Teens (and some tweens) might be at an age where they are no longer putting cookies and milk out for Santa Claus, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still get excited for Christmas. You can keep the magic alive with an advent calendar - and there are a whole host up for grabs especially for teens.
Whether they’re an avid Roblox player, obsessed with makeup or just a Pokemon nerd, there’s an advent calendar that’ll make December extra special. Pleasing a teen isn’t always easy, so we’ve hand-picked the best ones you can buy in 2023, just keep scrolling…
Our Senior Lifestyle Editor Karen Silas is the mum of a teen and has other teens in her extended family. So she knows the struggle. “Choosing an advent calendar for teens or tweens is as much as a minefield as picking out a gift for them,” she says. “No matter what, you’re always in danger of being ‘cringey’.
“So if you want to avoid eye rolls, in my experience, there are some surefire hits: snack food advent calendars, like popcorn or Pringles – and my older teen son likes a good tea advent – inexpensive jewellery and beauty Christmas countdowns, or an advent calendar with a nod to their interests, like Marvel, will do the trick.”
How we chose the best advent calendars for teenagers
- Price: We wanted to cater to all budgets in this gift guide, from those wanting a budget advent calendar to those with a bit more to spend.
- Personal experience: Several of the HELLO! team, myself included are parents or tweens and teens with years of experience of buying advent calendars. We've included the tried and tested calendars we love, and we're constantly reviewing new releases.
- Reviews: Where it wasn't possible to try the advent calendars ourselves, we only included options with a high volume of positive reviews from verified shoppers
- Variety: Some teens are into makeup and jewellery, others are into Pokemon or gaming. We tried to include something for everyone in our gift guide to suit young tweens and older teens.
Best advent calendars for teens in 2023
BLACK FRIDAY DEAL: H&M Jewellery Advent Calendar
Best teen advent calendar for jewellery lovers
What do you get? 24 cute gold-coloured jewellery surprises including earrings and a necklace with changeable pendants.
Why do we rate it? Finding a jewellery advent calendar for teen girls is tricky - you don’t want something that’s too childish, but then you don’t want something that’s too ‘boring’. H&M’s offering is perfect, and it’s such a bargain at £19.99.
BLACK FRIDAY DEAL - Pokemon 2023 TGC Party Calendar
Best teen advent calendar for Pokemon Card Game geeks
What do you get? Eight foil promo cards with a festive stamp, five Pokémon TCG booster packs, seven Pokémon TCG 3-card fun packs, two Pokémon coins, two colourful sticker sheets, and one sidekick dangler featuring Pikachu and Glaceon. Oh, and you get a code card for Pokémon TCG Live.
Why do we rate it? This was top of my tween’s wish list this year and he could not be more excited for December to start so he can start opening it. You actually get a lot for your money considering a single pack will set you back 10 on average, and I love you get 25 days of surprises, instead of 24.
BLACK FRIDAY DEAL - National Geographic gemstone Advent Calendar
Best advent calendar for teenagers who love sparkly things
What do you get? A new gen every day of December - 24 stunning specimens including agate, green aventurine, hematite, sodalite, turquenite, tiger's eye, blue calcite and more. There's an extra special gem to dig out on the final day, and five jewellery settings so your teen can make their own unique jewellery with the gems. There's also a pouch to keep the gems in.
Why do we rate it? You get a lot for your money with this one - and the gems are beautiful, and make beautiful decorative pieces for your teen's room. They'll outlast the contents of many other advent calendars for teens which are on the market.
BLACK FRIDAY DEAL - Central Perk 12 Days of Bath Advent Calendar
For the Friends fanatic teen
What do you get? 12 days of bath and body surprises to countdown to Christmas, each one with a Friends theme. Think body washes, lip balm, bath salts, bath bomb, nail files and more.
Why do we rate it? So many teens just love Friends, so this cute calendar is perfect. It's highly rated on Amazon - with an impressive 4.4 out of 5 stars, and the lovely-smelling items are travel sized - so they can be taken on your hols.
CoralandInk Ultimate 24 days of Stationery Calendar
Best teen advent calendar for stationery fanatics
What do you get? 24 days of kawaii stationery items including pens, notepads, washi tapes, stickers and more - and on the last day there’s a specially-designed journal to plan for the New Year
Why do we rate it? CoralandInk’s Japanese and Korean-inspired products are all so adorable - they’re perfect for teens and it’s a company with an inspiring back story. Founder and former student Aiesha set it up when the pandemic meant she had to take a GAP year before starting university. The side project turned into a thriving business with thousands of sales.
Funko Marvel Advent Calendar 2023
Best teen advent calendar for Marvel fans
What do you get? 24 mini Funko figures (Funko Pocket Pops to be precise) featuring all your favourite characters from the Marvel Universe
Why do we rate it? Groot as a Christmas tree, Captain America as a Gingerbread man, Spider-Man in a Santa hat - do we really need to say more?
Roblox Advent Calendar
Best teen advent calendar for Roblox players
The Body Shop Big Advent of Wonders
Best teen advent calendar for socially conscious teens
What do you get? 24 surprises including some of the Bodyshop’s most-loved products - it’s all presented in recyclable packaging, with ingredients sourced responsibly from Community fair Trade partners
Why do we rate it? The Body Shop was a favourite with teen and tween girls when I was a youngster, and continues to be popular with the age group today. You get £173.50 worth of product for £95 so it’s great value.
Joe & Seph’s Popcorn Advent Calendar
Best advent calendar for teens with a sweet tooth
What do you get? 24 individual bags of Joe & Seph’s delicious gourmet popcorn in 19 different flavours including salted caramel, orange chocolate and vanilla cheesecake
Why do we rate it? When it comes to popcorn, Joe & Seph really are unbeatable. You’d be hard-pressed to find a teen who doesn’t love it.
Paladone Harry Potter Odd Socks Advent Calendar
Best teen advent calendar for Potterheads
What do you get? 24 Harry Potter-themed socks you can mix and match as you see fit. Each day you get a different sock and none of them match.
Why do we rate it? Tweens and teens are experts at losing socks - so this advent calendar is perfect for them. Most of the Harry Potter calendars out there are geared towards girls so this is a great unisex advent calendar.
GlossyBox 2023 Feel The Magic Advent Calendar
Best teen advent calendar for beauty fans
What do you get? A total of 28 products from top beauty brands including ESPA, Iconic London and L’Occitaine to open during the 24 days leading up to Christmas.
Why do we rate it? It’s one of the most popular beauty advents for teen girls and it’s so competitively priced. At £70 for subscribers or £80 for non-subscribers but with the contents worth £473 it’s such a bargain!
