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my picks for

Advent Calendars We Love

a little door every morning

We've done ten advent calendars over the last three Christmases, so this one's a real family tradition. LEGO three years running, EXIT two years in a row, and a puzzle countdown that came out every night. Here are the ones we've opened, plus this year's versions of our favorites.

Christmas Countdown

🎄

$25–50

LEGO Friends Advent Calendar 2026 (42698)

We opened the LEGO Friends calendar last year, and this is the 2026 version. LEGO has been our advent pick three Christmases running.

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⛏️

$25–50

LEGO Minecraft Advent Calendar (21280)

The exact Minecraft calendar we did last year. 24 tiny builds, and the little Minecraft figures still live on a shelf here.

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👑

$25–50

LEGO Disney Princess Advent Calendar 2026 (43298)

We did the LEGO Disney calendar in 2024. This is this year's Disney Princess one for your Disney fan.

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🚀

$25–50

EXIT: The Game Advent Calendar, The Intergalactic Race

Last year's EXIT calendar: a 24-day space escape room, one door and one puzzle each morning.

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🎬

$25–50

EXIT: The Game Advent Calendar, The Missing Hollywood Star

Our first EXIT advent, back in 2024. One puzzle a day on a movie lot, and it hooked us for good.

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🔐

$25–50

EXIT: The Game Advent Calendar, The Magic of Christmas

We've done EXIT two years in a row, and this is the new 2026 story. Great for tweens, teens and grown-ups.

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🧩

$25–50

Galison Winter Lights 12 Days of Puzzles

Twelve mini puzzles that count down to Christmas. Galison puzzles are a family obsession, and this is the coziest countdown we own.

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⚡

$25–50

Harry Potter Magical Minis Advent Calendar

Our Harry Potter fans loved this one: tiny Harry, Ron and Hermione with a new accessory behind every door.

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🔎

Under $25

Merry Murdle: 25 Festive Logic Puzzles

A puzzle-a-day book that works as a countdown for teens and grown-ups. We're big Murdle fans here.

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Product photos are retailer photos shared through LTK, or come from Wikimedia Commons and are credited under each photo with their license (CC0 or CC BY-SA 4.0, creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). Edited CC BY-SA photos are shared under the same license.