Alternative Advent Calendars 2019

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Its 2019, and this year there are a whole host of alternative advent calendars on the market. Rightly or wrongly, gone are the days of a quaint little Christmas scene with a little paper door to open on each of the 24 days running up to Christmas Day. Also gone are the days where an 8 year old Lucy would hide in her room, pulling out the plastic tray from her advent on Day 2, and chomp her way through 6 days worth of chocolates whilst leaving the perforated doors fully in tact. I can’t have been the only one.

Whilst chocolate advents are still very popular (you’ll still see one or two here!), these days many people scour the shops and internet for fun alternative advent calendars – things that make the run up to Christmas just that little bit more special. If you’re looking to treat someone special (or even YOURSELF!) then look no further, here’s my round up of the best alternative advent calendars for 2019 (and your chance to win one too!!)

Disney Primark 25 Days of Baubles Advent Calendar

What could be better than 25 days (yes there’s one for Christmas Day too!) of Disney themed baubles!?  An advent calendar the whole family can enjoy, I love the way this could be used to create a new family Christmas tradition, with siblings taking it in turns to open a door and hang each bauble they reveal on the family Christmas tree. Best of all, once Christmas is over, the Disney baubles can be packed away and enjoyed for many years to come! A must have for Disney fans, and a great way to inject a bit of Mickey sparkle and glitter to your otherwise traditional tree. The 25 Days of Disney Baubles advent calendar is available from Primark (in store only) for just £15! We’re lucky enough to have the largest Primark in Europe in my home town of Birmingham!

Keep reading for your chance to win one below!

Harry Potter LEGO Advent Calendar

We are HUGE Potterheads in this house, so the arrival of a Lego Harry Potter Advent calendar was always going to go down well with the girls and I! Aimed at muggles and wizards aged 7+. The Harry Potter LEGO Advent Calendar includes 7 mini figures – Hermione, Harry and Ron, as well as Albus Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick, the Hogwarts Architect and Hedwig the owl, as well as a mini Hogwarts Express train, a buildable fireplace, and the great hall table and accessories. The set has great attention to detail (for instance the Hogwarts branded clothing on the mini figures) and is available at Amazon and Smyths Toys with an RRP of £24.99.

Peppa Pig Advent Calendar

My youngest is a very big Peppa Pig fan (something you may have noticed from our previous Peppa Pig Reviews), and like many preschoolers, absolutely loves anything to do with Peppa and George. This adorable Peppa Pig Advent Calendar not only folds out to create a little Christmas living room play scene, but comes with 24 Peppa themed pieces to collect including Peppa, George, their friends and Father Christmas, as well as a host of other accessories such as a present, snowman and Christmas tree.

Peppa Pig Advent Calendar retails at £19.99 and is available at Amazon.

Smiggle Advent Calendar*

One for stationery addict young and old, this Smiggle Advent Calendar unboxing was an absolute pleasure – packed full of over £50 of fun Smiggle stationery and accessories. With 25 doors to open (yes ANOTHER with one for Christmas Day) and 8 items completely exclusive to the Smiggle Advent Calendar, there really is something for everyone! Plus, as if that wasn’t enough, each Smiggle advent calendar comes with a lucky prize draw envelope, with the chance to win 1 of 30 Smiggle shopping sprees! Check out our video for a sneak peak at whats inside! #spoileralert 

Playmobil 123 Advent Calendar*

My girls LOVE playmobil, but for Neve who is only 3, some of the traditional Playmobil sets have too many small parts meaning we have to pop some of the pieces away before she can join in the fun. The Playmobil 123 ranges are ideal for younger children (18 months plus) with larger pieces perfect for smaller hands!

This Playmobil 123 Advent Calendar comes with 28 pieces (24 doors to open) and is based around Father Christmas’s journey in his sleigh. The set includes 3 children, a variety of woodland creatures, reindeer, a Christmas Tree and of course, the big guy himself, Father Christmas.

Playmobil Christmas Ball Advent Calendar*

For older Playmobil fans (aged 5+) the Playmobil Christmas Ball set is lots of fun. With 24 pieces to collect on the run up to Christmas, this set contains everything you need to create a traditional ball scene, with the box folding out to create a detailed backdrop. The set includes 4 playmobil characters (with detachable rotating bases to give the illusion of dancing!) as well as a dining table, instruments, Christmas tree and gifts. Erin loves creating play scenes and using her imagination, so I love the idea of adding a little extra each day throughout December.

Popcorn Shed Jingle Bell Pop Advent Calendar*

Now this is something I haven’t come across before, and as a big popcorn fan this one is RIGHT up my street.

Popcorn Shed is the home of award winning super premium gourmet popcorn and are proud to create popcorn based treats that incorporate TEXTURE as well as flavour. With options including Salted Caramel, Pop n Choc, Pecan Pie, Butterly Nuts, Berrylicious and Say Cheese!, this delicious Popcorn based advent calendar contains 24 mini bags perfect for festive snacking (and quite frankly too good to share, even with Father Christmas).  A real treat this advent, the Popcorn Shed Advent Calendar retails at £17.50 from The Popcorn Shed.

MAD Beauty Advent Calendar*

An alternative advent calandar guide wouldn’t be complete without a beauty treat now would it? What I love about beauty advent calendars is that they are a great opportunity to treat yourself to a bit of self-care, opening up something each day that encourages you to make time for yourself, have a pamper or simply 5 minutes out of your day to look after No.1. This MAD Beauty Disney Festive Fairies 12 Days of Bath and Body advent calendar is a great option for teenagers or older children, and whilst it may only have 12 doors, the treats behind more than make up for it. From bath salts to body lotion, lip gloss to nail files, this set offers a lovely range of MAD beauty treats for throughout the festive season.

Thorntons Continental Advent

One for the the grown ups…  Sometimes you just don’t need to mess with a classic and this year Thorntons haven’t disappointed. With their Continental Advent Calendar, there are 25 days of Christmas treats to open featuring all the Thorntons Continental favourites, including Viennese Truffle, Sicilian Mousse, Alpini Praline, Espresso, Chocolate Milano as well as an extra large Viennese  truffle to sneak in before your turkey on Christmas Day! Definitely hide this one from the kids!

Thorntons Kids Advent Calendar*

Ok, so I couldn’t claim all the luxury chocolate yumminess for myself. The girls still absolutely love a daily chocolate treat during advent and this adorable Elf Advent calendar is just the ticket. The designs are slightly different this year to the one pictured, but offer the ability to include a personalised name plaque too! A cute and friendly yet luxuriously yummy daily treat!

Do you have other alternative advent calendars you think I should know about? Tell me about them! 🙂

Fancy winning a Disney 25 Days of Christmas Baubles Advent Calendar for your family? Enter using the gleam app below!

Primark 25 Days of Disney Baubles Advent Giveaway

UK entries only. Giveaway closes 17/11/19  – full terms and conditions apply.

Lucy x