Shopping for a teenager is tricky at the best of times, but Christmas brings an extra challenge for parents, grandparents and family - how do you keep the magic of the festive season alive once your teen (or even tween) has outgrown
The good news is that growing up doesn't mean they've outgrown all Christmas traditions and the excitement of the festive season. An advent calendar is an easy way to keep the Christmas countdown special, and there's so many brilliant options designed for tweens and teens.
Whether they’re an avid UNO player, obsessed with makeup or a squishy fan, 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 2026.
- NeeDoh fan: NeeDoh 24 Days Fidget Advent Calendar, £35 / $171
- Teenage girls: Benefit The Hotel Beneville Advent Calendar, £149 / SHOP US
- Teenage boys: Lynx 24 Day Advent Calendar Gift Set, £46.90
- Chocolate: Tony's Chocolonely Big Advent Calendar, £19.21 / $50.90
- Video gamer: Super Mario Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar Action Figure Set, £40 / $72.12
- TikTok obsessed: Bubble T Cosmetics Beauty Advent Calendar 2026, £50
- Teen Disney lovers: Disney Princess Funko Bitty Pop Advent Calendar, £25 / $24.35
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 ‘cringe’.
“So if you want to avoid eye rolls, in my experience, there are some sure fire 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 for 2026
- 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 LEGO, NeeDoh 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 2026
1/18
NeeDoh 24 Days Fidget Advent Calendar
© NeeDoh- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: A range of NeeDoh squishes and fidgets
Why we rate it for teens: This is the one they all want, whether they're preteens, teens or even younger. The viral squishy brand has 24 surprises behind the doors, in their signature fun shapes and bright colours.
2/18
Benefit The Hotel Beneville Advent Calendar
© Benefit- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: A mix of makeup, skincare and limited edition products including merchandise.
Why we rate it for teens: How cool is The Hotel Beneville Advent Calendar? Each twist reveals a full-size, mini or fun-size Benefit surprise that'll give your teen's beauty routine a major twist, plus, there' exclusive merch inside too.
3/18
Lynx 24 Day Advent Calendar
© Lynx- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: Lynx Africa, Sunset Fresh, Ice Chill and Excite fragrances are included. You've also got more premium products, including the Cherry Spritz and Marshmallow Smoke.
Why we rate it for teens: Beauty advents aren't just for teenage girls, if you're after a beauty advent for your teenage son, this is the ideal one to gift. It includes 17 full-size LYNX products plus 7 gifts.
4/18
Tony's Chocolonely Big Advent Calendar
© Tony's- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: Tony's Chocolonely
Why we rate it for teens: Chocolate advent calendars might seem a little 'babyish' according to your teenager - but I think they'd be pretty happy with the Tony's Chocolonely advent. Packed with 24 individually wrapped mini treats ranging from hazelnut to white chocolate, these tasty treats will make the days in December whizz past. Oh, and the best news? The Dutch label is completely FairTrade and cruelty-free.
5/18
Super Mario Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar Action Figure Set
© Supplied- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: A mix of popular Mario character figures.
Why we rate it for teens: There's no doubt about it, tweens and teens love a spot of Mario and this calendar is great for those who like playing the classic Nintendo game.
6/18
Bubble T Cosmetics Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
© Bubble T- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: Beauty and wellness goodies
Why we rate it for teens: It’s amazing value, with 24 wellness and beauty treats. It includes a selection of bath salts, bath bombs, shower gel, soap sponges, lip balms and more that teens will love.
7/18
Disney Princess Funko Bitty Pop Advent Calendar
© Supplied- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: 10 Bitty POP! collectibles, 9 stackable display pieces, 3 holiday accessories, 1 keychain case, and 1 pin case.
Why we rate it for teens: You're never too old for Disney and teens are embracing the characters they loved as smaller kids via POP! accessories. Will they find their fave princess behind the doors?
10 Bitty POP! collectibles, 9 stackable display pieces, 3 holiday accessories, 1 keychain case, and 1 pin case.
8/18
Electronic Games Advent Calendar by EIGHT
© EIGHT- Number of windows: 24
- Contents: Kits to build electronic retro games
Why we rate it for teens: Any teens who love retro games will adore this advent calendar - behind each door is an electronic kit to build one of 24 different electronic games. They’re easy to assemble, with all the components and relevant wiring included. Whack a Mole, Ping Pong, Code Breaker and more are included. The kits start off easy then increase in difficulty as December progresses. By the end you might just have a teen who’s interested in engineering and electronics, which is never a bad thing!
9/18
Joma Jewellery 12 Days Of Sparkle Advent Calendar
© Joma Jewellery- Number of doors: 12
- Contents: Jewellery
Why we rate it for teens: This might be one of the more expensive options in this list, but jewellery is a great option if that's what your teen is interested in.
The 12 Day Advent Calendar comes in gold and is packed with 12 exclusive designs. Teens will love that it can be personalised too, either with their initials or by handpicking charms.
10/18
Netflix 24 Days Stranger Things Deluxe Advent Calendar
© Supplied- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: A selection of accessories such as socks, gloves and bracelets.
Why we rate it for teens: Stranger Things took over TV for teens this year so they'll love a Stranger Things themed advent, packed with exclusive merchandise.
11/18
Clickeez Advent Calendar
© Clickeez- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: 20 Clickeez, 2 Keychains and charms and 2 stickers.
Why we rate it for teens: Teens and tweens have gone mad for fidgets this year, and Clickeez has to be one of the most popular brands. The single keyboard keys, that click like a real keyboard, are so popular they're in and out of stock - this advent calendar will appease their need to click!
12/18
Sephora Collection Advent Calendar
© Sephora- Number of doors: TBC
- Contents: Beauty treats from the Sephora Collection.
Why we rate it for teens: Sephora's new 24-day advent calendar is absolutely packed with beauty treats from the Sephora Collection to make every day feel fabulous and add a little sparkle to the season. It's great value, too.
13/18
Fortnite Socks Advent Calendar
© Supplied- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: Fortnite themed socks
Why we rate it for teens: Socks might not seem the most exciting of things to receive but I think a Fortnite fan would find this a hilarious way to countdown to Christmas. You can never have too many socks...
14/18
Pringles Luxury Advent Calendar
© Supplied- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: 24 tubs of Pringles in various flavours
Why we rate it for teens: This is such a fun alternative to a chocolate advent calendar!
15/18
UNO Advent Calendar
© Supplied- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: Cards, games and more.
Why do we rate it for teens? UNO is and always has been a popular game throughout the ages, and an advent calendar of UNO makes things even more fun for December!
16/18
Gilmore Girls: Christmas in Stars Hollow: The Official Pop-Up, Light-Up Advent Calendar
© SuppliedNumber of doors: 24
Contents: A pop-up, light up scene with baubles to decorate.
Why do we rate it for teens? We all know the teen girls love Gilmore Girls. And this sweet advent calendar features a pop-up scene, featuring Stars Hollow’s famous gazebo, sign and 3D Christmas tree, plus 25 doors each concealing a different ornament to go on that tree. With a flick of a switch, turn on the lights to add a beautiful finishing touch.
17/18
Jelly Belly Harry Potter Advent Calendar
© Supplied- Number of windows: 24
- Contents: Jelly Belly beans in favourite flavours and Harry Potter themed flavours.
Why we rate it for teens: Few are the teens who don’t love Harry Potter - and if you have one in the family, this is a great option. It’s a twist on the traditional chocolate advent calendar with Jelly Belly beans inside.
18/18
BIRCH & BLEND Matcha Tea Advent Calendar 2026
© Supplied- Number of doors: 24
- Contents: 48 cups of matcha & hojicha with 24 unique flavours
Why we rate it for teens: The majority of teens seem to love drinking a Matcha, and this is packed with different flavours for them to sip on throughout the month.
What are the trending advent calendar for teens in 2026
I predict the NeeDoh Fidget Advent Calendar will be hugely popular this year with the teens, as I know kids aged 12 - 15 who are obsessed with the brand. I've seen the chat on social media about this, and it's one of the hardest to get hold of I think.
Beauty and jewellery advents for teens are always a good shout, and I also think the Stranger Things advent will get a lot of love from all teens.
