The best Advent calendars for foodies (and drink lovers) in 2021

QVC

If there’s a more fun way to try some new wines this December, I don’t know about it. This cal features 12 FULL bottles of wine in a mix of styles from some serious wineries. Winemakers represented include BR Cohn, Fireside, Laetitia Vineyards and more. If you haven’t done the math, that’s $9 a bottle — making this quite possibly the best holiday gift for a wine drinker on your list. 

You can order now and the “calendars” will start shipping Nov. 29.

Flaviar

For those who prefer their good cheer in stronger liquid form, this calendar serves up 24 samples of whiskey from around the world, plus a Glencairn glass, Flaviar coaster and tasting notes for everything you’ll be sipping.

Harry and David

This delightful wooden gift box looks like a stack of presents — and each of the 12 drawers contains a different candy treat such as Moose Munch, chocolate-covered cherries, truffles, mints and malt balls. And once the confections are gone, the box can be reused for years to come.

Harry and David

If all you care about is the Moose Munch — and who could blame you? — this merry, snowy-scene Advent calendar contains a dozen different flavors of the sweet gourmet popcorn mix, including dark chocolate salted caramel, white chocolate Cinnabon, dark chocolate peppermint bark and mint chocolate with candy trees.

Stonewall Kitchen

Yet another way to treat a sweet tooth, this whimsically designed calendar hides creamy, handmade caramels in 12 amazing flavors like Tapped Maple, Cinnamon Clove, Dark Roasted Mocha, Chocolate Peppermint and Ginger Fusion — as well as classic Vanilla. The small-batch candies are slow cooked in copper kettles using the best (and fewest) ingredients possible.

Williams Sonoma

Williams Sonoma is offering a lavishly illustrated chocolate Advent calendar filled with the usual milk chocolate confections, but even those of us who eagerly await each season’s hater’s guide to its Christmas catalog must admit, its peppermint bark is fire. This cute calendar contains 24 pieces of it in festive shapes. Good luck not getting ahead of yourself.

Food52

Tea lovers, look no further. In this advent calendar from Parisian tea company Palais des Thés, you get 24 different teas so you can enjoy a fresh cup every morning leading up to Christmas. Naturally, the red and gold design is très chic.

DavidsTea

If it’s matcha that makes you merry, this calendar will have you seeing (and sipping) green. It hides a mix of high-quality green tea blends as well as green tea-infused treats like matcha honey, chocolate and even vegan matcha gummies shaped like alligators

World Market

There’s no reason to leave your best four-legged friend out of the Advent calendar tradition either. This one is filled with three different types of rawhide-free chews that are easy to digest and sure to delight, made with real chicken and sweet potatoes. If you want to lavish them with even more affection, get them a pet food delivery subscription for Christmas. Because even dogs don’t want another sweater.

Bonne Maman

With 24 adorably petite jars of different limited-edition jams and jellies (plus honey), all of which are free of high fructose corn syrup and totally all-natural, this is perfect for any toast lover on your list this holiday season (or, you know, yourself). There’s a mix of both new and classic flavors, including fig with cardamom, cherry with Christmas spice, lemon and yuzu, and apricot with lavender. This sold out fast last Christmas season, so don’t hesitate if preserves are your jam! It’s also available at World Market right now.

Macy’s

There’s a wide range of chocolate Advent calendars, from the cheap (and waxy) drugstore kind to high-end luxury advent calendar versions that are way beyond any Secret Santa budget. But for a fairly priced option and solid quality too, you can’t go wrong with Godiva. Everyone knows it, everyone loves it and it’s packed into a charmingly illustrated Advent calendar that’ll make you smile even before you fetch your daily piece of creamy chocolate.

Joe & Seph’s Popcorn

The charming snowy Victorian storefront conceals 12 different flavors of popcorn, including salted caramel, toffee apple and cinnamon, banoffee pie, pumpkin spice, double chocolate, tiramisu and gingerbread. And none of them contain artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. But all of them are suitable for vegetarians. If it sells out at World Market, you can order directly from the company in the UK for shipping to the US and Canada.

No Whey! Foods

Chocolate Advent calendars are the most prevalent of the edibles, but, sadly, most of them aren’t vegan-friendly. But this one is — and it’s also gluten-free and allergy-friendly. The vegan chocolates are each adorned with a different holiday design.

Williams Sonoma

For wannabe wizards, this Harry Potter-themed calendar conceals a mix of candies that even muggles will love, including Fizzing Whizbees, Gummy Frogs, Butterscotch Drops and (of course) Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. Cast your summoning charm ASAP because we’re guessing these will sell out before you can say accio!

Williams Sonoma

If you’re a fan of this British brand, it also offers a cozy calendar with 24 different rare teas inside, including classic options like Earl Grey and more unusual offerings such as gin and tonic green tea and apricot, honey and lavender infusion.

DavidsTea

This bright and cheerful Advent calendar is filled with 24 different festive tea flavors to brew up fresh excitement each day this December. You’ll find blends like Winter Earl Grey, Candy Cane Crush, Gingerbread Blondie and Chocolate Chili Chai in this mix.

Tea Revv/Etsy

If you or your lucky gift recipient prefers java to tea, this compact package holds 24 different craft coffees (ground or whole bean) to jolt you into a jolly mood — but the brand also offers a tea Advent calendar of its own, as well as a hot cocoa advent calendar for those who want to wind down with a cozy cup of chocolate.

Sugarfina

This adorably festive calendar houses 24 different candies (four pieces of each), from apple frogs and pink flamingos to gingerbread cookie bites and edible Christmas trees, and is perfect for the person with a sweet tooth in your life who’s tired of the usual chocolate — if such people actually exist.

Aldi

If you’re near an Aldi, it’s also bringing back its cult-favorite wine advent calendar for 2020, in stores on Nov. 4. It features a mix of red, white and bubbly in 24 mini bottles. Look out for several other Advent calendars in store this holiday season too, including ones for beer, hard seltzer, chocolate, cheese and both cat and dog treats — you can pretty much check off everyone on your list.

So Wrong It’s Nom

Savory advent calendars are fairly rare but this one would be special even if they weren’t — because it’s full of nine varieties of fine cheese (like smoky Applewood British cheddar and herbal Ilchester Derby with sage), all suitable for vegetarians. It will be available at select Target stores, as well as Supervalu, Sprouts, Schnucks, Meijer, Jewel, Lidl and Publix locations starting in November. Prices may vary, but it was $20 last year and should be about the same in 2020. Check back on Oct. 27 for more details.

The Snaffling Pig

If your cravings are more carnivorous, check out this amazing pork crackling Advent calendar. It’s filled with 24 mini bags of crunchy pig skin snacks in six different flavors — Pigs in Blankets, Low and Slow BBQ, Maple, Black Pepper, Salt ‘n’ Vinegar and Perfectly Salted. It’s also available on Amazon.

Vinebox

This year, wine subscription service Vinebox is offering a Home for the Holidays version of its popular wine advent calendar. It contains 12 glasses of wine (a mix of red and white — and potentially a surprise winter rosé) expertly curated from all over Europe, in a sleek, sophisticated package to boot. Drink one every night (or day) to wind down 2020, or give it as a sure-to-be-appreciated gift this Christmas season.