Last minute Advent Calendars: our pick of the best Christmas countdowns for 2020

(Image credit: Lights4Fun)

By Ginevra Benedetti published 30 November 20

The first advent calendar supposedly dates back to late 19th Century Germany, when a mother fixed 24 individual sweet treats to a sheet of numbered card so that her son, a boy called Gerhard Lang, would have something special to open every day in the run up to Christmas.

When Lang became an adult, he recreated his mother's tradition using with coloured pictures that you could fix to the calendar every day and later introduced numbered doors to the design, so each day you'd have a surprise waiting behind each number.

These days advent calendars come in all shapes and sizes, from the beautifully decorative, to the gifting ones filled with chocolates, alcohol, candles, beauty products and more.

As a time is of the essence - today is the 1st December after all - we've collated our very favorites for the ones on the market and listed them below, with picks for our readers in the US and ones for those in the UK.

Quick - get one now so you don't miss out on a full countdown!

Jump to : Best Advent Calendars for the UK

Best advent calendars for the US

Start your countdown to the holidays with one of these beautiful designs for Stateside shoppers

1. Best for a gift-free countdown

Discover our pick of the best Christmas hampers and gift baskets

2. Best for adding a magical touch

3. Best for tabletop simplicity

4. Best heirloom calendar

5. Best for keeping with tradition

Best advent calendars for the UK

Treat your family to one of these beautiful advent calendars, all available in the UK

1. Best for a classic scheme

Get inspiration for your festive scheme with these gorgeous Christmas living rooms

2. Best nostalgic advent calendar

3. Best luxe advent countdown

Make a start on your Christmas list with our wonderful gifting round-up

4. Best for a garland effect

5. Best for a present-free countdown

Ginevra Benedetti

Hello there, I’m Ginevra Benedetti,

Associate Editor on the Homes Content Team at Future.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have been writing about interiors for the past 16 years on the majority of Britain’s monthly interiors titles, such as Ideal Home, Country Homes & Interiors and Style at Home, as well as Livingetc and of course, Homes & Gardens.

This naturally feeds into writing for wonderful websites like HomesandGardens.com and IdealHome.co.uk.

Over the years, I’ve interviewed some of the most talented designers in the business and I’ve pretty much written about every area of the home, from shopping and decorating, appliances and home tech, wallpaper and fabric, kitchens and bathrooms, even extensions and conversions.

I never tire about reading or writing about interiors, from classic timeless designs to innovative smart tech - the subject is always evolving, just as our homes do, year after year.