December sneaks up fast around here, and nothing gets the kids counting down to Christmas quite like an advent calendar. Whether you’re after something budget-friendly this year, a splurge for the grown-ups, or a calendar you make together as a family, we’ve pulled together our local guide to the best options for 2026.
With cost of living still front of mind for a lot of families, we’ve split this guide so you can shop by budget as easily as by age group. If store-bought isn’t in the budget this year, jump straight to our DIY and budget-friendly advent calendars section. Made-at-home calendars are genuinely some of the most loved by kids, no matter what’s inside them.
Jump to a section: Kids | Chocolate | Tweens & Teens | Adults | Food & Drink | Beauty | Splurge | Unique | Traditional & Religious | Budget & DIY | Local Picks | FAQs
A quick word on cost of living
Advent calendars have crept up in price the last few years, and we know a lot of families are watching the budget closely this Christmas. You don’t need to spend big to make the countdown feel special. A $9 chocolate calendar and a homemade one filled with jokes and pocket money can sit side by side under the tree and get exactly the same amount of excitement from a five-year-old. We’ve built this guide so the cheap and cheerful options get just as much attention as the luxury ones, because they deserve it.
Kids Advent Calendars
Character and licensed calendars
Licensed calendars are still the easiest sell with young kids, and the big franchises come back most years with a fresh line-up. Expect returning ranges from Bluey (mini figure and book collection formats), Paw Patrol, Disney (plush and Little People formats), and Barbie. These typically land between $24 and $55 and are widely stocked at Big W, Kmart and Target, so keep an eye out from late October.
LEGO advent calendars
LEGO releases a new advent calendar every year across its major lines, and they’re consistently some of the best-value toy calendars going, working out to roughly $2 a day. Recent years have covered LEGO City, LEGO Friends, LEGO Minecraft, LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Disney Princess, usually priced $45 to $55. If your child already collects a particular LEGO theme, that’s your easiest match.
Toddler-friendly options
For under-5s, look for calendars built around play rather than small parts. Fisher-Price’s Little People range (Disney Princess and other themes) opens into a play scene rather than 24 separate loose toys, which is a much better fit for toddlers who’ll want to play with everything at once rather than wait.
Book advent calendars
If you’d rather build a reading habit than a toy pile, book advent calendars are worth the switch. Series like Little People, BIG DREAMS and picture-book collections built around The Gruffalo and similar favourites package 24 mini stories in a keepsake case, and at $24 they’re often cheaper than toy versions.
Chocolate Advent Calendars
Chocolate is still the classic, and it’s the cheapest way into the tradition, most of these sit well under $30. If budget is tight this year, this is the category to start with.
Cadbury Chocolate Advent Calendar (from $9) is the reliable, widely-stocked option, an interactive 3D calendar with 24 chocolate treats behind the doors. You’ll find it at every major supermarket and discount store from late October.
NOMO Advent Calendar (from $16) is a dairy, gluten, egg and nut-free vegan chocolate calendar, worth knowing about if you’re shopping for a child with allergies who usually misses out on the classic option.
Lindt Teddy Advent Calendar (from $30) fills 24 windows with an assortment of Lindt’s smooth-filled milk chocolates, a step up in quality from the supermarket basics without moving into luxury pricing.
Advent Calendar Pyramid, Dark and Milk (from $65) from Niederegger is a genuine step into gourmet territory, mixing milk and dark chocolate with marzipan flavours like espresso, pineapple, pistachio and orange.
Koko Black’s advent calendar range covers three tiers worth knowing about: A Very Koko Advent Calendar (from $50) is the family-friendly milk chocolate option; The Christmas Advent Calendar (from $85) steps up to handcrafted pralines across milk, dark and white chocolate with festive flavours like cinnamon and spiced eggnog; and the Yours & Mine Advent Calendar (from $169) is a genuinely clever double-drawer design built for two people to open side by side, no fighting over whose door is whose.
Advent Calendars for Tweens & Teens
This age group gets overlooked in most advent calendar roundups, which is a shame because tweens and teens count down to Christmas just as hard as little kids do. A few genres consistently land well:
Stationery and beauty minis. Smiggle’s annual advent calendar (and its licensed collabs) is aimed squarely at this age bracket, mixing stationery, accessories and novelty items. Beauty minis calendars from mid-range brands work well for teens who are just getting into skincare and makeup.
Pop culture and collectables. Pocket Pop! style calendars built around a specific fandom, gaming calendars (Pokémon, Minecraft), and sock or accessory calendars tied to a franchise a teen already loves tend to get used every single day, unlike generic toy calendars this age group has outgrown.
Gift card or experience calendars. A DIY option that works well for older kids: 24 envelopes, each with a small gift card, a movie voucher, or a “choose the takeaway tonight” pass. Costs whatever you decide to put in, and it’s genuinely exciting for a 13-year-old in a way a chocolate calendar usually isn’t anymore.
Adults Advent Calendars
Adult advent calendars have become their own category, split roughly into beauty, food and drink, and hobby-based calendars.
Beauty and skincare. The Body Shop, Mecca and most department store beauty halls run a calendar every year, ranging from around $75 for a mid-range option up to $250+ for the bigger brand names. These tend to sell out early, so shop from late October if you want a specific one.
Tea and coffee. T2’s tea advent calendar and various local coffee roasters’ calendars are a nice middle-ground gift, useful and genuinely used daily rather than sitting in a drawer come January.
Craft and hobby. Scrapbooking and card-making advent kits (Uniquely Creative is a well-known Australian one) are worth knowing about if you’ve got a crafty parent or grandparent on your list, they’re a niche category most gift guides miss entirely.
Food & Drink Advent Calendars
Tea, coffee and gourmet food calendars are one of the more genuinely useful gift categories, since almost everyone drinks tea or coffee and actually uses one door a day, unlike some novelty calendars that end up half-finished by mid-December.
Walkers Shortbread Advent Calendar (from $40) draws on the Scottish highland bakery’s classic recipe, mixing different shortbread shapes and flavours behind each door.
T2 Tea Lovers Advent Calendar (from $48) packs 25 days of green, fruit and black teas, including seasonal blends you won’t find in T2’s regular range, a solid pick for a tea-drinking parent or grandparent.
23 Degrees Coffee Advent Calendar (from $159) is the splurge option in this category, featuring a different coffee from around the world behind each door for the coffee obsessive who already has strong opinions about their brew.
Fluffy Crunch Fairy Floss Advent Calendar (from $185) is genuinely unusual, a different fairy floss creation behind each of the 24 windows, plus a daily message. A fun one for a family that wants something completely different from the usual chocolate or beauty format. These tend to be a pre-order item, so check availability early.
Gourmet spice and herb calendars from Australian producers occasionally appear each year (Gewürzhaus has run one in past seasons), worth watching for if you’re shopping for a home cook. These sell out fast when they land.
Beauty Advent Calendars
If December is the month you spend buying for everyone else, a beauty advent calendar is the one that’s just for you. This is one of the biggest categories for adults, and it’s worth shopping early, the popular ones sell out well before December.
The Body Shop Classic Advent Calendar (from $99) is the reliable mid-range entry point, 24 doors of body care and skincare favourites without moving into luxury pricing. Their Ultimate Advent Calendar (from $249) steps up to a much bigger, more indulgent version for anyone who wants the full 24 days to feel like an event.
Mecca Beauty Advent Calendar (from $75) mixes makeup and accessories in everyday sizes, a good option if you want variety across a few different brands rather than one single label.
Lush 12 Days of Christmas (from $180) and the bigger 29 High Street Advent Calendar (from $240) are built entirely around bath and body, ideal for someone who actually uses a bath as their wind-down ritual rather than a beauty routine.
Benefit The Gorgeous Grocer Calendar Set (from $249) is a full 24 days of makeup, aimed at someone who wants a genuine collection built up across the month rather than a scattering of skincare minis.
Jurlique Advent Calendar (from $199) and other mid-luxury skincare brand calendars sit in the gap between the $75-$100 mainstream options and the true splurge tier below, worth considering if you want something that feels special without hitting $500+.
Looking for the true luxury end, fragrance houses and department-store exclusives? Jump to our Splurge-Worthy section below.
Splurge-Worthy Advent Calendars
If you’re after something at the luxury end, these are the calendars people talk about:
Fragrance and beauty. High-end fragrance houses run advent calendars in the $600–$900+ range, usually featuring a mix of miniatures and one full-size product. These are genuinely collector pieces as much as gifts.
Whisky and spirits. Global whisky and gin advent calendars (Liquor Loot’s Whisky Loot and Gin Loot ranges are the well-known Australian ones) sit in the $300–$400 bracket and are aimed at the spirits enthusiast who already has a well-stocked bar.
Keepsake homewares. Porcelain and collectable ornament advent calendars from brands like Villeroy & Boch are the “buy once, use every year” option for a family that wants a tradition piece rather than something consumed and binned in December.
Unique & Different Advent Calendars
For something that isn’t chocolate, toys or beauty, a few categories worth knowing about:
Craft beer and non-alcoholic beer/wine calendars. Independent bottle shops and beer clubs run curated calendars featuring small Australian breweries, usually 24-25 different beers in the $170-$190 range. Non-alcoholic versions have become much more common the last couple of years, a good option for a Dry July crowd or anyone who just wants the ritual without the alcohol.
Fairy floss, honey, spice and other food-hobby calendars. Small Australian food producers increasingly run their own niche advent calendars, spice blends, fairy floss flavours, even honey varietals. These sell out fast and are worth pre-ordering in October if you spot one.
Pop and slot / search-and-find calendars. A step up from a basic picture-behind-a-window calendar, these have kids popping out cardboard pieces to build a scene (a treehouse, a dinosaur landscape, a Christmas market) over the month. Genuinely reusable and a nice middle ground between a toy calendar and a craft activity.
Traditional & Religious Advent Calendars
Not every family wants a toy or chocolate calendar, and the traditional picture-and-window style calendar is still popular, especially for grandparents buying for grandkids, or families who want the countdown tied back to the actual Christmas story. These are widely available from specialty calendar retailers like Advent Wonderland and tend to sit in the $17-$33 range.
Christmas Market Search and Discover ($29.95, Advent Wonderland) doubles as a seek-and-find game. The 24 windows around the frame open to reveal the items kids need to spot in the main Christmas market scene, a nice one for slightly older kids who’ve outgrown a straightforward picture-a-day format.
3D Fairy Tale House ($19.95, Advent Wonderland) is a pop-up gingerbread house design featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel, and other classic fairy tale characters behind each window.
Christmas Railway ($19.95, Advent Wonderland) combines a Christmas tree and a model railway scene, printed on both sides, with a new surprise image behind each window.
Jesus is Born Story Advent Calendar ($19.95, Advent Wonderland) tells the Nativity story through words and pictures across all 24 windows, set against a scene of Victorian-era villagers bringing gifts to baby Jesus. A good pick for families wanting the calendar to reflect the religious meaning of Advent.
Nativity Play Slot-in Advent Calendar ($24.95, Advent Wonderland) works like a slot-together puzzle, with 24 characters that build a full Nativity Play scene as the month goes on.
3D Holy Night Advent Calendar ($16.99, Advent Wonderland) is a glitter-embellished, three-dimensional folding calendar depicting the Nativity scene in Bethlehem, complete with shepherds, angels and the three wise men.
Moonlight Silhouette Transparent Advent Calendar ($32.95, Advent Wonderland) is printed on transparent film so each window reveals a scene in silhouette. Best hung against a window so the light shows through.
Budget-Friendly & DIY Advent Calendars
If the store-bought calendars feel like a stretch this year, or you’d simply rather make it yourself, these ideas cost next to nothing and kids love them just as much, sometimes more, because they get to help make it.
The shoe organiser calendar. An over-the-door fabric shoe organiser with 24 pockets is one of the cheapest, easiest bases going. Number each pocket, fill with small treats, a joke, a hair clip, a Lego minifigure, whatever you’ve got lying around, and you’ve got a reusable calendar that lasts years.
The wrapped gift chain. Wrap 24 small items (or 12, or 8, however many days you want to cover), tie them along a length of string or ribbon with numbered tags, and hang it across a wall or mantelpiece. Kids snip one off each day. Costs whatever you put inside, and the string itself is reusable every year.
Envelope or paper bag trees. Small paper bags or envelopes, numbered and pegged to string or stuck to a wall in a tree shape, work well for flatter items like lolly bags, stickers, temporary tattoos or handwritten notes with a small activity for the day (“build a blanket fort,” “pick tonight’s movie”).
Jam jar advent calendar. If you’ve got 24 spare jam jars, a coat of chalk paint and some chalk numbering turns them into a genuinely lovely reusable calendar. Fill with lollies, small toys or rolled-up activity notes.
The reverse advent calendar. A nice one for families wanting to shift the focus away from “getting” every day. Instead of a treat coming out each day, one non-perishable pantry item goes into a box, and the full box gets dropped at a local food charity before Christmas. A genuinely good conversation starter with primary-school-aged kids about giving back.
What to put in a DIY calendar (that isn’t lollies). Pocket money coins, a temporary tattoo, a hair tie or scrunchie, a small Lego figure, a joke or riddle on paper, a “choose dinner” voucher, a Christmas-themed colouring page folded small, small bath bombs, or a family activity card (“drive to see Christmas lights tonight,” “make hot chocolate together”). Mixing in non-food, non-toy items keeps costs down and stops the calendar feeling like 24 days of sugar.
Local & Regional Picks
Newy Distillery (Newcastle). A local distillery runs vodka and gin advent calendars each Christmas, 24 numbered drawers filled with their own spirits including new flavours released just for the calendar. A genuinely local option for the adult on your list who’d rather support a Newcastle business than a big-box retailer.
Hunter Valley Cheese Factory (Pokolbin). A handmade cheese advent calendar featuring small-batch cheese and accompaniments made onsite in the Hunter Valley, a nice one for a foodie who’d prefer cheese over chocolate.
FAQs
When should I buy an advent calendar in Australia? Most ranges land in stores from late September through October, and the popular ones (LEGO, beauty brand calendars, craft beer calendars) do sell out before December. If you’ve got a specific one in mind, shop early rather than waiting until 1 December.
What age is best for an advent calendar? Simple picture or sticker calendars suit toddlers from about age 2. Toy and chocolate calendars with small parts are generally fine from 3+, with adult supervision for anything with choking-hazard-sized pieces. LEGO advent calendars are usually rated 5+ or 7+ depending on the theme, check the box before buying for a younger sibling.
Are advent calendars worth the money? It depends what you’re after. A $9 chocolate calendar works out to under 40 cents a day, which is hard to argue with. Toy and beauty calendars are priced more like a collection of small gifts than a single item, so they suit families who were going to buy those individual gifts anyway and like having them spread across the month instead.
Can I make my own advent calendar instead of buying one? Yes, and plenty of families do. See our budget-friendly and DIY ideas above, a shoe organiser, a wrapped gift chain or a jar calendar all cost a fraction of a store-bought one and can be reused every year.
What’s a reverse advent calendar? Instead of taking a treat out each day, you put a non-perishable item into a box each day and donate the full box to a local charity before Christmas. It’s a nice way to involve kids in giving back during December.
Looking for more ways to fill the countdown to Christmas? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Hunter.