When I was little, there was something so exciting about opening the little door on our old cardboard advent house and finding that treasured piece of chocolate each morning. The little German-made cardboard house had been used year after year and some of the doors sat permanently open, but the vibrant colors and graphics of little children and flowers was something that enamored me each holiday.
Today, Advent Calendars have transformed into a really fun activity for families and children. Some choose to create their own advent calendars while others prefer to surprise their little ones with a themed countdown for the big day.
The Christmas Gals have once again collected some of our favorite advent calendars available this year. Order soon! Advent calendars begin December 1 and oftentimes sell out quickly!
North Pole Advent Train
The North Pole Advent train combines two Christmas traditions…Elf on the Shelf and an advent calendar. The cardboard train is designed to hold your elf and each day’s surprise is an accessory, pet or figurine to create an adorable Christmas scene. Available at Target for $24.99 .
Elf Advent Calendar
I’m not sure its a skill I can add to my resume, but I pride myself on being quite the expert on the movie Elf. In our house, Elf quotes flow year round and we can’t wait until the holidays to have this movie on constant loop. How better to ring in the holidays than with this Elf themed advent calendar? Each day is a themed toy related to this classic Christmas flick including Jovie, Papa Elf, the narwhal and, of course, Buddy. Amazon offers several buying options.
Disney Storybook Collection Advent Calendar
Disney – CHECK. Books – CHECK. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with this daily countdown comprised of holiday themed Disney books! From Monsters Inc. celebrating Christmas to A Christmas Treasure Hunt with Ariel and even a holiday adventure with the characters from Onward. Available via Amazon for $23.96.
Purina Fancy Feast Advent Calendar
Step aside, kids – this one is for the fur babies. One of our Christmas Gal friends Kim clued us into this amazing advent calendar. Each day, treat your feline to a new flavor of wet food from Purina Fancy Feast. Such a fun way to include our furry friends in this special tradition. Limited edition available through Amazon.
Trader Joe’s Advent Calendar for Dogs
We won’t forget about the dogs! Our labradoodle Scout will be anxiously awaiting this Trade Joe’s Advent Calendar to arrive in the mail. The daily dog treats are made from all the best stuff and will be a fun activity for my kiddos to surprise her each day in December. We don’t live near a Trader Joe’s, so we opted to purchase via Amazon for $19.56.
Dinosaur Advent Calendar
I have three daughters. We have lots of princesses and frilly things. Sometimes after cleaning glitter off literally every surface in our home, I wish they liked things like DINOSAURS. Seriously, this is an amazing way to cater to your little one’s love of the prehistoric and offer teachable moments learning about each species. Alas, I doubt this calendar will ever make an appearance in our house, but I would love to hear from our followers about this great set. Available via Amazon for $21.98 and a 20% coupon available for a limited time.
Fantastic Slime Advent Calendar
Got pre-teens? Then you know how popular this advent calendar would be. Each day of the Fantastic Slime Advent Calendar includes fluffy slime and holiday inspired charms. Its a small amount of slime each day, but collectively it will add up into one ginormous slime ball on Christmas Day. Great (said no parent ever)! Priced under $24 via Amazon.
Madelaine Chocolate Advent Calendar
Let’s bring it back to basics – chocolate! Most of us never imagined getting slime or storybooks in an advent calendar as kids. Instead, we were delighted with little chocolate morsels greeting us each day. This countdown is both delicious and inexpensive. Only $12.95 on Amazon – at that price you can order two!
-Christmas Gal Maureen
