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Shoppers snap up quirky advent calendars with Black Friday deals up to 25% off
Back in the day an advent calendar might have been 24 individual Christmassy pictures or, if you were going to be fancy about it, small chocolates. But since the boom of beauty advent calendars hit several years ago, the humble tradition has continued to expand even more widely with unusual options aimed at tempting everyone – from coffee lovers to cheese fans, gamers to gardeners – to mark every day of December with a moment of fun.
From rubber ducks to mince pies, Pringles to beard care, this year there’s even more unusual options than ever and even if you want a more traditional chocolate version you can still give it your own personal touch with an exclusive code for our readers.
Vistaprint Photo Advent Calendar
Available from: Vistaprint for £24.95 without vouchers, but see below for an exclusive early Black Friday deal
Photo gifts exploded in popularity over the last few years as an affordable and perfect way to remember special moments as well as an unusual gift for people who might otherwise be difficult to buy for. But before you kick start your Christmas shopping by ordering a personalised Uno set or a cushion in the shape of your face to give your nearest and dearest why not start with a photo advent calendar to count the days until festivities start.
Vistaprint started as a business to business company offering reasonably priced marketing materials but in recent years has become one of the most sites for UK shoppers looking to make a memorable moment into a thoughtful gift. Their advent calendar comes in dairy milk chocolate or vegan and can be personalised using a range of templates to incorporate as many photos as you would like.
It’s still possible to order in time for December 1 and our readers can even get an exclusive discount for a limited time.
Nintendo Switch Gamers’ Advent Calendar
Available from: £12.95 from Amazon
This collection of 25 different games is aimed at players aged 3 and over and offers hundreds of levels of North Pole and Christmas-themed games in single and two-player mode.
By the time you reach the end of the month you’ll be able to play dozens of different new mini-games, including logic and puzzle games, Tetris-style block placement and a host of others, all with a festive flavour.
While these are games which you can dip in and out of – think more mobile gaming style than Hogwarts Legacy – the relatively low-budget price point for a Switch game and the cute visuals and Christmassy feel makes it the ideal way to mark the days to December 25.
Bonne Maman Tea and Jam Advent Calendar
Available from: Amazon for a limited time at £27.99 or via Bonne Maman’s website for £33 including delivery and a gift box of three full-size jars of their most popular festive flavours.
If your breakfast of choice is a cup of tea and a slice of toast then this advent calendar will blow your mind as it literally comes with both, alongside a cute decoration to hang on your tree on Christmas Eve. Packed full of unusual and delicious options to replace your usual spread of choice you can work through pineapple and ginger, cherry with pink peppercorn and Nutella-style chocolate spreads including an amazing raspberry and dark chocolate version which might be a bit much for kids but are likely to make grown ups giddy.
Mirror Choice included this in their round up of best tea and coffee advent calendars 2023, although if you’re happier with just a brew on its own they recommended caffeine lovers pick up Pact Coffee or Bird and Blend Tea’s advent calendars as the best coffee and tea options respectively.
Gramophone advent calendar
Available from: £49.95 from Fortnum and Mason
This might be the most unusual advent calendar we’ve seen this year so far, and it is likely to bewitch people of all ages year after year. This stunning old-fashioned musical advent calendar has a small record player and then 24 individually designed mini vinyl records, each of which plays a different Christmas tune.
The record player’s batteries can be replaced so this is something to be enjoyed every year as part of a new tradition.
Walkers Crisps advent calendar
Available from: £39.99 on Amazon
Snack lovers can enjoy a bag a day throughout December of their favourite flavours although, at more than £1.50 a bag arguably the true aficionados might just head down to their local supermarket and pick up enough multipacks to last them into 2024 for the same money. A more budget friendly 12-day calendar is also available for £19.99.
You can get a wide range of Walkers classic flavours included though as well as Square Crisps, Wotsits, French Fries and Quavers so on variety grounds it could be worth the investment, although the omission of the new Giant Wotsits is disappointing.
