5 Best Advent Calendars for Cheese Lovers (2025)
Cheese Advent Calendars
Advent and countdown calendars are a relatively modern holiday tradition, allegedly developed as a children’s activity in the 1800s in Germany in order to give mothers a break from having to answer the incessant, “How many more days until?” questioning from their offspring. The first chocolate-filled advent calendar available commercially came into being in 1958, becoming mainstream by the 1990s, and set in motion an advent calendar craze. In the last decade or so, it’s hard to name a food or beverage that hasn’t been staged behind perforated cardboard windows to delight consumers of all ages.
Naturally, since cheese has also found its rightful place in the Advent calendar canon, we are here for it, especially when paired with another Advent calendar, perhaps featuring chocolate, jam, nuts, hot sauce, sausage, etc. As these things have a tendency to sell out, we’re giving you a head start by calling out some of the top cheese (or dairy) advent or countdown calendars you’ll want to get your hands on this year. Start by making space in your refrigerator, and check out the following calendars.
12 Days of Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar
Classic Advent calendars are 24 days, but “12 days of” is also a common theme in the holiday exploration calendar format. (Your move, Whole Foods.) America’s largest artisanal cheese retailer, Murray’s, offers 12 Days of Murray’s Cheese, featuring mostly family-friendly cheese selections in generous, cheeseboard portions — you can enjoy some daily or save it all up for a terrific holiday dinner cheeseboard. Several kinds of cheddar, plus gouda, Gruyère, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Manchego all make an appearance, and you’ll have more than enough to share. Several of the reveals also include accompaniments for your exponentially growing cheese collection, such as Murray’s bespoke jams and Effie’s oatcakes.
Aldi Advent Cheese Calendar
As a German grocery chain, it follows that Aldi is one of the largest purveyors of advent calendars every year, and the fervor around scoring one is real, since they arrive in limited quantities and can only be purchased in-store. Aldi’s Emporium Selection Cheese Advent Calendar features 24 European cheese samples, about a half-ounce apiece, and have retailed for about $16.99 in years past. 2024’s calendar featured cheeses such as Mimolette, Aged Gouda, and Red Leicester, as well as many flavored cheeses, and Aldi is known to switch up the selection from year to year.
Last year, Aldi’s calendars were available in store from November 6. If you sign up for their email newsletter, you can be among the first to know when to expect them this year, but typically the first Wednesday in November is known among Aldi fans as Advent Calendar Day. For competitive shoppers, one Aldi reviewer suggests that the cheese, wine, and chocolate calendars from Aldi coordinate with one another: the packaging on the cheese calendar gives pairings for each cheese that match what’s on offer in other calendars. The wine calendar is apparently in the highest demand, so you’re going to need to be ready to shop in early November to make this happen.
12 Days of Tillamook cheese advent calendar
A countdown calendar for cheddar lovers, Tillamook’s “12 Days of Tillamook” calendar features six different variations on one of America’s favorite cheeses. Four aged expressions of Tillamook Cheddar plus two flavored selections appear in this year’s box: Maker's Reserve Aged Sweet Cheddar, Maker's Reserve Aged 3-Year Extra Sharp Cheddar, Maker's Reserve Aged 6-Year Extra Sharp Cheddar, Maker's Reserve Aged 10-Year Extra Sharp Cheddar, Farmers' Collection Garlic Chili Cheddar, and Farmers' Collection Hickory Smoked Extra Sharp White Cheddar. (10 year cheddar? Happy holidays, indeed!)
For those who also enjoy the surprise element of holiday calendars, Tillamook’s calendar also includes a separate countertop box whose six contents are actually kept a surprise, but you can bet that whatever they are pairs well with cheddar.
Redhead Creamery 12 Days of Cheesemas
Available for pre-order now, to ship after November 17, Minnesota’s Redhead Creamery, in partnership with Milk Made Catering, has one of the more artisanal offerings for its 12 Days of Cheesemas calendar. Each window includes a two-ounce sample of one of Redhead Creamery’s cheeses, plus a miniature pairing. (Both! Every day! Joy!) Surprises await, but a sneak peak photo reveals pairings may include goods such as Effie’s Oatcakes, grey sea salt, and a mini honey bear, among other treats.
As an artisanal creamery Redhead makes a number of different kinds of cheeses, which we hope means a diverse variety might appear in the Cheesemas calendar. The creamery makes a number of variations on cheddar, but also Havarti, several bloomy rinds, and even an intense, North Fork Whiskey Washed Munster, for those who have been nice this year but still hope for something naughty.
Cheese Bros 12 Days of Cheesemas
Wisconsin’s Cheese Brothers also celebrate Cheesemas with a 12 Days calendar, one where you might delight in multiple days of cheese curds. Available now for pre-order, Cheese Bros.’ boxes will ship in early December. Fitting for an offering from America’s dairy state, this celebration is all cheese, with 12, full-sized blocks or packages from among its diverse cheese lineup, including Garlic & Dill Cheese Curds, Adelheid, an Alpine-inspired cheese, and Trappiste Ale-Washed Gouda.
BONUS: ice cream!
Cowboy Creamery 24 Days of Ice Cream
$69.99
Cowboy Creamery 24 Days of Ice Cream advent calendar
Look, it isn’t cheese, but as a creamery with a countdown calendar, we admire the degree of difficulty that ice cream presents and are certainly game to support its effort. Available now for either local pickup or nationwide delivery, Cowboy Creamery offers 24 “perfectly portioned,” unique flavors to provide a daily moment of joy throughout a majority of December. Early in the month flavors include year-round favorites like Blackberry Lemon Bar, and Blue Moon, and move into seasonally themed treats such as Egg Nog, Peppermint Stick, and Gingerbread Man. (Midmonth highlights include “Exhausted Parent” and “This $&@! Just Got Serious.”)