An Advent calendar for $200,000? Now that’s a very merry Christmas

When Eartha Kitt sultrily sang her Christmas wish list in Santa Baby – a 1954 convertible (in light blue), a yacht, a ring, Christmas tree decorations from Tiffany’s, a duplex, the deed to a mine, among other things – most people deemed her expectations of what she might find underneath her tree as pretty optimistic.

Fast forward to the modern era, though, and you don’t need to wait for December 25 any more. Now, you can find most of Kitt’s desired items inside an Advent calendar.

Jim Carrey stars as the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.Credit: AP/Universal Studios

Where once Advent calendars were little more than 24 tiny perforated cardboard doors with middle-of-the-road chocolate inside, over the past few years, they have taken things up a notch – or 10.

Take Tiffany & Co’s 2021 calendar, for example. While it didn’t include decorations, it did offer up various pieces of jewellery on Kitt’s wish list across 24 days for the cool price of $200,000. Thankfully, Swarovski has come to the rescue for those wanting tree ornaments, with its advent calendar retailing at $1700.

If you don’t have a spare thousand (or hundred thousand), fear not. Among those coming in for under $100 this year: Mecca’s beauty Advent calendar, which includes lip gloss, eyeliner and other beauty products for $72; Lego’s Harry Potter and Star Wars calendars for $60; and National Geographic’s gemstones calendar for $35. Even the usual chocolate options have had an upgrade this year – Tony Chocolonely’s fair-trade calendar costs $49, while Lindt is offering British shoppers a five-foot calendar for $350.

Last month, my 12-year-old requested an upgrade from her usual under-$10 confectionery calendar to Sportsgirl’s option, which includes make-up, hair scrunchies and other tween dream items, all for $99.95.

There are the wackier options too – instant noodles, beard oil, cheese, sexual wellness, seeds, rubber ducks, fishing lures, hot chilli sauce, fidget toys, pork crackling, even a human-sized chocolate calendar, and calendars specifically for cats and dogs.

Like most things Christmas-related, we’ve consumerised something that was once a relatively austere but traditional marking of the days of Advent into a month-long ultra-expensive extravaganza. Not only that, we’re now taking it outside of December, too.

According to Shopify, Advent calendar sales increased 752 per cent between June and July this year as people extended their festive celebrations to include the informal Christmas in July celebrations. And when comparing 2023 Advent calendar sales to this year, Afterpay recorded an increase of 93 per cent in the sale of beauty calendars, and found that men’s calendars outsold women’s by 71 per cent.

Of course, it wasn’t always like this. As far as Christmas traditions go, Advent calendars are a relatively new addition to festivities. They have their roots in 19th-century Germany, where Lutherans would mark the days leading up to the birth of Christ by lighting candles each night, or by marking the days with chalk. It was only in the 20th century that they started to take off and gain popularity in Australia, from the 1950s onwards. One historian has credited postwar European migrants for bringing the tradition with them. Even the Cadbury Advent calendar wasn’t launched until 1971.

Some may believe this escalation of festive fever isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Personally, I think it’s sucking the joy out of the festive season. As you might have guessed, I’m a “normal” Advent calendar appreciator from way back. I love the humble and cheap options filled with no-name chocolate squares embossed with holly leaves or Santa’s hat. Back in those days, the countdown to Christmas could be enjoyed without having to sacrifice Christmas dinner to afford it.

In part, the explosion of over-the-top calendars can be attributed to Gen Z and their appreciation of “unboxing” things on social media (a phenomenon in which influencers garner millions of likes for opening packages and explaining what is inside). But clearly, more and more adults are enjoying them, too.

After all, it’s difficult to imagine someone shelling out $795 for the Jo Malone London perfume calendar, $555 for a “top-shelf whiskey” calendar, or $765 on Diptyque’s fragrance calendar.

Along with matching family pyjamas, presents for school teachers, Santa photos, stockings, Christmas morning presents, and then catering for the day itself, we already have more than enough things to shell out on.

Yes, I am someone who, for the most part, adores Christmas and all it entails. But with the cost of living what it is this year, we’re all on a budget. And so, my Christmas wish is to keep Advent calendars simple, and stick with the no-name chocolate squares. It might not be to Eartha Kitt’s liking, but in this economy, I’m sure even she would understand.

Shona Hendley is a freelance writer based in Victoria.

The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.