Souped-up Advent calendars are here to stay this holiday season, with just about every big player in food and beverage getting in on the trend.
Experts say there’s a mix of factors at play as for their rise in popularity: little treats and micro indulgences in an expensive world, the idea of “saving big” on high-value bundles, and the sensory satisfaction of unboxing 25(ish) little boxes leading up to Christmas.
“There’s something so special about having a small treat to look forward to each day,” Sockerbit Scandinavian candy founders Florence Baras and Stefan Ernberg said in a statement. Sockerbit is one of several newbies to the food Advent calendar space this year (and one of our new faves).
Advent Center, a hub for data and reviews for thousands of Advent calendars globally, says there are around 250 food and drink calendars on the market this year. The category makes up about a third of the 2026 calendars it lists.
Max Zeshut, Advent Center’s founder, said food and drink calendars work well because they’re a cheaper, noncommittal entry point into the ritual, compared to, for instance, a beauty box. And for all the new and zany iterations out there, chocolate calendars remain an anchor.
From cookies and chocolates to wine and cheese, these are the best food advent calendars to buy in 2026.
Broadly, the global Advent calendar market is anticipated to grow from $1.32 billion in 2024 to $2.47 billion by 2033, according to research compiled by Accio, a B2B platform. Food and drink calendars hold a huge share of that, with the help of mainstays like Bonne Maman, whose annual calendars have inspired “Jamvent” fan groups for a decade, alongside newcomers that announced inaugural calendars this season.
“As a small team, we try to be very conscious of the operational demands of every product launch,” Fishwife CEO and co-founder Becca Millstein told Bon Appétit. “Still, the demand [for calendars] grew too loud to ignore, so we decided to go for it.”
Millstein cited Fishwife’s success in the online gifting space as motivation to launch a calendar this year. Fishwife’s includes 12 doors of tinned fish and extras, retailing for $150. The company said the calendar’s “elements of surprise and delight” drives chatter and user-generated content on social media.
“In the end, we simply had to do it,” Millstein said.
Photo by Travis Rainey
