Best non-chocolate Christmas 2025 advent calendars including Lego and Star Wars
MoneyMagpie Editor and financial expert Vicky Parry shares the best non-traditional advent calendars you can get your hands on this year
Advent calendars have become big business in recent years, and for good reason.
They’re a great way to build up to the festive season when you have kids – but these days, you can get some luxury advent calendars that offer adults daily treats for weeks to brighten winter days.
And, much like buying in bulk, these calendars can save you a significant chunk of change compared to buying the included gifts individually.
Pet advent calendars
Whether you want to include your pet in the daily ritual of opening an advent calendar with the kids, or simply feel they deserve an extra-special treat every day in December, there are lots of pet advent calendars to choose from.
Pooch and Mutt has a savoury-lovers delight with its pigs in blankets advent calendar for dogs. They have a no-junk rule, and two treats per day, so you know your dog will enjoy a daily meaty treat.
For those that want to include their dog in the chocolate tradition of the season, Cupid and Comet have a ‘doglate’ advent calendar, with dog-safe chocolate drops for each day of the pre-Christmas December weeks.
Cats can participate in a daily treat too, with a Lily’s Kitchen Cat Advent Calendar, filled with treats made from real chicken liver and turkey, which are crunchy on the outside and soft in the centre.
Make your own advent calendars
There are lots of ways to make your own advent calendars and choose what you want inside each daily treat.
Flying Tiger has a number of advent calendars, from a cute wooden Christmas Countdown model to a set of boxes that look like gingerbread to hold each treat. They’re super affordable, starting from £3.50 for a paper bag advent calendar.
For something that will last your child’s lifetime, consider something like the Mamas and Papas Hanging Advent Calendar, made up of small pockets in neutral tones. This will last for years and years, and means you can tailor the treats every December based on your child’s tastes as they grow and change.
If you (or your loved ones) really can’t go without chocolate this advent, consider making your own customised advent calendar. VistaPrint is a great example of an easy-to-use printing platform where you can upload your photo or design in minutes to create your own unique advent calendar.
Tea and coffee advent calendars
Start your day with a delicious brew with a tea or coffee advent calendar. It makes a delicious difference to the usual chocolate advent calendar, and gives you an excuse for a mindful few moments in the busy December days.
You could opt for a herbal tea blend from the English Tea Shop advent calendar. Or, try the Bird and Blend tea advent calendar or matcha version, which include two teas per day to share with a friend.
If you’re more of a coffee person, why not try the YAWN Brew coffee advent calendar, which gives you lots of options including a preference between ground or whole bean coffee. For those with a barista-style coffee machine at home, the L’OR Espresso advent calendar includes a wide range of flavours to enjoy a different caffeine boost for 24 days.
Activity advent calendars
Advent calendars that give a little gift each day, either to create one large item by the end of the 24 days or with a hobby-related gift, are great fun.
Set the festive mood with a Yankee Candle advent calendar, starting from £28.99. While candles are not technically an activity, spending time lighting a festive scent like cinnamon or pine needles is the perfect way to have a mindful few minutes during each busy day of December.
LEGO has a range of advent calendars for all budgets, starting from £19.99 up to £29.99. Choose from themes such as LEGO friends, Minecraft, Star Wars, and Frozen, to get exclusive LEGO accessories and figures.
A STEM advent calendar will keep both kids and adults occupied with experiments or kits to build through December. The Thames & Kosmos Science Advent Calendar has 24 science experiments with instructions and materials included, and covers physics, biology, and chemistry.
For an advent calendar that ends up with a working project, try the Retro Radio Advent Calendar Kit that builds a working FM radio in 24 steps. Buy from the Mad Factory and orders over £50 include a free family ticket to the MAD Museum, too.
People with a green-fingered hobby will love the She Grows Veg advent calendar, filled with 25 compostable numbered envelopes containing heirloom seeds. Instructions for planting are available for each, and it’s a calendar that gives a whole year of excitement as you watch things grow.
For something more luxurious and less intensive than science experiments, the Papier Advent Calendar has reached cult-status in recent years, selling out every year.
The box is three tiers, including a drawer and two fold-out trays, with every item in uniquely designed vintage-styled cardboard boxes. From notepads to gratitude journals, pens to highlighters, book marks to sticky notes, this is the perfect advent calendar for any stationery lover, writer, or reader.
Advent calendar books and games
On the subject of reading, how about an advent book? This year there are a few to choose from. Each chapter is easy to read in a day, and they’re sealed so you get the joy of opening them just as you would with a normal advent calendar.
Heart for Christmas, available on Amazon and in Asda, is a festive romance filled with feel-good emotions, while The Christmas Contest is a children’s story suitable for ages 5 and up about Santa Claus needing an apprentice.
Adults who want to have an activity to share each day could try a 24-day Escape Room Advent Calendar, with clues given every day to help you solve what’s happening in the mysterious town of Bramblewood.
For a nostalgic advent calendar with a twist, try the Worms Calendar Game. Based on the classic computer game, each door gives you another bit to add to the game collection until the 24th day, when it’s ready to play. Including Worms figures, accessories, dice, an a tabletop mat to play on, it’s an advent calendar that keeps on giving the whole year around!
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