Calendars waiting for Christmas<

December is approaching, and we can finally start counting down the days until Christmas! Here are eight Advent calendar suggestions to spice up each day with a well-chosen surprise.

Sweets for young and old

Any excuse is good to treat yourself to a chocolate treat a day, and Juliette & Chocolat has thought of everyone, with a calendar for children and another for adults, both handcrafted in its Longueuil laboratory. For adults, we have reserved gourmet exclusives, such as strawberry or gingerbread marshmallows, sand roses and shots of hot chocolate, while children will be treated to squares of puffed rice and marshmallow coated in chocolate, among many other treats. The little ones can also decorate the Christmas tree in the box with the stickers included in the daily boxes.

Price: $34.95 and $49.95, online or in restaurants

Chocolate to share

Because a big part of the pleasure of tasting chocolate is to do it in good company, Chocolats Favoris offers an edition to share in addition to its calendar of fine artisanal chocolates. Thus, each day, there will be four chocolates (to be distributed evenly!), in addition to a fun seek-and-find game that will entertain the whole family. All chocolates in the calendars are made from 100% sustainable cocoa and the use of plastic in packaging has been reduced by 80%, to meet the values ​​dear to the company born in the Quebec region.

Price: $35.99 each, online or in store

Maternal sweets

Cherries with Christmas spices, raspberries with rose, apricots with lavender, lemons and yuzu are among the flavors of Bonne Maman jams and spreads that we will discover for 24 days until Christmas. Presented in a magical Christmas village, they are made in France and made from four natural ingredients (fruit, lemon juice, sugar and pectin). And there is also a hidden honey in the calendar!

Price: $39.99, in grocery stores (IGA and Metro)

Exclusive treasures for beer lovers

Quebec's specialty beer retailers (DBSQ) are back once again with their famous advent fund, which this year will count on the participation of renowned breweries such as Dunham, Beauregard, Castor, Gallicus and Maltström. This year, 13 products offered in the box will be new or exclusive, lighter brews to drink at the beginning of the week or more robust products to sip by the fire on the weekend. Upon request, custom cases can even be concocted by your favorite retailer!

Pierre-Marc Durivage, La Presse

Price: $134.79, in store

Another cool surprise

Tite Frette retailers also offer their own Advent box, there will be something for everyone! Blonde, red, black, IPA, fruity... Who will be able to guess the surprise of the day? The choice suits all styles and was made by selecting beers from among the most popular of 24 microbreweries in Quebec.

Price: $144.99, in store

For tea lovers

As well as Davids Tea's classic 24 Days of Tea, aficionados can choose a caffeine-free tea calendar this year – perfect for those December nights in slippers. Favorites and featured blends include a wide selection of festive teas like Alpine Punch, Magic Nuts, Sleigh Ride and Polar Star. Davids Tea is also bringing back its 100% matcha calendar, which was very popular last year and contains 23 green teas plus a matcha scoop.

Price: $50 to $65, online or in store

Cheese from here

This is the perfect opportunity for cheese lovers to discover local cheeses and, who knows, maybe even new favourites! This calendar features eight cheeses from eight cheese factories located across the province, from Abitibi-Témiscamingue to Estrie: Fredondaine (La Vache À Maillotte), Lys de St-Gérard (P'tits Plaisirs), Le Désirable (From Terroir De Bellechasse), a cheddar aged three years (L'Ancêtre), Heart of the village (Le Fromage Au Village), Fontina (Saint-Benoît-du-Lac), Meule des champs (Rang 9) and Noyan ( Fritz Kaiser). On sale from November 8.

Price: $35.99, at IGA grocery stores

A bit of luxury

Make-up products or perfumes in miniature format, every day has a (glamorous) surprise in store with this ultra-luxurious and aesthetic YSL Beauty calendar. The $680 box also includes two large-format items, as well as a special gift.

Price: $395, online and at Holt Renfrew