Holiday Gift Guide: Advent Calendars
Bonne Maman, LEGO, Venchi, See's Candies, Murray's Cheese...
I’ve unboxed the vintage lights from the crawlspace to decorate the Ed Anderson-designed LAST CALL neon sign logo with some holiday cheer to greet the return of the LAST CALL Holiday Gift Guides! Over this week and into next week, as we count down to our annual Thanksgiving Eve Special, I’ll be sharing my personal picks for gift ideas for yourself or to share with others in Holiday Advent Calendars, Food & Provisions, Drinks & Spirits, Books & Cookbooks, The Spirit of Italy, and Stocking Stuffers.
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LAST CALL Holiday Gift Guide: Advent Calendars
Even though you won’t start counting down the days to Christmas with these 2024 Advent Calendars until December 1, we are kicking things off with these festive calendars as they often sell out by Thanksgiving. Last holiday season, for research and personal interest’s sake, I maintained four different Advent Calendars which, admittedly, got a bit overwhelming each morning, but I am a man of ritual and tradition. This year I personally have on deck the Bonne Maman Limited Edition Advent Calendar and the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, which my dear friend Anne sends me every year.
And we’re off!
Bonne Maman Limited-Edition Advent Calendar
In the past I’ve found out the hard way and waited too long to purchase or gift the popular Bonne Maman Limited Edition Advent Calendar only to find it sold out or marked up by third-party sellers, but this will be my second holiday season with this festive and popular tradition. This is a big and beautifully designed package (this year’s illustration depicts a Santa’s train tableau) with numbered, perforated doors to count down the days to Christmas. Each day reveals one of 24 Bonne Maman mini jars of spreads, including jams, jellies, marmalades, and honey, along with holiday exclusive flavors like Caramel with Coffee, Apricot with Orange Blossom, and Guava and Raspberry & Rose. And if you’re not ready for a full 24-day commitment, they’re also offering a Bonne Maman 12 Days of Christmas collection of 12 limited-edition flavors of mini spreads for $22.90.
$44.99 (Bonne Maman)
LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar
As a card-carrying AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) and lifelong Star Wars fan, the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar remains a tradition during the holiday season. I know they have to promote all the cool reveals but I wish the box art didn’t spoil the contents within. But it’s still fun to see which random mini-build you’ll uncover each day, whether it’s a festive Christmas sweater-adorned Luke Skywalker or a tiny TIE Fighter. Other LEGO Advent Calendar sets available this year include Harry Potter, Spider-Man, Disney, and LEGO City. You’ll find many of these on sale right now, and if you’re into LEGO for investment purposes, unopened sets will likely rise in value in after-market value after they retire or sell out.
See’s Candies Advent Calendar
Oh, how I enjoy the See’s Candies. Thankfully for me, but not for my wallet, the California chocolatier has a shop here in the Village where I like to load up on loosies of Milk Chocolate Almond Caramel and Milk Chocolate Peanut Crunch. This year’s See’s Candies Advent Calendar deluxe design features a snow-capped, wreath-adorned red-brick building which opens to reveal holiday set-piece with pop-up illustrations of stockings hanging from a fireplace and a black-and-white tiled kitchen decked out with the ingredients to whip up some holiday treats. Pull out each of the magnetically sealed red cabinet drawers to reveal 24 individually wrapped confections including a Butterscotch Lollypop, Cashew Brittle, Peppermint Krispys, and an all-new Marshmallow Tree.
$75.00 (See’s Candies)
Baci Perugina Chocolates Advent Calendar
Baci, the highly addictive Italian pralines made by Perugina, the Italian chocolate confectionery company founded in 1907 now based in Perugia, the capital of Umbria, are one of my favorite treats. Their Baci Perugina Chocolates Advent Calendar, featuring their signature whole hazelnut and gianduia “heart” enrobed in either dark chocolate, “intense” dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate, would definitely have me waking up early each December morning. And each iconic foil-wrapped scroll reveals a quote about the “symbol of love in all its nuances.” These already appear to be sold out online in many places, but I saw a stack of these yesterday at the Flatiron Eataly in NYC so keep your eyes open for this at your favorite Italian-minded shops. And at $9.99, the 8-piece Baci Christmas Tree set is always a nice impulse purchase for easy gifting.
$24.99 (La Bottega della Nonna)
Venchi Prestige Advent Calendar
Founded in 1878 by chocolatier Silviano Venchi, Venchi, Italy’s beloved gourmet chocolate and nougatine from Piedmont, Italy, are beloved around the world. Their limited edition Venchi Prestige Advent Calendar presents a Christmas collection in a storybook-style package illustrated by Australian artist Anna Higgie, opens to reveal a winter wonderland of iconic Vecnchi chocolates. They also have a more affordable Limited Edition Classic Advent Calendar filled with milk and dark chocolates for $26.90.
$99.99 (Venchi)
Tony's Chocolonely Countdown Calendar
Tony’s Chocolonely, from the award-winning Dutch chocolate manufacturer founded by television producer and journalist Teun van de Keuke, is a candy with a mission to end exploitation in the cocoa industry. Each chocolate in the Tony’s Chocolonely Countdown Calendar is crafted with cocoa sourced from 100% slave-free cocoa farms in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, and to give you something to consider over the holidays, the calendar includes 25 pieces spread across 24 slots with one empty space to note the harsh inequities in the global chocolate industry. Among the 10 different Tiny Tony’s chocolate flavors you’ll uncover are Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt, Milk Chocolate Honey Almond Nougat, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut, Dark Milk Chocolate, Dark Milk Chocolate Pretzel Toffee, Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt, White Chocolate, and White Chocolate Raspberry Popping Candy.
$19.99 (Tony’s Chocolonely—SOLD OUT)
$24.99 (World Market)
$46.20 (Amazon)
12 Days of Murray’s Cheese
This limited-edition 12 Days of Murray’s Cheese is currently out of stock but promises to be back soon (I encourage you to refresh your browser when visiting as the Add to Cart button was just there for me). So if you’d like to pick up this this selection of nine cheese pairings including Parmigiano Reggiano, Manchego, truffle cheddar, and more top cheeses packed together with four of Murray’s favorite jams and crackers.
$78.00 (Murray’s Cheese—BACK SOON)
Hotel Flaviar Whiskey Advent Calendar
While this comes in at a unicorn whiskey price-point, the annual advent calendars from by Flaviar always sell out and the discerning whiskey lover might just want to check out (check in?) to this year’s release: the Hotel Flaviar Whiskey Advent Calendar. The spirited package includes 24 50ml award-winning whisky samples—from award winners to new releases, including Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond, The Wiseman Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, The Irishman The Harvest, Sekk Sato Shiki Single Grain Japanese Whiskey, and more, along with two Glencairn collectible glasses, a tasting booklet, and a Flaviar Black “hotel keycard” which offers a year’s exclusive access to limited bottles and special promotions.
$250.00 (Flaviar)
More to Explore
Hickory Farms 12 Days of Charcuterie Advent Calendar ($64.99)
Peanuts Advent Calendar ($39.95)
The Grinch Advent Calendar ($39.95)
Elf Advent Calendar ($39.95)
Harry & David Advent Cookie Calendar ($99.99)
Best of Harry & David Advent Calendar ($199.99)
Sour Patch Kids 24 Days of Mischief Advent Calendar ($15.99)
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LAST CALL logo and design by Ed Anderson.
Wow! So much temptation! Thanks for this wonderful gift guide, Brad.
Last year a dear friend sent me a 24-day honey advent calendar, which was amazing! I just sent one to my nephew and his wife for this year. From Meyer Bees out of Illinois.
https://meyerbees.com
Happy Holidays!