The rise in luxury advent calendars in the last few years has been remarkable – and nowhere does them better than Selfridges.
Gone are the days where we were happy with cheap chocolate behind a foil door.
Nowadays one of the greatest thrills of the festive season is opening a tiny present every day, whether it’s a makeup product, a flavour of tea, a pair of socks or whatever else has been stuffed into an advent calendar.
Selfridges own beauty advent calendar, which is stuffed with more than £1000 worth of products, has already sold out for this year.
But the department store has plenty more options for you to choose from.
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Read on to find 10 of the fanciest, most luxurious, most exciting advent calendars on sale this winter.
Mince pies
A mince pie advent calendar in Selfridges. Credit: The Manc Group
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without mince pies, and if you love to start stuffing your face with them as soon as the calendar hits December, then this calendar is the one for you.
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The Selfridges exclusive advent calendar has loads of different flavoured mince pies hiding behind every door, including classic, citrus, almond and chocolate.
Then there’s a mini Meg Rivers Christmas cake waiting behind door number 25.
One for the big kids (or the actual kids) now – an advent calendar full of Lego. How cute!
There are a few different themes to choose from, including Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Spider Man, with a different minifigure to open every single day.
MAC’s Selfridges exclusive advent calendar has loads of hit products in it. Credit: The Manc Group
Cult make-up brand MAC has picked Selfridges as an exclusive stockist for its Gift of Gold 2024 advent calendar.
Products inside this giant festive box include some of their most celebrated products, including the Fix+ Original setting spray, matte and sheer-shine lipsticks in a range of shades, lip gloss, skincare, eye shadows and brow products.
It’s £180 but you get an unbelievable £445-worth of stuff for that. Grab yours HERE.
Diptyque
Diptyque has a 2024 advent calendar. Credit: The Manc Group
Another very fancy advent calendar is this one from Diptyque, with 25 days of scents to discover. Scentsational, you might say.
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Candles make up the bulk of this advent calendar, including their seasonal specials like pine tree, berries and wood fire.
But you’ll also get refillable solid perfumes, eau de parfums, soaps, body lotions and even a set of decorations.
Selfridges’ own malt ball advent calendar. Credit: The Manc Group
Sometimes you just can’t beat a classic chocolate-filled advent calendar, and Selfridges has their own that should hit the spot.
This pretty green polka-dot box is filled with different flavours of malt chocolate balls, including blonde, salted caramel, orange, and cookies and cream.
The most wholesome advent calendar on the whole list is this one – the Little People Big Dreams calendar, where each day unlocks a new mini book.
Inside each envelope, children will find stories about inspirational people from across the world, from groundbreaking musician Elton John and eco hero Steve Irwin, to freedom-fighter Martin Luther King and visionary artist Frida Kahlo.
First look at Topshop in Manchester as beloved brand returns to British high streets
Daisy Jackson
Topshop is officially back on British high streets, and if you’re old enough to remember the struggle of contorting yourself into a pair of Joni jeans, you’re going to want to pay attention to this news…
The iconic fashion giant shut its stores back in 2021, leaving a huge hole in shopping centres across the nation.
But now Topshop and Topman are back in stores, with 32 new Topshop retail spaces and seven new Topman locations launching today.
Mancs will now be able to shop cult denim, statement jackets, and trend-driven wardrobe staples (just like the golden days of Topshop) at the Trafford Centre.
It’s all thanks to a new nationwide partnership with John Lewis, which will see a curated edit of around 130 styles available in-store across womenswear, menswear and footwear.
In store, that includes a full range of jeans (including those beloved Joni and Jamie jeans, plus more modern barrel-leg styles), graphic tees, knitwear, bomber jackets, and dresses.
There are Topshop retail spaces inside John Lewis at both the Trafford Centre and in Cheadle, but our closest Topman will be across in Leeds.
John Lewis has also become the exclusive UK physical retailer for Topshop footwear for SS26.
Inside Topshop at the Trafford Centre in ManchesterThe iconic Joni and Jamie jeans are back
Michelle Wilson, managing director of Topshop, said: “Today is about making it easier for customers to access the Topshop and Topman pieces they love.
“From our cult denim to new‐season footwear, you can see it, feel it and take it home the same day. Partnering with John Lewis brings Topshop back to high streets across the UK with the level of service our customers expect.”
Peter Ruis, managing director of John Lewis, added: “Topshop and Topman are brands with enormous cultural relevance, and their return to physical retail is something our customers are genuinely excited about.
“This partnership reflects our focus on bringing iconic names, strong style and compelling experiences into our stores.”
First Look: Matcha Made and The Trafford Centre makes for a perfect marriage
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester’s newest matcha spot just dropped, and we know it’s an easy pun, but it really does feel like a match made in heaven.
Just picture the scene: there’s a big birthday or holiday coming up, so you’ve arrived at The Trafford Centre early to get in a full day of shopping, eating and being generally leisurely – but you need an early caffeine fix and maybe some light, fluffy yet still filling pastry to keep you going.
There are very few places better to start this kind of day than at Matcha Made, who’ve just opened up in the North West’s massive and most famous shopping mall.
Fronted by a lovely lineup of smiling staff who couldn’t do enough for you and are more than happy to give you advice or simply plug their own recommendations, we can see ourselves coming back here for the service alone.
They’ve arrived in the big leisure complex just in time for February half-term, too, meaning any parents needing an alternative caffeine hit can fuel up right here.
Specialising in the Japanese and super healthy green tea craze that currently has the UK in a chokehold, only directly out of a tap – almost like a zen twist of draught beer taps – the art is not only in how green the raw matcha itself tastes but in the flavours and finishing touches.
This stylish pastel green hatch might not be the only place to get your matcha on in The Trafford Centre, but it might just be the best already.
It was immediately apparent that the staff had a clear favourite: the Biscoff foam version, but they said their simple but sweet and satisfying strawberry one has also proved to be one of the most popular.
There’s plenty of fruity options to choose from; they’ve got their own take on the fellow contemporary trend of banana pudding for anyone looking for a fix, and even ume plum, or you can just go for a straight-up coffee or hot chocolate as well.
So yeah, even if your partner isn’t quite ready to admit they’re a secret ‘matcha girlie’, then they can spend a little bit more time lying to themselves over this side of the menu.
Whether you want it topped with cream, shavings or a light dusting of cocoa powder, you can make this little drink just about as decorative as you like.
Besides being more reasonably priced than we were expecting, given the ongoing matcha boom, you’ve also got the big bonus of a fridge stocked with bakes from local favourite La Chouqette. Sold.
Daisy Jackson -
25th October 2024 
