Advent Calendar w/chocolate
October 14, 2011 8:11 PM Subscribe
Please help me find an Advent Calendar with chocolate prizes.
Two or three years ago Starbucks sold an Advent Calendar that had pretty good (and different) chocolate treats behind each countdown door. The purchase of that calendar was largely responsible for my being held in much higher esteem by my spouse and several martial upgrades.
I haven't been able to find anything even close for the last couple of years. Either the chocolate has been waxy or the calendar rather cheesy.
Can you help? Please suggest where I might find the Advent Calendar I seek.
Two or three years ago Starbucks sold an Advent Calendar that had pretty good (and different) chocolate treats behind each countdown door. The purchase of that calendar was largely responsible for my being held in much higher esteem by my spouse and several martial upgrades.
I haven't been able to find anything even close for the last couple of years. Either the chocolate has been waxy or the calendar rather cheesy.
Can you help? Please suggest where I might find the Advent Calendar I seek.
I routinely get them at a local German butcher. The butcher we have here (Allentown, PA) is Karl Ehmer. They usually have a huge spread of stuff for the holidays.
posted by jamesalbert at 8:31 PM on October 14, 2011
posted by jamesalbert at 8:31 PM on October 14, 2011
Cost plus has been a good source in years past. I have seen them at Whole Foods. If you have a local gourmet food shop, that seems like it would be a good bet for higher quality chocolate, too.
posted by annsunny at 8:36 PM on October 14, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by annsunny at 8:36 PM on October 14, 2011 [3 favorites]
I have to disagree with the Trader Joe's recommendation. The calendar is less than $2, and the chocolate is mediocre.
posted by wnissen at 8:46 PM on October 14, 2011
posted by wnissen at 8:46 PM on October 14, 2011
Trader joes, Christmas tree shops, maybe a craft store??? Gl
posted by femmme at 9:28 PM on October 14, 2011
posted by femmme at 9:28 PM on October 14, 2011
How about buying an empty one and then filling it with some first-rate chocolate? I think the ones with little drawers are super cute, but you can also get the push-through-the-cardboard kind. Usually you can find them in large craft stores once the Christmas stuff goes up.
posted by anaelith at 9:32 PM on October 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by anaelith at 9:32 PM on October 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
Trader Joe's was good until a few years ago, when they switched from chocolate made in Germany to chocolate made in Canada. I agree with the Cost Plus World Market recommendation or checking a local European market.
posted by wintersweet at 9:39 PM on October 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by wintersweet at 9:39 PM on October 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
The chief selling points of those chocolate Advent calendars are, in my opinion, the novel picture each year, and the fact that the shape of each chocolate is a tiny surprise each day. If you can forego those two simple pleasures, may I suggest buying a wooden Advent calendar (possibly a unique one for each member of the family?) and filling it with high-quality chocolates or little toys yourself. Or make filling the Advent calendars for one another the responsibility of the Secret Santa.
posted by Soliloquy at 10:51 PM on October 14, 2011
posted by Soliloquy at 10:51 PM on October 14, 2011
Amazon has some.
http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Calendar-Santas-Special-Chocolate/dp/B002T91QYO
http://www.amazon.com/Pea-Traditional-Advent-Calendar-Chocolate/dp/B000YBJIB2
Found a listing of some more through google.
http://chocolateadventcalendar.net/
posted by stray thoughts at 1:08 AM on October 15, 2011
http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Calendar-Santas-Special-Chocolate/dp/B002T91QYO
http://www.amazon.com/Pea-Traditional-Advent-Calendar-Chocolate/dp/B000YBJIB2
Found a listing of some more through google.
http://chocolateadventcalendar.net/
posted by stray thoughts at 1:08 AM on October 15, 2011
After several years of disappointing waxy calendars purchased at grocery stores, it finally dawned on me to look for quality chocolatiers first and then find out if they offer advent calendars. Lindt does a calendar, as does Godiva.
Sometimes the artistic aspect of these high-end calendars is disappointing -- just a perforated window covering up a regular box of chocolates. If you're willing to ship from the UK, you might try one of these, which seem to have lots of different shapes behind the doors.
posted by apparently at 6:20 AM on October 15, 2011
Sometimes the artistic aspect of these high-end calendars is disappointing -- just a perforated window covering up a regular box of chocolates. If you're willing to ship from the UK, you might try one of these, which seem to have lots of different shapes behind the doors.
posted by apparently at 6:20 AM on October 15, 2011
Response by poster: Thank you for all the information. I believed I had exhausted every source but obviously not. Thanks MeFis. All will be well in December.
posted by KneeDeep at 12:08 PM on October 15, 2011
posted by KneeDeep at 12:08 PM on October 15, 2011
It's not quite the same, but I gave up on disposable Advent calendars with crappy chocolate years ago and got a nice, wooden refillable one that I fill with an assortment of our favorite individually-wrapped chocolates each year. The downsides: it's a smidge more work than just buying one, there's no element of surprise for the person who filled it, and you have the same calendar every year. The upsides, at least for me: I get to use good chocolate, I was able to find one that wasn't religiously-themed (we're a secular household but with fond memories of childhood Advent calendars), and it's a lovely holiday decoration.
posted by rhiannonstone at 6:05 PM on October 15, 2011
posted by rhiannonstone at 6:05 PM on October 15, 2011
I just noticed that Moonstruck has a really cute advent calendar this year.
posted by anaelith at 6:17 AM on November 9, 2011
posted by anaelith at 6:17 AM on November 9, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Wavelet at 8:31 PM on October 14, 2011 [1 favorite]