Ovi, Rituals or Hot Wheels: which Advent calendar is really worth it?
2.11.2026
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Pictures: Christian Walker
Thousands of Advent calendars are now in stock. But are any of them even worth it? Is opening those little doors fun at all? And do you get anything in return for your money? I explored all these questions, trying out three of the most popular calendars for children and adults.
To run my comparison, I ordered three of the best-selling Advent calendars in our range. One with candy, one for grown-ups and one for kids. I rated them all based on the same criteria and assigned a score of one to five candles.
Ovomaltine Ovo 26: malty chocolate goodness
Price: At time of review, this calendar was slightly reduced at 26 francs. Otherwise, it’s on sale for 35 francs. As a famous Swiss ad slogan puts it: «Mit Ovomaltine kannst du’s nicht besser. Aber länger.» You won’t be any better, but you’ll manage longer. In this spirit, the calendar has 31 doors instead of 24. That comes to between 85 cents and 1.10 francs per door. A truly affordable calendar for any budget.
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Look and packaging: This thing looks huge in photos, but it really isn’t. It’s 54 centimetres long, 25 centimetres tall and just three centimetres wide. The calendar can’t stand on its own either. Colour-wise, it’s all very orange – of course, that fits the Ovo brand. Just a shame that many of the numbers are hard to read. The entire set is made of cardboard, which I like. Only, each piece of candy is individually wrapped in plastic, so points away there.
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Unboxing: I open those little doors and find little Ovo treats in the familiar packaging. It’s fun for the first few days, but soon you end up with duplicates of the same sweet. Although there are at least twelve different Ovomaltine varieties to discover, chocolate hearts, for example, appear five times in the calendar. Other small treats have also been used more than twice. The Ovo Break bar, on the other hand, is only in once, as is a serving of Original Ovomaltine. Over time, this feels just a bit boring and predictable. And I wonder why a manufacturer that doesn’t even have enough different products for 24 doors would want to extend its calendar by seven extra days.
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Value for money: Since each door contains individual mini-treats, it’s not that easy to calculate. For example, Napolitains cost 20 cents each. Other products, such as Ovo Rocks, aren’t available in small packages. And I can’t find Ovomaltine hearts in stores at all. In total, the value of these goods comes to between 15 and 20 francs. Even if I’m being generous, I won’t recoup that cost with the calendar. In total, that’s about 300 grammes of chocolate for 26 to 35 francs. When you look at it that way, it’s a steep price.
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Verdict: Ovomaltine’s Advent calendar thrives on the brand’s cult status. Everyone who sees it wants to have it and rip it open. But the disappointment sets in after just one week. The doors reveal only small portions, and many treats are repeated four or five times. Overall, the calendar’s nice, but it’s not really worth it. Sure, it’s still a great gift for Ovo fans. They can even discover new products like the chocolate hearts, which aren’t available anywhere else.
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Rituals Classic: a journey of smells through the range
Price: For 94 francs at time of review, this calendar isn’t a bargain – it’s an investment that requires careful consideration. You shell out almost four francs per door.
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Look and packaging: The house, decorated for Christmas, resembles a stately 19th-century city villa and fits right in with the Advent season. The calendar stands up nicely by itself, and you’ll find doors on both sides. Just a shame again that the products are packaged in a plastic insert. Still, at least it’s easy to separate from the cardboard packaging and bin.
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Unboxing: Anyone expecting full-size Rituals products will be disappointed. Only two tubes have the same volume as the ones you’ll find in store. Everything else tends to be travel-size, between 30 and 50 millilitres. Still, the manufacturer offers a lovely selection of bath and skincare products with autumnal and wintry fragrances. The four scented candles also fit nicely into the calendar. As a bonus, I find an exfoliating glove in one of the little doors – one I wouldn’t be able to buy at Rituals normally. Overall, unwrapping the gifts is fun – every little door holds a surprise.
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Value for money: Since most of the products are available in stores – just in different sizes – I can easily calculate the exact value of the goods. The only items I have to estimate are the scented candles, the glove and the face mask. If my math’s right, the value of everything here should be around 190 francs. The manufacturer itself lists a value 20 francs higher on its website. But I guess that depends on daily price changes. Even with my lower price, the calendar still comes out to just under eight francs per door. You’ll end up with twice as much as you pay for.
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Verdict: For anyone who wants to try out the Rituals range, this Advent calendar is a great deal. Its small samples are perfect for this. Even if you already have a full-size version in your bathroom cabinet, there’s no problem – you can just use the little Advent version on holiday. The concept is compelling, and the manufacturer offers plenty of value for money. By the way: Rituals also offers a premium calendar for just under 200 francs. It contains more full-size products; according to the manufacturer, the value of the items is around 300 francs there.
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Hot Wheels: ready to race
Price: This calendar costs a mere 30 francs. That comes out to about 1.25 francs per door. A pretty affordable calendar.
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Look and packaging: Colourful race cars speed through a winter landscape. It fits the theme of the content. On the other hand, I think it’s unfortunate that all the vehicles included in the calendar are depicted on the packaging. It takes away the surprise. The cardboard flap at the front of the calendar folds down, showing off a few orange roads and the snow-covered surroundings. As a play area, however, it’s far too small and feels like a token effort. At least everything’s made of cardboard and can be recycled.
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Unboxing: The calendar starts off strong with two metal cars on the first two days. Unfortunately, plastic parts quickly follow. Sure, the manufacturer clearly states on the packaging that only 10 of the 24 doors contain a vehicle. But the plastic junk in the rest of the slots defies description. The roughly moulded plastic looks cheap. For many items, it’s not until I look at the product photo that I realise what I could possibly use them for. Those two little reindeer are very sad. Same shape, different colours – separated across two little doors.
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Value for money: Individual Hot Wheels cars cost 3 to 3.50 francs. Calculating this way, the value of all the goods would be 30 to 35 francs, plus the plastic parts. I definitely wouldn’t estimate any more than 40 francs. That’d be ten francs more than the list price, at least. However, sets of five are also available for ten to eleven francs. For 32 francs, you can even get a gift set with 20 vehicles.
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Verdict: This Hot Wheels product highlights a problem that many children’s Advent calendars have. They may be affordable, but only half of the doors actually hide something fun. It’s inevitable that young players will be disappointed from time to time. Anyone who buys actual cars for a similar price and spreads the cost out over 24 days is guaranteed to make their kids much happier. Then at least they’ll have 24 useful toys instead of ten cars and 14 pieces of plastic junk that end up in the trash after a short time.
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Which Advent calendar would you recommend? Let the Community and me know in the comments!
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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