The Best Luxury Advent Calendars of 2025, Tested

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The idea of luxury Advent calendars calls to mind gold leaf and priceless treasures tucked inside. However, that’s not practical—and it’s certainly not affordable for most folks. Instead, those who prefer to splurge on Christmas countdowns with a purpose will love the versatility and attention to detail that the Papier Stationery Advent Calendar presents. Inside, this gorgeous gift box comes loaded with 24 desk delights that make crafting snail mail a dream.

“I had, of course, seen the listing photos online, but they were nothing compared to encountering the countdown in person. I genuinely gasped when I pulled the rich, berry-hued box from its packaging. It’s shaped like a giant letter, just begging to be opened,” says Deputy Shopping Editor Katie Bandurski in her dedicated review of the calendar.

Pulling open the ribbon treated her to three glorious layers of individually wrapped stationery items, along with three drawers tucked with goodies. Each item comes “wrapped” in an intricate, origami-like paper box. But what really impressed Katie was this luxury Advent calendar’s contents.

“The Papier Advent calendar treats each day as its own little gift. I loved the joy of unwrapping almost as much as the actual contents,” she says. “Each box unveiled sleek stationery supplies, like pens, sticky notes, washi tape, erasers, bookmarks, tiny journals, stamps and stickers. Even better, all of the supplies were just as cohesive as the packaging and relied on the same holiday color scheme.”

While the calendar itself is entirely recyclable and free of plastic, Katie just couldn’t bring herself to toss it. “The luxe boxes are just begging to be reused in a fun way,” she says. She offers a few ideas for repurposing, such as a makeshift recipe box, craft storage, a memory box or even as gift tags for next year’s festivities.

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Chocolate Advent calendars are the most classic of all Christmas countdowns. While we’re still waiting on this year’s Vosges Haut-Chocolat Advent Calendar, we’re expecting it to be just as showstopping as the countdowns we’ve tested in the past. Deputy Shopping Editor Katie Bandurski tested this luxury Advent calendar in 2024 and was immediately smitten.

“The packaging is impeccable,” Katie says. “This will absolutely be a focal point in my holiday decor. The attention to detail is exquisite, from the velvet-kissed roof shingles to the bottlebrush trees to the Nordic patterns on the drawers. You can’t forget about the working lights and music, too!”

Last year’s inclusions span a treasure trove of elevated flavors, including Blood Orange Truffles, Cinnamon Pecan Toffee, Red Fire Chocolate Hearts, Peppermint Candy Cane Gnomes and Fennel Shortbread Cookies. From the outside in, it’s a holiday calendar crafted for those who cherish the finer things—especially if that somebody is also a chocoholic!

This year’s theme, Le Jardin de Cacao, promises an exotic experience featuring giraffes, hippos and sloths. The greenhouse-inspired calendar pays homage to the best the natural world has to offer. “I’m a foodie at heart,” Katie admits, “and I love that this calendar really expands my holiday palate away from plain ol’ milk chocolate and peppermint bark. This is an Advent calendar I will treasure all season long.”

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Sip your way through the holidays like you’re sitting in a classy airport lounge. Flaviar’s yearly Advent calendar features rare whiskeys from around the globe, and this year’s themed calendar, 24 Whiskey Flights Across the World, is no exception. The 2025 Flaviar Advent calendar channels an international flight (get it?), down to doors named after famous airports. It’s a fun idea that feels like a unique experience each day thanks to the incredible attention to detail!

The airline-printed box channels adventure, lending to the excitement to each day’s tasting. Before you even open up your first 1.7-ounce whiskey sample, you’re treated to two tulip-shaped Glencairn glasses, ideal for splitting each 1.7-ounce vial. The glasses come accompanied by a tasting journal “passport,” packed with with details on each whiskey and instructions on how to sample them.

Without spoiling all the surprises, some of my favorite whiskeys featured this year include Bhakta 1928 Golden Age Blend, Loch Lomond 12-year Single Malt and Courage and Conviction Double Cask. Other highlights include the Prohibition-era Chicken Cock Bourbon and Beyonce’s SirDavis American rye whiskey finished in sherry casks. Each sample is fresh, flavorful and fits right in with this year’s global theme.

The whiskey Advent calendar also includes a complimentary one-year Flaviar Black Membership (a $40 value), offering perks like early access to rare bottles, exclusive releases, deep discounts and free shipping on select items. We’ve tested the 2023, 2024 and this year’s 2025 calendars, and they all live up to the hype. Read our full review of the calendar for even more details. A word of warning: purchase this one soon—it sells out every year way ahead of the holidays!

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Wine advent calendars—and alcohol Advent calendars in general—are more popular now than ever before. While we’ve tested several options throughout the years, the WSJ Wine Advent Calendar consistently impresses. This year’s version features gorgeous mansion-shaped packaging that channels holiday flicks like Home Alone and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. With so much detail put into presentation, it’s just as much a piece of decor as it is a countdown calendar.

But looks isn’t the only thing this oversized beauty offers. Inside are 24 mini handcrafted wines, each with 187-milliliters—enough for a generous glassful for one. The tiny bottles are beautiful, and almost entirely mimic their larger counterparts. This luxury Advent calendar also comes with a helpful tasting guide, featuring serving tips, food pairing ideas and tasting notes for each option.

The wines featured are all handpicked for their flavor and quality by seasoned experts, so you know they’re good. Additionally, there’s an excellent balance of whites and reds, with a few rosés tossed in for good measure—and a special treat for December 24th! No matter your preferences, there’s bound to be several inclusions that blow you away. As a white wine person, my personal favorites were the Le Champ des Etoiles Chardonnay 2024 and the Il Papavero Prosecco, both of which are crisp and fresh.

Opening the doors is such a fun experience. The bottles (which sit horizontally) are well-packed in bubble wrap to ensure that zero break in transit. While I love that they all arrived intact, it’s worth noting that each bottle is a little difficult to remove from its corresponding door. That said, I definitely take a little clever maneuvering over a broken wine bottle any day!

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Sure, a kid-focused Advent calendar doesn’t necessarily scream “luxury.” Nonetheless, the The Woobles Advent Calendar captures the heart and imagination of kids and adults alike with its incredibly detailed inclusions and packaging. Out of all the Advent calendars I’ve tested in the past few years, none impress me quite as much as the Woobles calendar. It’s an experience I look forward to year after year!

I didn’t think it was possible, but this year’s Woobles calendar is even cuter than last year’s—and last year’s was almost impossibly adorable. The 2025 theme is “Woobles Toy Workshop,” with the imagery featuring a Santa’s Workshop-esque background. Each numbered box offers a peek into Santa’s workshop with designs that lend themselves to the workshop theme. And the box itself? It unfolds into a playscape that you can use to display your finished Woobles. I love a reusable element!

The experience begins with a “bonus box” opened prior to day one, which contains a crochet hook, a bits and bobs tin and a card with a QR code for a December “Wooble Along” virtual event. I love that all the materials are offered upfront, meaning that there are no surprises wasted on necessities to enjoy the calendar. The tin and crochet hook seem to be unique to the calendar, so they’re fun for collectors in particular.

Each project comes with everything needed for construction. For the Woobles, an instructional QR code and photo of the finished project come in a dossie