies' cheerful Bizzy Bear has his own countdown this year, with a mini board book hidden behind each of the 24 doors. Each one is a little festive adventure sized for small hands, and every book comes with a free Nosy Crow Stories Aloud audiobook, so even the littlest ones can listen along. Made for ages two to five, it builds a bedtime story into every day of December, and leaves you with a shelf of books long after the doors are open.
WUKA Period Powerful Advent Calendar
£119.99, wuka.co.uk
Periods don't take December off, and WUKA's calendar says so out loud. Behind its 12 doors are full-size pieces rather than festive filler: five pairs of Stretch period pants (from a light-flow thong to super heavy midi briefs), a period swim bikini brief and cap, an organic reusable pad, heat patches for cramps, a changing wet bag and a laundry bag. Worth £170.88, it's enough to keep someone sorted cycle after cycle for up to two years. A thoughtful gift for a teenager starting out, or for any woman who deserves something useful. Limited stock, and it won't be restocked.
