I didn't know that I would love a swirl of Lemon with Lavender jam in my morning yogurt.
I didn't realize 3.4-ounce cocktails could pack such a punch.
And it was new to me that timut berry, a berry with hints of grapefruit harvested in the Nepalese mountains, could be paired with a sea scallop carpaccio.
Such are the things you learn when you try more than $1,000 worth of advent calendars in the name of journalism.
Advent calendars are getting more and more popular. Dataintelo, a consulting and market research company, reported that the advent calendar market rose to $3.6 billion in global retail sales in 2025 and is expected to nearly double in the next eight years.
And these advent calendars aren't just for kids. Clay Cary, a senior trends analyst
who analyzes shopping trends and consumers at CouponFollow, a coupon code website, said that in the past few years, advent calendars have increased in popularity and expanded to adults who want to keep tradition going.
"This was something that parents did for kids, and the kids got older, and they were like, 'We want to keep doing this,' and now there's all kinds of adult-focused ones with makeup, and wine, and all kinds of other stuff," said Cary.
And that's why you're seeing such things as a Bath & Body Works advent calendar and a LEGO Harry Potter advent calendar — and even a website that tracks thousands of advent calendars for sale.
Because I write for USA TODAY Food, we wanted to narrow the playing field to food and drink. Twelve days of cocktails, for example. And gourmet chocolates. Of course, we tried several from Williams Sonoma. The calendars ranged from $54 to $335.
After trying an embarrassing amount of chocolate, sweet treats and canned cocktails, here's what I consider the best food advent calendars of the season.
9. GODIVA 2026 Holiday Chocolate Advent Calendar
- Price: $58
- What's inside? Twenty-four pieces of premium GODIVA chocolate
- Godiva's 2026 Holiday Chocolate Advent Calendar
Godiva is one of the most well-known chocolate brands, and its chocolate doesn't disappoint. It's one of the more affordable advent calendars that still has rich chocolate for each day. You'll find small tastes of ganaches, caramels, raspberry, passion fruit, praline, coconut, cheesecake-inspired and birthday cake flavors.
The advent calendar was inspired by the magic of the holiday season in Brussels, where Godvia's story began, said Angela Fotopoulos, the marketing director for GODIVA. The "Winter in the City" design was inspired by scenes from the Grand Place, and celebrates Godiva's Belgian heritage and the joy of anticipation, she said.
8. Harry & David 12 Days of Christmas Tower
- Price: $139.99
- What's inside? Twelve gourmet treats
- 12 Days of Christmas Tower
This is one of the more elaborate advent calendars. It comes in boxes that can stack in the shape of a knee-high Christmas tree. Each is a box that pulls out such treats as chocolate truffles, mints and mothballs, chocolate-covered popcorn, cherries and pretzels. This is one of my favorite advent calendars because there are a variety of treats, rather than just all chocolate or popcorn. While it lasts just 12 days, you get a handful of sweets each day, with plenty to share.
7. Compartés Winter Fox Chocolate Advent Calendar
- Price: $120
- What's inside? Twenty-four gourmet chocolates
- Winter Fox Chocolate Advent Calendar
This calendar has 24 chocolates with 12 different flavors, made by hand at Compartés Los Angeles atelier. You'll find seasonal flavors like Crème Brûlée with a burnt-sugar crackle over vanilla custard, Campfire S'Mores with toasted marshmallow, graham cracker and dark chocolate, and Linzer Cookie, an Austrian jam window cookie with raspberry jam and toasted almond.
I loved the artwork. When you open each chocolate, there's an edible drawing on top of each one: campfire, mistletoe, a penguin, you name it. If you're looking for a lighter version of chocolate, but still looking for gourmet flavors, this cal is for you.
6. Bonne Maman 2026 Limited Edition Advent Calendar
- Price: $55.99
- What's inside? Twenty-four mini jars of Bonne Maman spreads
- Bonne Maman 2026 Limited Edition Advent Calendar
This box from the Bonne Maman jam company comes with limited-edition flavors like Mango with Ylang-Ylang, Lemon with Lavender, Strawberry with Madagascar Vanilla, Pineapple with Lemon Verbena, White Fig, Milk Caramel with Dark Chocolate, Grapefruit and Dragonfruit, Sweet Orange and Mandarin with Passion Fruit and Apricot and Banana.
I loved the variety in this box. I don't usually buy jams in stores, but when I do, I'm not choosing Mango with Ylang-Ylang. With this box, I was able to try jams that I wouldn't normally buy. I particularly loved the Lemon with Lavender — it's going on my holiday charcuterie board this year, and I loved stirring it into my yogurt for some extra flavor.
5. Straightaway Cocktails 12 Nights Of Cocktails
- Price: $59.95
- What's inside? Twelve batched 3.4-ounce cocktails
- 12 Nights Of Cocktails
Straightaway Cocktails, based in Portland, Oregon, makes its liqueurs from scratch and sources its ingredients locally (the hazelnuts for the bitters come from a nearby family-farmed orchard). It is featuring 12 mini drinks in its advent calendar. Each day, you'll find a can of cocktails, like Marionberry Whiskey Sour or Passion Fruit Martini. My favorite was the Chile Mango Margarita, where the spice from the chile and the sweetness of the mango complemented the tequila taste without disguising it.
4. Williams Sonoma Popcorn Advent Calendar
- Price: $79.95 for one, $159.90 for two
- What's inside? Assorted popcorn and sweet and savory seasonings
- Williams Sonoma Popcorn Advent Calendar
This advent calendar came with popcorn kernels like Big & Yellow Kernels, Purple Kernels and Red Kernels, and seasonings like Salted Caramel Cocoa Seasoning, Pepperoni Pizza Seasoning, Buttery Jalapeño Seasoning, Sweet Caramel Seasoning, Creamy Ranch Seasoning and Fresh-Picked Buttered Sweet Corn Seasoning. I loved the variety in the box, with flavors far past movie theater popcorn (although it has that flavor as well). This was one of my favorite advent calendars creativity-wise, though I question spending $80 on popcorn.
3. Williams Sonoma Spice Advent Calendar
- Price: $54.95
- What's inside? Twenty-four spices for vegetables, side dishes, fish, meat and dessert
- Spice Advent Calendar
Each of these 24 spices were hand-picked by Parisian spice specialist Le Comptoir Colonial— six spices for vegetables and side dishes, seven spices like peppercorn mix for fish, nine spices like old-fashioned curry for meat and two dessert spices like a spice that can be sprinkled on top of a fruit dessert. I loved this one because it told you which spices would go with what meals, and you get to try spices and combinations you may never try without this advent calendar. I never would guessed that the sweet duo of raspberry and timut berry, a berry harvested in the Nepalese mountains, could be paired with a sea scallop carpaccio.
2. Williams Sonoma 12 Days of Swedish Style Candy
- Price: $59.95 for one, $199.90 for two
- What's inside? Twelve Swedish-style gummies
- Williams Sonoma 12 Days of Swedish Style Candy
I wasn't expecting to like a $60 calendar full of mini rainbow straws and pink and green acorn-shaped gummies from Sweden. But Wild Strawberry Fields, a thicker and sweeter version of licorice, mini sour strawberries made my mouth pucker. My favorite, the S-Märke Sour Strawberries, tasted of sweet and sour without tasting artificial. There are only 12 days in this calendar, but each day comes with a handful of gummies.
1. Dandelion Chocolate's 2026 Advent Calendar
- Price: $205 for one, $335 for two
- What's inside? Craft chocolate from 24 acclaimed chocolatiers
- Dandelion Chocolate 2026 Advent Calendar
Dandelion Chocolate, based in San Francisco, uses only cocoa beans and sugar to make chocolate, so you can taste the difference in each batch. The price of the Dandelion Chocolate 2026 Advent Calendar is high — but you get what you pay for. The box is Nordic-themed, which was chosen this year after Greco-Roman mythology themes from previous years. When you open the advent calendar box, you'll find a book filled with Nordic mythology and the traditional Nordic star, a Scandinavian tradition of hanging the eight-pointed star up during the holidays. It's truly a work of art — each chocolate box, hand-drawn by a Danish artist, doubles as a Christmas tree ornament. It comes with 24 days of chocolates from acclaimed chocolatiers from across North America and Japan, chosen from a blind taste test.
The chocolates were incredibly rich, and many came with colorful designs on top. One of my favorites was the Mandarin Walnut Pâte de Fruit by boutique gourmet chocolatier Ticket Chocolate, which came with an orange fruit paste. It was cohesive with the chocolate and didn't feel out of place.
"We try make the experience very different every year," said Lauren Martin, senior director of product at Dandelion. "This year, we chose the 25 confections based on a series of blind taste tests where we looked for both flavor and design. After tasting hundreds of submissions, we come to the final 25. This year, based on our Nordic theme, we included a North Star keepsake and a hardcover storybook, both very much part of Nordic culture and traditional."
You can't go wrong with any of the advent calendars on this list — it just depends on how much you want to spend. Whether you're looking to treat yourself or send a gift to someone special, these advent calendars are the best way to kick off the holidays.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: I tried almost $1K worth of advent calendars. These are my favorites
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
