25 doorsWhat’s inside →The Best 2026 DIY Advent Calendars
20 calendars, 18 new for 2026, most of them 24 doors. Full stats
The DIY tag marks the calendars you build or fill yourself, 20 across the seasons, 18 new for 2026: the Porsche 911 Turbo kit from Franzis, a model assembled a piece a day with an engine-sound module, and the Red Bull and Monster packs of cans that people turn into a countdown of their own. The art and hobby page has the other build-a-day boxes, and the DIY guide on the blog says how to make a calendar from scratch, which is what most people searching for this mean.
UpdatedNovember 9, 2026Curatedby Viktoria
20 calendars, 18 new for 2026, most of them 24 doors. Full stats
The biggest brands here
The calendars
25 doors
24 doors
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12 doors
24 doors
12 doors
24 doorsEarlier seasons
The 2 editions below are from 2025 and before. Most are sold out; the pages stay for the prices, the door lists and what changed year to year.
12 doors
24 doorsWhich DIY advent calendar to get
One for each way of asking. Every row clears the same bar — rated 4 out of 5 or better by an editor, or where none has scored it, an editors’ pick or contents worth more than the box — and nothing older than last season. How we review
First picke.l.f. Express Your e.l.f. 24-Day Advent Calendar 2026Our rating 4/5 · contents worth 1.6× the box price · 24 doors$95Under $50CheXperiment with Checker Tobi 2026Our rating 4/5 · 24 doors€34.95For womenBothy Threads Advent Calendar 2026Our rating 4/5 · 25 doors£112.99For menHerrnhuter Sterne Advent Calendar 2026Our rating 4/5 · 24 doors€42How to choose an advent calendar
- Step 01
Match the doors to the days
16 of the 20 here have 24 doors — a 24-door box opens one a day from 1 December to Christmas Eve. The others run 12 and 25, and the shorter ones start partway through the month: a 12-door box opens on 13 December. For someone who will not open one every day, or a gift that will arrive late, fewer doors is the better fit, not the lesser calendar. Every start date
- Step 02
Know which season you are buying
18 of the 20 here are 2026 editions, and 2 are last season's — still sold, often discounted, and with the contents already on the page. A brand's page keeps every edition together, so check whether the box you are looking at is this year's before you compare prices.
- Step 03
Start from the ones we have opened
0 of the 20 here carry an editors' pick and 18 have a written score. Those are the boxes somebody on this site has actually judged. The rest are listed because they exist, not because we are recommending them; being on this page is not a verdict. How we review
Toys
All 9 toys boxes9 of the 20 here are toys. Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21 2026 leads — rated 4/5 by our editors; Porsche 911 Turbo 2026 and Bibi Blocksberg 2026 follow.
Art & Hobbies
All 9 art & hobbies boxes9 of the 20 here are art & hobbies. Gründl Craft Advent Calendar 2026 leads — rated 4/5 by our editors; Bothy Threads Advent Calendar 2026 and Craft Buddy Hello Kitty and Friends x Care Bears Crystal Art Advent Calendar 2026 follow.
Still looking?
If you cannot decide, get 12 Days of CRAFTSMAN 2026
The best value among the calendars here that we have rated this season: contents worth 3.1× the price, rated 3.5/5, $64.99, 12 doors. A tool calendar that actually holds tools. The ratchet, the two socket runs and the VERSASTACK case are the sort of thing a DIYer keeps in the garage for years, which is more than most novelty boxes manage. It thins out toward the end, though: the bottle opener and the key chain are filler, and counting a six-socket run as one door flatters the twelve.
12 doorsThe diy shelf, by the numbers
How each one is countedEvery figure is computed from the records at build time and says how many it is drawn from. Door price is the price on the box over its doors; the value multiple is what the contents come to at retail over that price; full size is the retailer’s own marking. Dollar figures use rough rates and are for ranking only. Where a record cannot support a figure, it is left out rather than guessed.The definitions, one by one →18 diy calendars for 2026, a median of $3.00 a door.
| Pick | Calendar | Stock | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First pick | e.l.f. Express Your e.l.f. 24-Day Advent Calendar 2026 | $95 | 24 | $3.96 | 1 | 1.6× | 4/5 | — |
| Under $50 | CheXperiment with Checker Tobi 2026 | €34.95 | 24 | €1.46 | — | — | 4/5 | — |
| women | Bothy Threads Advent Calendar 2026 | £112.99 | 25 | £4.52 | 1 | — | 4/5 | — |
| men | Herrnhuter Sterne Advent Calendar 2026 | €42 | 24 | €1.75 | 2 | — | 4/5 | — |
| — | Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21 2026 | €79.95 | 24 | €3.33 | — | — | 4/5 | — |
| — | Porsche 911 Turbo 2026 | €129.95 | 24 | €5.41 | 1 | — | 4/5 | — |
| — | Gründl Craft Advent Calendar 2026 | €164.99 | 24 | €6.87 | 1 | — | 4/5 | In stock |
| — | The Woobles Here We Go A-Wooblin' Advent Calendar 2026 | $130 | 12 | $10.83 | 1 | — | 4/5 | In stock |
| — | 12 Days of CRAFTSMAN 2026 | $64.99 | 12 | $5.42 | — | 3.1× | 3.5/5 | — |
| — | Beetles Christmas Miracle Express Advent Calendar 2026 | $199.99 | 24 | $8.33 | 1 | — | 3.5/5 | In stock |
Median price $60 across the 18 priced; door price across 18. Rough dollar rates, for ranking only.
Who makes most of it — 18 brands across 18Beetles1Bibi Blocksberg1Bothy Threads1Checker Tobi1Craft Buddy1
How big the boxes are — all 2024 doors1612 doors325 doors1
Launches we saw — 4 of 18
Frequently asked questions
Are there DIY advent calendars in 2026/2027?
Yes. 18 of the 20 DIY advent calendars we list are 2026 editions. The other 2 are 2025 boxes, which some retailers still stock.
How many doors do DIY advent calendars have?
Most DIY advent calendars have 24 doors, 16 of the 20 we list. The rest run 12 and 25.
Which brands make DIY advent calendars?
20 brands, one calendar each: Beetles, Bibi Blocksberg, Bothy Threads, Checker Tobi, Craft Buddy and CRAFTSMAN and 14 more.
Advent calendars