11 Advent Calendars In 2018 For Grownups, From Cheese To Wine To Candles

It’s the hap-happiest season of all. You know why? It’s because all the advent calendars are coming out, which means we get to have a little bit of extra fun every single day leading up to Christmas (or if we’re talking about a wine advent calendar, have a lot of extra fun and maybe throw up a little too). People are starting to get creative, and chocolates don’t cut it anymore. These 11 advent calendars for grown-ups are so joyful that you’ll completely forget about how much money you’re going to have to spend on presents this year.

Most of us know advent calendars to be these amazing boxes where you open tiny drawers and there’s a present waiting inside for you, but there’s a whole history behind them. According to Mental Floss, “advent” (Latin for “the coming”) is the four-week span that starts on the closest Sunday to the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle — which is November 30 — through the next three Sundays. It’s something people have been celebrating since the fourth century. While its history has a religious foundation, these days, we more commonly know it as the days in December leading up to Christmas, when you… buy these amazing boxes where you open tiny drawers and there’s a present waiting inside for you!

Advent calendars — which, as Mental Floss points out, don’t *technically* follow Advent — go all the way back to the mid-19th century. Back then, German Protestants would leave marks on their doors with chalk or light candles for each day leading up to Christmas. Gerhard Lang created what’s considered the first advent calendar, and Richard Sellmer continued the tradition after World War II.

Remember them when you’re getting through all that wine.

This year, the stores are really kicking it up a notch. We’ve got advent calendars for candy lovers, calendars that will make your home smell heavenly, and even an advent calendar for your dog (woof!). Get in the holiday spirit with one (or all) of these 11 advent calendars for grown-ups.