Rating my 2022 Advent Calendars

Not to brag, but I was into advent calendars before they were a thing. I grew up with the beautiful, sparkly ones from Germany. When we had our daughter, I bought the Playmobile calendars where each box contained a little toy you added to build a Christmas scene. And of course, we've had the Trader Joe's chocolate calendars ever since we discovered them.

Last year, I added cookies, wine, and cheese to my calendar haul. This year, I thought I'd add a new twist to the season: rating my calendars on a scale of one to five Santas.

ANTICO MULINO ITALIAN COOKIE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION (Cost Plus World Market)

I'm sure part of my affinity for this calendar comes from my Italian background. But it's great to wake up to a mini biscotti or sugar cookie on a 24-day basis. My one quibble is there's no special cookie for the 24th. That would have been a nice touch.

ILCHESTER BRITISH CHEESE ADVENT CALENDAR (Ralph's)

Warning: if you don't like cheddar cheese, this calendar isn't for you. I love it, so I love this calendar. Small con: the spicy sample is so spicy even my husband complained. But there were only one or two of them. Big plus: the cheese-y - literally! - puns behind every door:

WINE CALENDAR (TARGET)

This calendar was a big improvement on the one I bought last year from a popular source that always sells out (I won't name it since I found it disappointing.) I appreciate the clever titles for each bottle in this collection and the wide range of appellation, which is denoted on each bottle. I deducted a Santa because I felt like the collection was bit red-wine heavy (I'm more a fan of white) and they didn't include a small champagne bottle for the 24th, the one plus of last year's collection.

TRADER JOE'S 24 DAYS OF MILK CHOCOLATE ADVENT CALENDAR

This calendar, priced at a remarkably low 99 cents, is a classic. For quality and price, it really deserves 5 Santas. I deducted one for the most petty of reasons. I feel like the chocolate on the 24th should be a bit bigger in honor of Christmas Eve. NOTE: this particular calendar has spawned a lot of equally cheap knockoffs. None compare to the original. Of course, if you don't have a TJ's nearby, you may not have this option. No worries. Even the imitators are fun and tasty.

HERSHEY'S HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN (99 Cents Store) 1/2

This impulse buy at the 99 Cent store was a pleasant surprise. I'm a Hershey's fan. (This is purely subjective on my part but I find it better than Nestle's.) Each door opens to either a 4-pack of green-and-red Hershey-ets (their version of M&Ms) or a Hershey's mini bar. The 2 and a half Santa rating comes from a paucity of bars and abundance of fake M&M's. Don't get me wrong. They're tasty. But I could have used more mini's, which I love.

TRADER JOE'S ADVENT OF THE COCKTAIL HOUR

A collection of liquor-infused truffles, I personally found this collection disappointing. But that's because I can't stand anything coffee-flavored (I know, I know - I'm an outlier on this), and there were more coffee liquor-flavored truffles than anything else. I did give the calendar a second Santa for offering something no other collection did: a 25th window with a nice special treat. (Sidebar: TJ's chocolate cherry cordials, their other liquor-infused option, are delicious. My daughter needed to show her ID to buy them!)

That's it for my 2022 calendars! If you have a favorite I didn't mention, share it in the comments. Maybe I'll buy and rate it next year! (I want to expand out of food into other areas like beauty. I'd do tea, but I know I'd end up with a bunch of flavors that don't interest me. Same with jam advent calendars. But who knows? Maybe I'll give one of those a try just for fun!)