Advent Calendars: 24 Little Surprises to Count Down to Christmas

Advent calendars turn the wait for Christmas into a small daily ritual: one surprise a day, from the first of December to Christmas Eve. Our selection is deliberately short for now, with two collectible calendars rather than a wall of options. The Rubber Duck Advent Calendar hides 24 festive mini ducks for £6.99, and the Highland Cow Advent Calendar holds 24 mini collectible figures for £8.99. Both are affordable, both build into a little collection by the 24th, and both make a cheerful gift to hand over before December begins.

Since a countdown is only the start of the season, you may also want to look at our christmas & novelty gifts for festive keepsakes, at stocking fillers for kids and toys & games for younger fans, at beauty & pamper gifts and sweet treats & chocolate gifts for other kinds of seasonal treats, and at stocking fillers under £10 if you are keeping every present small.

Which Advent Calendar Should You Choose?

Advent calendars broadly fall into a few families. Chocolate calendars offer a sweet treat each morning and are finished by Christmas. Beauty and pamper calendars hide miniatures to try. Toy and figure calendars, like the two we stock, reveal a small collectible every day, so the fun lasts beyond December because the pieces stay on a shelf or a desk.

We chose to start with figure calendars because they suit a wide range of people, cost less than a tenner and leave something behind once the countdown is over. If you are looking for an edible or pampering countdown, our sweet treats and pamper ranges are the place to look for related gifts, but we would rather tell you honestly that this collection itself is small than pad it out.

Collectible mini figures: how our two calendars work

The principle is simple. Each calendar contains 24 small pieces, one for each day from 1 to 24 December. In the Rubber Duck Advent Calendar, every day reveals a festive mini duck, so by Christmas Eve the recipient has a full flock of 24. The Highland Cow Advent Calendar follows the same idea with 24 mini collectible figures built around the shaggy, much-loved Scottish breed.

Because the surprises are figures rather than food, nothing goes stale and nothing needs to be eaten on a schedule. That makes these calendars easy to give to someone who avoids sugar, to a household with different dietary habits, or to an adult who simply enjoys a daily moment of fun with their morning coffee.

Opening one small piece per day also teaches patience in a playful way. Children in particular enjoy guessing what tomorrow will bring, lining up the figures as they arrive and counting how many days remain until Christmas Eve, which makes the calendar a gentle countdown tool as much as a gift.

Ducks or Highland cows: matching the theme to the person

The theme matters more than you might think, because the recipient will be looking at it every day for more than three weeks. The rubber duck calendar suits bath-time fans, collectors of quirky desk ornaments and anyone with a playful streak. A row of little ducks along a monitor is also a fun way to bring a bit of Christmas into the office without cluttering the desk.

The Highland cow calendar is a natural pick for lovers of the countryside, people with Scottish roots or anyone who already has a fluffy cow print, mug or cushion at home. At £8.99 it costs a little more than the ducks, and it makes a thoughtful gift for a friend whose interests you know well.

When and How to Give an Advent Calendar

Unlike most items on StockingJoy, an advent calendar is not opened on Christmas morning. It has to be in the recipient's hands before 1 December, which changes how you plan the purchase. It is the one gift on your list where being early really is the point.

The way it is given also shapes the experience. Handed over with a short note in late November, it becomes an invitation to enjoy the whole month. Shared between siblings or placed on a family table, it can become a daily moment that everyone looks forward to.

Advent calendars also make good "thinking of you" gifts for people you will not see until Christmas: grandparents can send one to grandchildren who live far away, friends can post one to each other, and a calendar left on a colleague's desk at the end of November is a kind gesture that costs very little.

Ordering in time for the first of December

Orders are dispatched within 24 hours. Free Royal Mail delivery takes 7 to 9 working days, while Priority delivery at £2.90 takes 5 to 7 days. For a calendar to arrive comfortably before the countdown begins, aim to order by the middle of November, and allow extra margin if the calendar will travel on to the recipient by post.

If you are also buying stocking fillers, it can be sensible to group everything into one early order, so the calendar arrives on time and the rest can be hidden away until Christmas. The general cut-off for Christmas delivery, Tuesday 15 December, is fine for stocking presents but far too late for an advent calendar. If you have left it a little late, Priority delivery shortens the wait, but count working days carefully: weekends do not count towards the delivery window.

One each, or one to share?

In a family with several children, a calendar each usually avoids debate over who opens today's surprise. At £6.99 and £8.99, buying two or three remains affordable, and choosing one duck and one cow calendar lets siblings swap and compare their figures as December goes on.

For a couple, a shared flat or an office team, a single calendar can work well if you agree a rota for opening. A calendar on a shared desk becomes a small ritual that brightens the dark mornings, and the figures can be divided up once the 24th has passed.

Practical Points: Size, Display and Safety

A small figure calendar is light and compact compared with many seasonal gifts, which makes it easy to post, to place on a windowsill or to slip into a bag when visiting family. Before buying, think about where it will sit through December and who will be opening it.

Also consider what happens on 25 December. With food calendars the box is simply recycled, but here you are left with 24 little figures that deserve a home, so it helps to have an idea in mind for displaying or storing them.

Small pieces and age guidance

Mini ducks and mini figures are, by definition, small. If the calendar is meant for a young child, check the age guidance on each product page before buying, and keep an eye on where the pieces end up once they are out of the calendar. For older children and adults, the size is part of the charm, since the whole collection fits on a shelf.

When the recipient is a toddler's older sibling, it is worth agreeing a safe spot for the collection, out of reach of the youngest members of the household. A small jar, a clear box or a cleaned-out tin is enough to keep the 24 pieces together, so none go missing under the sofa before the collection is complete.

A collection that lives on after Christmas

The real advantage of a collectible calendar is that the gift does not vanish once December is over. The ducks can line a bathroom shelf, perch on a computer screen or come out each year as part of the Christmas decorations. The Highland cow figures make a sweet little herd on a mantelpiece or a bookcase.

Some families reuse the figures as table decorations, hide them around the house for a festive search or keep them in a box with the baubles, ready for next year. A modest outlay at the start of December can therefore turn into a small seasonal tradition.

How to Pick the Right Advent Calendar

Whether you choose the ducks or the Highland cows, these five points will help you buy a calendar that is enjoyed every single day.

• Theme: choose a design that matches a real interest of the recipient, as they will see it every morning for 24 days.
• Type of surprise: decide between treats that are eaten and figures that stay; our calendars hold collectible minis that remain once December ends.
• Timing: order early enough for the calendar to arrive before 1 December, ideally by mid-November with free delivery.
• Age suitability: check the age guidance on each product page, especially for small figures intended for young children.
• Budget: at £6.99 and £8.99, both calendars fit a modest budget, leaving room for stocking fillers later in the month.

Thinking through these points takes a few minutes and avoids the classic problems: a calendar that arrives on the 3rd, a theme that misses the mark or tiny pieces in the wrong hands.

Why an Advent Calendar Is Worth It Every Year

An advent calendar stretches the joy of a single gift across 24 days. Each morning brings a small reason to smile, which matters during the busiest and darkest weeks of the year. For children, it makes the wait for Christmas easier to measure; for adults, it is a light-hearted break between work, shopping and planning.

A figure calendar adds a lasting dimension, because the 24 minis remain as a keepsake of that December. Duck or Highland cow, the result is a little collection that can return to the shelf each winter.

It also pairs naturally with the rest of your Christmas shopping. The calendar opens the season on 1 December, and the stocking closes it on the 25th, so a matching theme can tie the two together: a duck lover might find a related little gift in their stocking, and a Highland cow fan might enjoy a countryside-inspired present on Christmas morning. Planning both at once also means a single early order and one less thing to worry about.

Our range will remain small and carefully chosen. If one of these two calendars fits the person you have in mind, order it in good time, take advantage of free delivery and dispatch within 24 hours, and keep in mind that 30-day returns apply. Then let the countdown begin on the first of December.