Six wacky alternative advent calendars to buy now

If you just can’t wait until Christmas Day to pamper yourself, this is the advent calendar for you. The 24 Days of Discovery pack offers a whole month of indulgence, featuring beauty products from the likes of Dove, Radox, Vaseline, Tresemme, VO5 and Toni&Guy. Each day you’ll receive a new luxury item, from body washes and beauty bars to lip balms and bath bombs. And there’s more than just skincare and haircare stuff. With reusable items like a muslin cloth, travel bottle, hair scrunchie and charging cable at your disposable, by the Christmas dinner comes around, you’ll be the most glamourous person in the room. (Amazon, until November 30)

Pre-empt getting socks for Christmas by telling everyone in advance about your Happy Socks advent calendar. Every other day throughout the month, Happy Socks’s calendar offers a new pair of its signature strange, colourful socks. That’s a whopping 12 different styles.

And don’t worry, you won’t end up with loads of Christmas-themed socks that are essentially useless at any other time of year. There are plenty of other, non-seasonal designs included alongside some bold Chrimbo patterns to whip out on the big day. The price might look a little steep, but it works out at just under a tenner per pair. (Happy Socks, while stocks last)

If booze is one way to wind-down from festive stress, another is knocking up a hot cuppa. The English Tea Shop calendar contains 25 tea bags and 13 types of tea, featuring an enormous range of flavoured brews. From peppermint, rose and ginger to orange, cinnamon and pomegranate, behind each of the calendar’s doors is a fresh twist on classic breakfast tea. Plus it’s all organic (meaning it’s free of pesticides and herbicides), as well as being Fairtrade and approved by the Soil Association. Heaven for tea connoisseurs. (Amazon, until November 23)

We’re not sure if anyone has a full, spa-esque luxury bath every day, but this advent calendar finally gives you the excuse you needed to lather up this December. The Bomb makes cruelty-free, handmade bath bombs and creamers, as well as soaps, bodycare and home fragrances – and they’ve packed all those fizzing bombs and lush soaps into a calendar. By the end of the month there’s a decent chance you might look as shrivelled as a prune. But at least you’ll be damn relaxed, wonderfully-smelling shrivelled prune. (Amazon, until November 30)

Advent calendars don’t get much more alternative than this: a collection of tools that, by the time Christmas day arrives, amounts to a complete mini-toolset. Draper’s set includes 54 tools, including a measuring tape, adjustable wrench, pliers, hexagon keys and a magnetic screwdriver – all contained in a sturdy case to keep everything safe and organised. It’s neat, practical and ideal for anyone thinking of taking up some DIY-based New Year’s resolutions. (Robert Dyas, while stocks last)