There’s so much chocolate around at Christmas time that there’s really no need for an extra piece each day behind the advent calendar door. We’ve found the best non-chocolate advent calendars for kids, and even though the link to the nativity is pretty tenuous with most of them they are full of fantastic surprises.
1. Happyland Advent Calendar: £25, Early Learning Centre
Happyland characters seem to work with all pre-school children, from teething babies happy to chew their heads to three- and four-year-olds setting up imaginative scenes. We love all the pieces in this advent calendar but the polar bear, donkey and angel pull at our hearts in a particularly Christmassy way, while the reindeer, Santa and snowman seem to get played with whatever time of year it is.
2. Nutcracker Advent Calendar: £21, British Library Shop
On December 1 you open the first door on this ultra-cute jewellery box advent calendar, inspired by The Nutcracker, to receive a charm bracelet, and then behind each subsequent door is a clip on charm to add to the bracelet. The idea is so fabulous it’s a shame it’s cardboard rather than a real jewellery box that would stand the test of time, though for those kids who would love this, a real jewellery box from Santa to keep the bracelet in would be an excellent gift.
3. Melissa & Doug Countdown to Christmas Wooden Advent Calendar: £12.49, Amazon
This wooden Christmas tree, attached to a tray acting as the Christmas tree pot, has 24 magnetic baubles and a star for Christmas morning, so you can decorate the tree with a bauble a day as you countdown to the main event. This is made to last and could easily become a family tradition year after year.
4. Smiggle Advent Calendar: £28, Smiggle
It’s hard to explain Smiggle if you don’t already know it – basically it’s a shop for stationery lovers but doesn’t stop at stationery. Its range includes bags, lunchboxes, keyrings and watches. It’s Woolworths meets Paperchase for six- to 14-year-olds. Its advent calendar does not disappoint – erasers, keyrings, toys and a watch feature behind the doors of the stocking-shaped calendar. Of all the calendars sold, 25 contain a lucky ticket giving the winners a £250 spending spree in a Smiggle store.
5. Playmobil Advent Calendar Christmas on the Farm: £19.99, Playmobil
Playmobil fans will not be disappointed by this new, farm-themed advent calendar which includes plenty of animals, an angel, Father Christmas and a tractor for the ideal farm-nativity-Lapland mash-up.
6. Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar: £24.99, Argos
Combining Lego and Star Wars always was a genius move. This advent calendar contains plenty of Star Wars mini figures (we love the Lego lightsaber) and vehicles which can be used alone to make a Star Wars scene or combined with existing Lego collections to build a whole universe (or more).
7. Caroline Gardner Christmas Nativity Advent Calendar: £4.95, Caroline Gardner
It can be hard to find traditional picture nativity calendars amongst all the chocolate and gift versions. With a ribbon for hanging, this Caroline Gardner one is just that: a child-friendly nativity scene on the front and behind each door.
8. Owl Babies Advent Calendar: £4.99, Woodland Trust
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson is a best-selling book for pre-schoolers about three baby owls – Sarah, Percy and Bill – who worry that their mother, who is out hunting, will not come home. She does of course, cue relief all round. Fans of the book will love this calendar which has a beautiful owl-themed sticker behind each door.
9. Wax Lyrical Advent House Gift Set: £22, Ocado
Behind the first door is a glass candle holder and scented tea light, with further tea lights to be found behind the rest of them. If your teenager is old enough and sensible enough to be trusted with candles – and all the usual safety caveats apply here – then they may love this calendar which will make the whole house smell Christmassy.
10. VTech Toot-Toot Drivers Advent Calendar: £24.99, Argos
The highlight of this calendar is the musical Christmas sleigh, which comes on day one. It’s possible that the simpler road signs and construction pieces that come after could be an anti-climax but once it’s all put together, the box folds down and creates a road scene that the pieces can be played on – great for pre-school car fans.
11. Light-up Winter Scene Advent: £29.99, Lakeland
This gorgeous, wooden, snowy winter scene lights up with LED lights (batteries required) and has 24 drawers for you to fill yourself, be it with tiny toys, treats or little poems and messages.
12. Snowy Village: £7.50, Phoenix Trading
Twenty-four cardboard houses to make, plus trees and snowmen, means by Christmas Eve you have a complete village. Or, you can make them all in advance and put a little treat under each one. Older children might like to get creative and embellish the houses with their own art supplies.
13. Hama Beads Advent Calendar Giant Gift Set: £15.90, Hama Beads
Hama beads are small plastic beads that you arrange on a reusable board and then iron together to form single piece art work. The beads are small, so this is best used by children old enough not to drop them all over the floor, but for creative children who like to concentrate, this calendar has 24 designs and 5,000 beads so that they can create a different Christmas themed design each day.
14. CEWE Photoworld Photo Advent Calendar: from £6.99, CEWE Photoworld
Upload 24 of your own photos and Cewe Photoworld will create your own personalised advent calendar with one behind each door. Chocolate versions are available too.
15. Advent for Your Dog: £3.99, Dogs Trust
So you might want to get your child their own calendar too, but if their dog is their best pal then they’ll love ‘helping’ their pet to open a door each day to reveal a tasty (if you’re a dog) treat, ensuring every member of the family, human or otherwise, is involved in Christmas excitement build up.
The Verdict: Non-chocolate advent calendars for kids
There’s excitement to be had with all of these and not even a whiff of chocolate. We love them all and the Owl Babies one makes our hearts melt, but for pre-schoolers the Happyland Advent Calendar is the winner, with a great selection of characters that will be played with for far longer than Christmas, while for older children the Nutcracker Advent Calendar and the Lego Star Wars Advent calendar will not disappoint, depending on their interests.
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