The Must-Have Advent Calendars of the Season

With gift shopping, cookie baking, and tree decorating in full swing, navigating the world of advent calendars is not for the faint of heart. We’ve made a list and checked it twice: from coffee to beauty, NUVO has curated Advent calendars that promise to deliver festive fun.

L’Occitane Classic Advent Calendar

When you can’t travel to Provence, bring the French countryside to you in travel-friendly containers. L’Occitane’s Classic Advent Calendar is a round-up of the brand’s bestsellers, like the Almond Shower Oil, Immortelle Overnight Reset Oil-in-Serum, and Shea Butter Intensive Hand Balm. Housed in sustainably sourced and reusable packaging, the calendar can be found on the brand’s website, loccitane.com, and at Sephora.ca.

Good Deeds Advent Calendar

’Tis the season for giving. The Good Deeds Advent calendar is for the minimalist who eschews physical gifts or the waste-conscious friend seeking to lessen their carbon footprint. Made from grass paper and printed with plant-based ink, the tree-shaped calendar features 24 registered Canadian charity projects that benefit from sales of the gift. From the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and NWT to National Service Dogs, each charity has a national or international good deed funded by your donation—that’s one for every day of December leading up to Christmas. 24gooddeeds.ca

Armani Beauty Advent Calendar

From window design to luxury fashion, Giorgio Armani has long been creating elegant designs. With the Armani Advent calendar, beauty is at your fingertips this holiday season. Housed in a red box with Japanese-inspired textile paper and gold hot-stamped details, the brand’s iconic fragrances (Sì Passione Eclat de Parfum), makeup (Lip Maestro Midi #405), and skin care (Crema Nera Supreme Reviving Cream) hide mysteriously behind each door. That’s amore. Holtrenfrew.com

Moon Curser Wine Advent Calendar

Over at Moon Curser winery, it’s all elves on deck wrapping the brand’s wine Advent calendar, featuring 12 mystery bottles. Moon Curser makes wine from varieties like touriga nacional and dolcetto (both super rare for the Okanagan) so they’re the perfect pick for the oenophile. This year’s box includes current releases (including some that are sold out) plus library wines from the cellar. Mooncurser.com

The Pillow Talk Dreams Come True Makeup Vault by Charlotte Tilbury

Famed British makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury’s annual beauty Advent calendar typically sells out quickly. There are none left on the brand’s website nor Holt Renfrew’s, but we’ve managed to track it down at Sephora, so make haste. From Push Up Lashes mascara to an eyeshadow palette, find a set of 14 full-size iconic Pillow Talk products in a collectors edition signature rose gold makeup box. Sephora.ca

Purdys Vegan Chocolate Advent Calendar

Richard Carmon Purdy started making chocolate in Vancouver way back in 1907,and the brand continues the tradition of premium-quality, sustainable treats to this day. Come Christmas, the Advent calendars are also a local tradition (although the new North Pole salted caramels made with sea salt sourced from the Arctic Circle in partnership with the Vancouver Island Salt Company might vie for attention).The vegan Advent calendar offers 24 tiny drawers holding vegan mylk chocolate or vegan dark chocolate made with sustainable cocoa and locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Purdys.com

Holt Renfrew Beauty Advent Calendar

Holt Renfrew’s luxury holiday Advent calendar counts down the days till St. Nick arrives with a mash-up of upscale beauty magic. You’ll find cult-fave Augustinus Bader face cream, a eucalyptus and vetiver bath bomb by Bathorium, Christian Louboutin eau de parfum, a Diptyque candle, Guerlain’s Orchidée Imperiale Cream, La Mer lotion, a Jo Malone candle and cologne, Oribe texturizing spray, and even a snow globe. Holtrenfrew.com

12 Days of Wellness Countdown Calendar 

Holiday headache? Saje’s 12 Days of Wellness Countdown calendar has a remedy for that (Peppermint Halo) as well as Unwind calming mist (with cinnamon and lavender to calm) to destress and Sleep Well bath salts to sleep the sleep of angels. This calendar gets you through the most hectic 12 days of Christmas and well into the new year too. While it’s sold out online, the calendar is still available in-store at some Saje locations. Saje.ca

The Holidays in Neverland Advent Calendar

Initially a skin clinic for regenerating treatments, Swiss beauty house La Maison Valmont launched its stable of luxury beauty products in 1985. The Holidays in Neverland Advent calendar captures that science-backed magic with 12 offerings from the Elixir des Glaciers collection and Storie Veneziane fragrances. Holtrenfrew.com

Limited-edition Glow Recipe Hey You, You’ve Got It All Set

TikTok may have popularized Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops, but there’s a wide range of fan favourites in its Hey You, You’ve Got It All Set. The kit of nine bestselling products includes Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser, Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream, and Guava Vitamin C Gel Eye Cream. The products’ fruit antioxidants protect against environmental stressors while hyaluronic acid hydrates skin. All products are vegan, cruelty-free, and bear Sephora’s Clean + Planet Positive seal of approval for being formulated without harmful ingredients. Sephora.ca

2022 Revolver Coffee Advent Calendar

Local hipster coffee house Revolver curates 24 cups of joe from around the world in this year’s Advent calendar, the shop’s fourth edition. Inside, 24 boxes labelled 1 to 24 each contain 24 preportioned coffees from 24 of the shop’s favourite global producers, which you grind and brew at home into a cup (coffees are intended for drip/filter coffee brewing, not espresso). Each day, scan the QR code inside the door to reveal that day’s coffee, which Revolver only reveals daily leading up to Christmas. From 3fe in Dublin to La Cabra in Denmark, this year’s lineup includes roasters from North America, Europe, and Asia. Calendars typically run out the first week of December, so head to Gastown to pick up your limited-edition run this week. If you buy the calendar in-store, receive a cup of coffee on the house at the time of pickup. Revolvercoffee.ca

Guerlain Hive of Wonders Advent Calendar

Guerlain, one of the world’s oldest, most luxurious beauty brands founded in 1828, is also one of the world’s most sustainable. When one of Guerlain’s products runs out, fans must wait patiently until shelves are restocked with goods to be shipped by boat instead of air to keep the carbon footprint down. With a focus on biodiversity and positive social impact too, the French house invests in bees on the island of Ouessant where it partners with the island of Ouessant’s Brittany Black Bee Conservatory. The honey produced here is integrated into the brand’s Abeille Royale line, included in the Hive of Wonders Advent calendar with 24 other treats like candles, soaps, and a bee bracelet. While the website currently says sold out, Guerlain will be restocking shortly—you’ll just have to be patient. Guerlain.ca

The Body Shop’s Share the Love Big Advent Calendar

The Body Shop’s Share the Love Big Advent Calendar brings joy to  both loved ones and people around the world. In this pop-up box, open each of the 25 doors to discover a little act of kindness alongside a slate of popular products like Shea Hand Cream, Strawberry Lip Butter, and Avocado Body Butter for 96-hour moisture. Thebodyshop.ca