Best Advent Calendars 2025: Our Year in Review
Right. The 2025 advent calendar season. Where do we even begin.
Brands pushed harder than ever on value, retailers made very big claims (some of which actually held up for once), and a handful of calendars did something genuinely rare: they delivered exactly what they promised. A few did not. We have opinions about all of it, and we are going to share them whether you are ready or not.
Here is our honest assessment of the best of 2025, and everything worth knowing before the 2026 season begins.
Beauty
The standout: Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £275 | Value: over £1,245 | Products: 30 (including 20 full size)
Liberty more or less invented the prestige beauty advent calendar, and the 2025 edition reminded everyone — again — that they have absolutely no intention of letting anyone else have that title. Thirty products (twenty of them full size) from Lisa Eldridge, Trinny London, Augustinus Bader, and Ex Nihilo, all tucked into that iconic Ianthe print box that somehow makes the packaging feel like a gift before you have opened a single door. Fifteen Golden Tickets worth £1,000 each were hidden inside. It sold out within hours of launch. It always does.
September 2026. Set the alarm. Tell your partner. Write it on the bathroom mirror if that is what it takes. Shop at Liberty London
Worth your attention: Selfridges Beauty Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £250 | Value: over £1,136 | Products: 37 (24 full size, 35 exclusive to Selfridges)
Selfridges announced that the 2025 calendar was their biggest and best yet. They say this every year. In 2025, they were actually right. Thirty-seven products (twenty-four full size, thirty-five exclusive to Selfridges) with names including Augustinus Bader, Refy, Charlotte Tilbury, Creed, Tatcha, and MAC. At £250 for over £1,100 of product, the maths genuinely work. There. We said it. Shop at Selfridges
The accessible option: LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £105 | Products: 28 (17 full size, 11 deluxe size)
Not everyone has £275 for an advent calendar, and honestly, fair enough. LOOKFANTASTIC do the accessible end of the beauty calendar market better than anyone, and the 2025 edition was their strongest yet. Twenty-eight products for £105, including seventeen full size. If the Liberty and Selfridges price tags require a serious sit-down with your bank account, this is where you start. No shame. Genuinely excellent. Shop at LOOKFANTASTIC
The gifting classic: Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Treasure Chest 2025
Price: £175 | Value: over £264 | Products: 12 (5 full size, 7 minis)
Twelve products feels modest next to Liberty’s thirty, but every single one earns its place. Five full-size icons: Pillow Talk Lip Cheat, Collagen Lip Bath, Exagger-Eyes Mascara, Rock ‘N’ Kohl Eyeliner, and Pillow Talk Light Wand, plus seven travel sizes from the Magic skincare range. Every product is immediately recognisable to anyone who loves the brand, which is precisely what makes this one of the most reliable gifts on this list. It reportedly sold a calendar every minute on launch day. Make of that what you will. Shop at Charlotte Tilbury
For the complete beauty guide — Space NK, Harvey Nichols (beauty and fragrance), Harrods Hair and Body, Harrods flagship, Cult Beauty, and every price point covered — see our Best Beauty Advent Calendars 2025. For the full Liberty 2025 contents list, see our Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar 2025 full review.
Food and Drink
The chocolate benchmark: Hotel Chocolat Grand Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £80 | Products: 24 days of chocolate
The gold standard for chocolate calendars, and nobody has seriously challenged it yet. Generous portions, quality ingredients, and enough variety to make each door genuinely worth opening (spiced gingerbread, chocolate penguins, and more assorted brilliance). Their Velvetiser calendar at £50 catered to the hot chocolate crowd with 24 flavoured drinks. Both sold well throughout the season. Both make excellent gifts. Neither requires any explanation to the recipient, which, honestly, is worth more than you might think. Shop at Hotel Chocolat
The wine lover’s choice: Virgin Wines Mixed Wine Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £89.99 | Products: 24 bottles (187ml) plus a full-size bottle for Christmas Day
Twenty-four miniature bottles of red, white, and rosé through December, plus a full-size bottle sitting there waiting for Christmas Day. A genuinely clever way to discover new wines without committing to a full bottle of something you might quietly pour down the sink at 11pm. If you have ever wanted a legitimate excuse to open something different every single evening in December, here it is. You are welcome. Shop at Virgin Wines
The cheese lover’s indulgence: Paxton and Whitfield Cheese Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £150 | Products: 24 individually portioned artisan cheeses
Paxton and Whitfield have been selling cheese since 1797, which is either wonderfully reassuring or slightly alarming depending on your perspective. Twenty-four individually portioned artisan cheeses, each day accompanied by a factsheet on the producer, the origin, and suggested pairings. British classics like Cheddar and Stilton sit alongside rarer European finds. Delivered via chilled courier, because obviously. This is not the calendar you open while watching television. This is the calendar you open with a glass of something decent and actually pay attention to. Which is exactly what December should look like, if you ask us. Shop at Paxton and Whitfield
For the complete food and drink picture — tea, coffee, whisky, gin, craft beer, gourmet popcorn, preserves, and more — see our Best Food and Drink Advent Calendars 2025.
Alcohol
The gin exploration: Fever-Tree Ultimate Gin and Tonic Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £65–£75 | Products: 12 × 50ml miniature gins + 12 × 150ml Fever-Tree mixers
Twelve gins, twelve tonics, each one paired to complement rather than simply dilute. Styles ranging from classic and zesty to floral and spiced. The clever bit? By day twenty-four you will have a very clear picture of what you actually want in a G and T, and you will be absolutely insufferable about it at every party for the rest of the month. Worth it. Available at John Lewis, Ocado, and Very. Shop at John Lewis
The whisky journey: The Whisky Exchange 25 Whiskies of the World 2025
Price: £125–£130 | Products: 25 × 3cl bottles, two tasting glasses, and a tasting journal
The Whisky Exchange know that a world whisky calendar lives or dies on curation, not geography. The 2025 edition: twenty-five 3cl pours (larger than the industry-standard 2cl, because they are not doing things by halves) from Scotland, Ireland, Japan, the US, Taiwan, India, and Australia. Expressions included Port Charlotte, Glenfiddich, Ichiro’s Malt and Grain, and Dingle Single Malt. Two tasting glasses and a professional journal were included, because apparently twenty-five whiskies is not enough of an occasion on its own. At £125 to £130, you are paying for access to bottles you would otherwise have to commit to fully. For the right person, a deeply good way to spend December. Shop at The Whisky Exchange
The craft beer pick: BrewDog Craft Beer Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £49.95 | Products: 24 cans + glass
BrewDog’s calendar does exactly what you would expect, which is either a recommendation or a caveat depending entirely on your feelings about BrewDog. Twenty-four cans across the core range (Punk IPA, Hazy Jane, Dead Pony Club, Elvis Juice) plus seasonal variants and a branded glass. Nobody was ever disappointed to receive this. Nobody was surprised, either. Shop at BrewDog
Luxury
The ultimate splurge: Byredo Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £650 | Exclusive to: Selfridges | Products: full-size eau de parfums, candles, hand creams, body care, hair perfume
The most expensive mainstream advent calendar of 2025, by some distance. Available exclusively at Selfridges, naturally. Full-size fragrances, candles, and body care from one of the world’s most covetable scent houses. At £650, this is a gift for a very specific person: the one in your life who already collects Byredo and will absolutely know if you got the wrong thing. For everyone else, £650 is a considerable investment in someone else’s taste. It is breathtaking, though. We will give it that. Shop at Selfridges
The department store benchmark: Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £250 | Value: over £1,580 | Products: 32 (14 full size)
Harrods’ flagship Beauty Advent Calendar is one of the most anticipated of the season every single year, and the 2025 edition justified every bit of that anticipation. Thirty-two products (fourteen of them full size) spanning skincare, makeup, bodycare, and fragrance from La Mer, Augustinus Bader, Sisley-Paris, MAC, Medik8, and Charlotte Tilbury. At £250 for contents valued at over £1,580, this is among the strongest value propositions in luxury beauty. It sells out quickly, every year, without fail. September 2026. Same advice as Liberty. Put it in the calendar. Right now. Shop at Harrods
Kids
The evergreen favourite: LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £29.99 | Age: 7+ | Products: 227 pieces including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Dumbledore mini-figures in festive outfits
LEGO’s Harry Potter calendar has been a bestseller for years and the 2025 edition gave exactly no reason to stop buying it. Two hundred and twenty-seven pieces, the full Hogwarts cast dressed for Christmas, and Harry Potter himself in a festive jumper (which is both adorable and slightly chaotic, and your child will be obsessed). At £29.99 it keeps them genuinely engaged for the full twenty-four days. That, frankly, is the real value. Shop on Amazon
The younger option: Playmobil Christmas Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £19.99 | Products: Santa Claus mini-figure, baking accessories, stamps, cutters
For younger children who find LEGO slightly beyond them, Playmobil’s Christmas calendar is the answer. £19.99, no batteries required (bless), and a baking theme that gives the whole thing an interactive element beyond simply opening a door and going “oh, another small thing.” Your four-year-old will be completely delighted. Available at Smyths Toys, John Lewis, Argos, and Amazon. Shop at Smyths Toys
For the complete kids guide — LEGO in five editions, Hot Wheels, Pokémon TCG, PAW Patrol, Peppa Pig, Barbie, and more — see our Best Kids Advent Calendars 2025.
Wellness and Home
The fragrance investment: Jo Malone London Advent Calendar 2025
Price: £360 | Value: over £500 | Products: 25 (including 12 miniature colognes, 3 candles, body care)
Jo Malone’s calendar is one of the most consistently excellent on the market, and the 2025 edition confirmed it all over again. Twenty-five surprises including Lime Basil and Mandarin, English Pear and Freesia, and Wood Sage and Sea Salt, with more travel candles and body-perfume combinations than previous years. At £360 for over £500 of product, it is genuinely good value for what it is. It is still £360. We know. If you love Jo Malone, you already know whether this is for you. If you are unsure, we would gently suggest that you already know. Shop at Jo Malone London
Our Verdict on 2025
Beauty dominated, and deservedly so. Liberty, Selfridges, and Charlotte Tilbury all delivered, LOOKFANTASTIC offered the best accessible option in years, and Harrods quietly reminded everyone that it is not just about the price tag. Alcohol had a genuinely strong year: the whisky and gin categories both produced calendars that treated the buyer as an adult who actually wants to learn something, which is rarer than it should be. Kids stayed firmly loyal to LEGO, which continues to set the standard at a price that does not require a recovery period.
The category we are watching most closely in 2026 is wellness. Jo Malone aside, there is a conspicuous gap between a £25 candle calendar and a £360 fragrance edit, and someone is going to fill it properly. We will be here when they do.
For confirmed pre-orders and early 2026 announcements, see our Advent Calendars to Watch in 2026 guide.
