The Best Advent Calendars for 2025: Stranger Things, Star Wars

Counting down to the holidays just became a lot more fun this year, with a slate of new doored calendars inspired by some of your favorite pop culture stars, shows and movies.

From dozens of collectible Lego advent calendars in collaboration with popular franchises to best-selling Funko Pop editions of “The Office” and “Pokemon,” there is a unique advent calendar for every type of pop-culture junkie.

Our favorite is this limited-edition “Stranger Things” calendar, which allows you to revisit the uncanny world of Hawkins following the Netflix show’s final season next month. Behind each of the 11 doors you’ll discover playful edible icons inspired by “Stranger?Things”: gummy pizza slices, Pac-Man hard candy, waffle lollipops, cassette-tape sweets and more.

Shop the best pop-culture advent calendars below:

Following the final season this November, step into the uncanny world of Hawkins with this limited-edition advent calendar. Behind each of the 11 doors you’ll discover playful edible icons inspired by “Stranger?Things”: gummy pizza slices, Pac-Man hard candy, waffle lollipops, cassette-tape sweets and more.

Power up your holiday season with this festive treasure trove from the Mushroom Kingdom. Behind 24 numbered doors you’ll find an exciting collection of beloved characters and playful accessories, featuring never-before-seen variants like Santa Mario, Snowman Mario and Snowman Luigi

William and Sonoma’s exclusive “Elf” 12-day advent calendar celebrates the beloved Buddy the Elf’s diet candy diet in the North Pole. Behind the numbers doors are colorful caramels, milk chocolates, maple syrup, an adorable Mr. Narwhal sugar cookie, marshmallows and more.

Get ready to power up your holiday countdown with Goku, Vegeta, and the rest of the Z-Fighters. The official Dragon Ball Z Advent Calendar delivers 25 days of surprises, each tucked behind its own little door—stickers, tin buttons, a smartphone card holder and more—all inspired by the epic world of Dragon Ball Z. Whether you’re reliving Super Saiyan showdowns or just craving a festive surprise every day until Dec. 25, this calendar is a knockout gift for fans of all ages.

The holiday run-up gets the intergalactic treatment with this detailed Star Wars set, updated to include merch  from Season 2 of “The Mandalorian.” Behind each door is a buildable vehicle, weapon or accessory inspired by the popular Disney Plus series, in addition to seven minifigures from the show, including Mando, Baby Yoda, Scout Trooper, Storm Trooper and Tusken Raider, among others. Check out more “Star Wars” merch here.

Count down to Christmas with Jedi and Sith. In each of the 24 doors, you’ll find a Funko Pocket Pop featuring the Star Wars characters in their Winter finest. 

Your favorite Marvel superheroes are given a holiday twist in this festive advent calendar, which features 24 Funko Pocket Pops inspired by the franchise. 

This charming holiday classic makes for the perfect festive advent calendar, featuring a pop-up tree with 24 paper ornaments that recall  some of the most memorable scenes from the film. Some of Kevin’s misadventures included are the tarantula incident, the aftershave gimmick and and his many audio gags to throw off suspicion. Not only does the calendar come with a booklet titled “Kevin’s Guid to (Harmless) Holiday Pranks,” but you can add to the tree each day for a unique decor piece to put up during the holiday season.

Any fans of the cult classic will appreciate this ghoulish advent calendar, which brings the best parts of Halloween and Christmas together for a nostalgia-inducing countdown to the holidays. The Tim Burton-inspired calendar includes mini books, notecards, ornaments and other references to the iconic 1993 film.

“Catch em all” in this Pokemon Countdown Calendar, whose doors hide 24 different Pokemon figures and dioramas to add to your collection.

Add to your Funko Pop collection with this fun “Office”-themed advent calendar, which comes with animated figures of your favorite Dunder Mifflin employees, including Dwight, Michael, Jim, Pam and more.

If a “Harry Potter” marathon is part of your holiday tradition, then you need this brand new Hogwarts-inspired advent calendar from Lego, featuring buildable figures you can use to recreate your favorite scenes from the magical franchise. By the month’s end, you’ll have Ron, Hermione, Draco, Dudley Griphook and Harry Potter figures for imaginative play and collecting. Check out more “Harry Potter” merch here.

If you’re a horror movie fanatic, then this custom-made advent calendar is for you. Behind each window are gorgeous illustrated scenes from 30 classic horror films that span the 1920s through the 1970s. Plus, you can flip the calendar around to learn more about each film, including the title and descriptions that go along with each artistic image.

Celebrate the holidays with Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe this year with this top-selling “Friends” advent calendar, an updated version from the popular calendar that came out last year. Each of the 25 cubbies comes with unique keepsakes inspired by the show, ranging from paper ornaments to recipe cards. Check out more of the best “Friends” merch to gift this year here.

Disney’s storybook advent calendar is also a #1 bestseller on Amazon, serving as the perfect pre-holiday gift for any kid looking to immerse themselves in any one of Disney’s fantastical picture books. The set comes with 24 pre-wrapped mini-books, including classics such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “Snow White.”