Sunday, Nov. 27 marked the beginning of Advent, and in celebration of this preparational season, here are five Advent calendar suggestions that will enhance your 24-day experience.

1. The Trader Joe’s Advent Calendar

Since 1990, everyone’s favorite grocery store, Trader Joe’s, has been selling milk chocolate Advent calendars with whimsical, wintery designs. Each one offers 24 ready-to-open windows containing small pieces of candy, which are sure to enhance every Advent morning. Samara DeLeon’23 shares her love of the Trader Joe’s Advent Calendar, “On Dec. 1, the milk chocolate surprise was a Christmas wreath, and I loved it. It was such a nice start to my day.”

2. The Charlotte Tillbury Beauty Advent Calendar

This bejeweled box contains 12 days worth of makeup, ranging from lip oil to beauty serums. Behind each of the chest’s diamond-studded doors is a Charlotte Tillbury BEAUTY ICON product for you to enjoy throughout the season. Senior Julianna Ortiz has the Charlotte Tillbury calendar, and loves being surprised by a new item each day of Advent: “It’s a tradition of mine to get a new calendar to celebrate each Advent season, and so far, this one has been my favorite. I love all things skincare and make-up, and I highly recommend this calendar if you do too. So far, my favorite product has been the setting spray, because it completes every one of my make-up looks,” she shared.

3. The Target Advent Calendar selection

From decorative to sock calendars, Target offers a wide variety of fun ways to keep track of the days during Advent. Some great suggestions are the adorable Threshold House Countdown Calendar, the 24-Day Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar, and the 15-Day Harry Potter Sock Calendar. Kimiko Watanabe ’23 and her family have the Threshold House Countdown Calendar, and she loves how it brings them together during this season: “Every morning, my family and I open a new little window in our calendar, and we each take turns placing surprises in them. It’s such a fun and uniting activity,” she said.

4. The David’s Tea 24 Days of Matcha Advent Calendar

As a matcha drinker and enthusiast, I have to say that I am most excited about this calendar suggestion. Sourced directly from Japan, each of the 24 matcha blends is one-of-a-kind. The calendar includes a plethora of flavors, ranging from banana matcha to gingerbread matcha, and even includes peach matcha if you’d like to expand your palette. I recently ordered this Advent calendar, and am very excited to try it out.

5. The Lego City Advent Calendar

This Advent calendar is an adorable, imaginative way children can participate in Advent. Behind every door, there are surprise characters and mini builds that children can comprise festive stories with, and at the end of the season, a small Lego world is built. The set even includes an adorable Santa Clause mini figure.

Hopefully, one of these suggestions helps brighten your Advent season, and provides a fun way for you to prepare for Christmas.