When I was a child, my brother and I loved the day when we could finally start opening the doors of our Advent calendar. Back then it meant getting a piece of chocolate each morning as you opened that flimsy cardboard door. (Now that I recall, we must have each had a calendar of our own; those chocolate pieces were tiny! My sweet tooth didn’t want to share.)
Those chocolate Advent calendars taught a lesson on waiting, the entire point of Advent. Advent is the season of anticipation. The name comes from the Latin “Adventus,” meaning arrival or coming.
As much as I wanted to, I wouldn’t flip open the doors on the future days on my calendar. (Ok, maybe I did a few times.) First, Mom would have been upset, and second it would have spoiled the game of waiting. The suspense, waiting to get your yummy prize the next day, as we counted down to Christmas, was part of the fun.
If you like Advent calendars, thank Martin Luther. Until the 1500s, Western European children received gifts on Dec. 6, St. Nicholas’ Day. But Luther didn’t want to honor a saint, so he moved gift-giving to Christmas Eve. The Advent calendar emerged as a way for children to count down the extra time.
Today, adults rejoice in their own Advent calendars. Simple chocolates aren’t the surprise behind the doors. I think Neiman Marcus, known for its extravagant Christmas catalogs for the well-heeled, started producing posh advent calendars for those with money to spare. Today you can find multiple options for your own luxury Advent calendar.
Forget the fragile cardboard doors that you sometimes had to punch to open. These Advent calendars feature luxurious presentations – in wood, metal and more. Every day presents a new unboxing adventure. Buy one with perfumes behind each door. Don’t have enough jewels? If you’re willing to part with over $100,000, there’s an Advent calendar for you. Or perhaps you’re looking for elite skincare? You’re covered. Candles by Diptyque? Yes. Dior’s calendar is reusable, with 24 sliding drawers. After Christmas it makes a new jewelry case.
Elite Traveler ranked the best luxury calendars of 2025, and some of them are already sold out. You can’t get a Penhaligon fragrance calendar with smart Christmas knitwear-inspired boxes for any amount, much less the $510 asking price.
Sometimes the rush to get in on the craze backfires. In 2021, Chanel debuted its Advent calendar on the 100th anniversary of Chanel No. 5 perfume. It wasn’t the smash hit Chanel thought it would be. Social media influencers unboxed the calendar each day on viral videos, showing that the miniature perfume samples were accompanied by stickers, a flip book and other fripperies. Hardly worth the luxurious $825 price!
Do those calendars priced in the hundreds to the thousands help us wait any better? Or, is it a reaction to our “everyday treats” culture? Too many have given up on saving and waiting for large items – and with today’s inflation rate eating into savings, there’s an argument for that. We want our $7 double-shot lattes, and we want them now.
Naturally, the market is reacting to the demands of consumers. Long ago, secular American society decided the Christmas season started after Thanksgiving and Advent wasn’t about waiting – it was about shopping! Who can blame a luxury retailer for giving the people what they want.
As for me, I'm sticking with chocolate.
