The anticipation for the holiday season is palpable this time of year, as the city transforms into a glittering wonderland with Christmas trees and twinkling lights. The biggest tell for the countdown to Christmas is undoubtedly the advent calendar; starting as twenty-five days of chocolate treats, it has evolved to include a full range of products as every brand releases its version of the advent calendar. From luxury skincare and beauty to opulent hand-crafted ornaments, there is a deluxe advent calendar for everyone to indulge in this festive season.
Most alternative advent calendars stem from the beauty industry, as instead of sweet treats, brands include convenient travel-sized products behind each door. Many luxury beauty names showcase their most popular items in their calendar collection. Both the YSL Beauty Beauty Advent Calendar ($275) and Armani Beauty Advent Calendar ($649) feature a variety of their best-selling skincare and makeup, in addition to miniatures of their fan-favourite perfumes. YSL includes popular scents like Libre, Mon Pari, and the iconic Black Opium; meanwhile, Armani focused on their signature scent, ‘My Way’, offering four variations over the twenty-four-day countdown. Alternatively, Christian Louboutin’s Holiday Advent has been designed with a locomotive theme that includes a series of fun luxury charms alongside their well-known fragrances and lipsticks, totalling $1,032. Comparably, brands like Dior and Sisley Paris have looked closer to home for their advent themes. Dior’s ‘Le 30 Montaigne Holiday’ pays homage to their historic Paris boutique, 30 Avenue Montaigne, as the Maison replicated the iconic storefront to house their world-class beauty products. Equally, for their first-ever advent calendar, Sisley Paris created a colourful model of their New York address to house small-scale and full-size items. For those who cannot travel to these locations, these advents offer a miniaturised shopping experience for $999 and $1,100, respectively. When one brand is not enough, Bloomingdale’s twenty-five-day beauty collection advent calendar includes a mixture of travel-sized exclusives from some of the industry’s biggest names, like Le Labo, Bumble and Bumble, and Clé de Peu, for $486.08.
Similarly, skincare-specific brands pack their advent calendars with high-quality products for customers to pamper themselves. These calendars are perfect for those who swear by their favourite brand and want to expand their collections. On one end, La Mer’s ‘The World of La Mer’ twelve-day advent calendar is $835 and boasts some of the company’s skincare icons, like Cleansing Micellar Water and Crème de la Mer. One of the biggest perks of the beauty advent calendars is how many products you get for the price; the Dr Barbara Sturm Advent Calendar is stocked with $2,470 worth of brand favourites for $810, giving customers both miniature and deluxe-sized products to build their collection. In addition to brand devotees, this category of advent calendars is the best way for those looking to start building their skincare routine and try out products before purchasing the full-size version. In this case, the 111Skin twelve-day calendar is the best luxury starter kit for $1,051.29, allowing them to achieve professional-level skincare at home.
Next to the beauty industry, many high-end fragrance companies have also dipped their toes into the realm of luxury advent calendars. These present the brands’ most opulent yule-tide scents with some popular favourites in the form of candles, perfumes, and an assortment of bath products. At $729, the Diptyque advent calendar is the perfect way to enjoy the brand’s most iconic smells in multiple miniature formats, from solid perfumes to body oils. Similarly, the Jo Malone 25-Day Advent ($784) lets customers build a collection of small candles and bath products to pamper themselves with leading up to Christmas Day, where a full-sized bottle of one of the brand’s signature cologne sits behind door twenty-five.
While most advent calendars eventually end, some deluxe jewellery companies have worked to deliver a countdown that lasts for years to come. Jewellers Astrid & Miyu have cornered the market on accessory-based advent calendars, as they produce different calendar options catering to both silver and gold jewellery wearers. Their 14k Gold Advent is available for $1,951, which includes the stunning calendar itself, which doubles as storage for the festive twenty-four-piece collection of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. For a truly exclusive countdown experience, Swarovski has collaborated with Disney to deliver a limited-edition advent calendar to celebrate the latter’s 100th Anniversary. With twenty-two fabulous ornaments and two necklaces, this $2,000 calendar is the perfect way to celebrate the festive season.
As the countdown to Christmas gets closer, these extravagant advent calendars are the ideal way to begin the festivities. Whether it is a gift to a loved one or a present for yourself, these luxurious calendars stand as a testament to the art of celebration. However you ring in the holiday season, there is an advent calendar for everyone to add an element of luxury to this Christmas.