Lidl Gets Ready to Unleash its Largest Advent Calendar Collection Yet

As the price of groceries and most goods and services continues to rise, shoppers this holiday season will be looking for deals that allow them to indulge without breaking the bank. Fortunately, the advent of wine, beer, chocolate and cheese collections from German discounters Lidl and Aldi will allow them to do just that.

Lidl recently announced that its largest selection of advent calendars will hit its more than 160 U.S. stores Nov. 3. The collections start at just $1.99 for an Elf on the Shelf Holiday Countdown Calendar and top out at $59.99 for a Winter Winederland Advent Calendar, a new product that features 24 days’ worth of wines, including red, rose, sparkling and white varieties. The wine-filled calendar is available in stores where legally permitted.

“There’s no better way to celebrate the holiday season than by delighting your senses day-by-day with one of our exclusive food-themed advent calendars,” said Stefan Schwarz, Lidl U.S. chief product officer, on the company’s website. “We look forward to launching our biggest selection of holiday advent calendars to date to bring in the holiday season starting November 3.”

Other Lidl holiday offerings include the Hot Sauce Advent Calendar ($14.99); 12 Biers of Christmas ($34.99); Ilchester Cheese Advent Calendar ($14.99); Mixologist Advent Calendar $49.99; a Disney-themed calendar ($24.99); Godiva 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar ($6.99); and Victor Allen’s Coffee Calendar ($9.99).

The offerings are in line with fellow hard-discounter Aldi’s advent calendar offerings. Last year, WGB chatted with the Batavia, Ill.-based Aldi’s Joan Kavanaugh, VP of national buying, who shared that the level of success Aldi saw with its first wine advent calendar in 2018 was especially unexpected. “We were truly blown away by our customers’ response, which is why we’ve continued to expand the offering each year,” she said at the time.

This year, Aldi launches its advent calendars, including its coveted Collection Wine Advent calendar, on Nov. 3. The wine advent collection will retail for $59.99; however, prices may vary by location, the retailer’s website notes. Aldi further says curbside pickup and delivery for its advent calendars also differs by location.

Other 2021 Aldi Advent Calendars include Beer; a Sparkling Wine Countdown to New Year’s Eve; Connelly’s 12 Days of Irish Cream; Barissimo Coffee; Emporium Selection Cheese; Chocolate; several calendars featuring Moser Roth confections; and a variety of children-themed calendars.

And with new research showing that only 12% of shoppers are planning to cut back on holiday spending this year—despite the surge in prices—boozy, cheesy and chocolatey advent calendars are all the more likely to make consumers’ discretionary spending cut.