Life

The best Advent calendars of 2017

Gone are the days when the thrill of an Advent calendar was opening each window to see the picture behind it.

The next generation of Advent calendars had a chocolate treat for every day but today's calendars have blown them all out of the water and now you can expect beauty products, candles and bottles of wine. Here's a selection of what's on sale now:

M&S Beauty Advent Calendar

From today if you spend £35 on clothing, beauty or home you can buy the ever popular M&S Beauty Advent Calendar for £35. It's worth £250 due to the high end products hidden behind every window which include Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, Nails Inc polish, Alpha-H Liquid Gold Rose and Korres Advanced Repair Sleeping Facial.

Pickering's Gin Baubles

Aldi Wine Advent Calendar

Priced at £49.99, the calendar is available from November 1 and each of the 24 windows opens to reveal a mini bottle of red, white, rosé and fizz.

The Body Shop

The Body Shop has three Advent calendars. The smallest is the 24 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar which costs £45 although the combined gift value is £86. You'll find plenty of your favourite products including coconut hand cream, a selection of lip balms, eye lash curler and bath gloves.

The next size up is the 25 Days of Game Changing Advent-ure Advent Calendar (£65, gift value £116). Among the treats are camomile eye make-up remover, almond milk and honey body butter 200ml and full size mango soap.

The third is the very large 25 Days of Game Changing Advent-ure Ultimate Advent Calendar (£99, gift value £212). It's chockablock full of treats including 50ml Vitamin E night cream, 75ml Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask and lips and cheek stain.

Sales of the calendars go towards the Peace Play Project which is helping Syrian refugee children.

All three calendars have a treat behind every door as well as a feel good action to complete so you might need to smile at someone on the bus or offer up a compliment to get into the spirit.

Yankee Candle

This wreath shaped Advent calendar contains wax melts and votives with a special candle for the 24th. It's on sale for £24.99.

Primark

For £10 you get 12 nail polishes in this cute Advent calendar from Primark