The idea for this blog post sprung into my mind today after seeing loads of people on Twitter talking about the female beauty/alternative calendars that are out this year. It's fair to say that there are quite a few, all at different prices. However, I was thinking to myself...what about the boys/men? They might not like chocolate, are bored of chocolate and I'm sure they would also appreciate something a little different in their advent calendars. It wasn't easy...I've been trawling the Internet for a good couple of hours as 'advent calendar alternatives for men' just didn't cut it for Google!
I thought that you lovely ladies (I am aware it is mostly girls who read my blog) might want to treat a male loved one in your life to one of these, whether it be your partner, brother or dad (yes, even some dads still have advent calendars!). Or, if you are a guy reading this...why not treat yourself?!
Enjoy...
LEGO City Advent Calendar
For the little or big kid in your life, this might be the ideal advent calendar. It might seem quite childish for the older man, but I thought, some grown men are collectors of little figures, so I feel some will definitely appreciate this. You will know what the men in your life like :). There are 24 windows to open and each will reveal a different LEGO city themed gift. It features 8 mini figures, including a police officer, astronaut and a robber. Also includes a surprise holiday themed mini figure.
The Whiskey Advent Calendar and The Ginvent Advent Calendar
For the drink lovers in your life, these are a little pricey, but then again, so are some of the female beauty calendars. I am sure any man in your life, who likes whiskey and/or Gin, would really appreciate either of these and consider them to be more of a Christmas gift overall than just an advent calendar for the run up to Christmas. There are 24 windows on each calendar, each revealing a 3cl sample dram of whiskey/gin (depending on which one you buy, obvs).
English Tea Shop Advent Calendar
Everyone loves a cuppa char, right?! Some boys/men might be more into their booze, but I know there are plenty out there that love nothing more than a nice cup of tea. With this, you get two advent calendars for the one price. So two tea lovers are going to be very happy in this run up to Christmas! There are 25 windows to open and each one reveals a pyramid teabag made from 100% natural ingredients. The teas and infusions have been specially made for the holiday season and some of the lovely blends are: Spicy Anise (black tea, ginger pieces, cloves, ginger flavour, mint flavour and anise flavour), Silent Night (green tea, cinnamon pieces, ginger pieces, peppermint leaves, rose petals and mint flavour) and there are also more simple teas like: Breakfast Special (black tea). Reading a review on Amazon, it seems that each calendar includes different tea and 13 flavours in total. So, apparently there are two of each flavour and they are repeated after the mid-point (check out the link below to see more of the flavours that are included).
£11.20 at
Amazon (works out at £5.60 per calendar).
Iced Gingerbread Advent Calendar
For those that still have a sweet tooth, I think this gingerbread advent calendar is lovely and still different to the usual chocolate. There are 24 gingerbread pieces to enjoy, including star shapes, Christmas trees, snowman faces and Santa faces :).
There are also loads of DIY ideas over at
Pinterest. I especially love the idea of buying a boy's/man's favourite box/crate of beer/cider (whatever he likes to drink) and then DIY-ing the front of the box/crate so it looks like an advent calendar with all the numbers and he can then have a drink each day in the run up to Christmas. You can even do this with soft drinks, whichever male you are making it for, just choose their favourite soft drinks (you could buy a box or a couple of boxes of their favourite soft drink or just buy separate drinks and fill a crate or box the same way as with the alcohol.
Have you seen any advent calendar alternatives for boys/men that I haven't?
I didn't seem to come across any skincare/shaving advent calendars, have you seen any?
Thanks so much for reading lovelies...I hope you found it useful!
Gem XxOo
Images courtesy of Amazon, Not On The High Street and John Lewis.