Advent calendar with daily gifts are pre-Christmas smash

Advent calendars have become the new Christmas trend in Korea. Produced by chocolate brands like Godiva and designer brands like Dior, advent calendars are incredibly varied, including in price.

Lotte Department Store's advent calendar [LOTTE DEPARTMENT STORE]

Advent calendars have become the new Christmas trend in Korea.

Produced by chocolate brands like Godiva and designer brands like Dior, advent calendars are incredibly varied, including in price.

When made by brands, they usually offer a daily treat for the 24 days leading up to Christmas.

“Advent calendars are sort of an end-of-year event I celebrate by myself,” said an office worker in their 30s.

The main excitement, especially for young consumers, is checking what items are hidden behind the folding doors every day until Christmas.

Beauty brand L'Occitane's advent calendar [L'OCCITANE]

L’Occitane’s Holiday Classic Calendar sells for 90,000 won ($69.70) and includes miniature bath gels, shampoos and hand creams.

Dior Beauty sells its advent calendar for 680,000 won. The calendars are exclusively sold at stores including the main branch of Shinsegae Department Store in Jung District, central Seoul.

“The calendar consists of 24 miniatures and as these miniatures are not normally sold in stores, these products are high in popularity every year,” said a spokesperson for Dior Beauty.

Dior Beauty's exclusive advent calendar is sold at 680,000 won. [DIOR BEAUTY]

Lotte Department Store created its own Beauty Advent Calendar for the first time this year in collaboration with brands such as Diptyque, Mac and Lancome. If bought individually, the samples would cost 500,000 won.

The calendar is not for sale and is being given to 1,000 VIP customers on a complimentary basis.

Advent calendars featuring snacks, such as chocolates and jellies, are popular as well.

Many parents are buying advent calendars from foreign brands such as Godiva and Haribo online for their children.

Orion's exclusive 2022 advent calendar, which was released by the company for the very first time [ORION]

Korean snack brand Orion also released an advent calendar for the first time.

“We released the product since a new trend of giving advent calendars to friends has emerged,” said a spokesperson for Orion.

“The package of the calendar can be used as an interior prop for Christmas decorations.”

BY CHOI SUN-EUL [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]