Oh. My. God. These Friends advent calendars—which include 25 days of show-themed surprises (such as Dancing Monica Turkey Ornaments)—are must-haves for any Friends fan, and we’ll explain why.

Friends premiered in September 1994 and ran for 10 seasons until May 2004. The series—which starred Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry—followed six best friends in New York City. In May 2021, all six cast members, as well as creators, David Crane, Marta Kauffman and Kevin S. Bright, returned for a reunion on HBO Max.

If you’ve never used an advent calendar before, here’s how it works: Each calendar has about 25 paper compartments that fans can open up as they count down the 25 days to Christmas. Inside the compartments are festive surprises like ornaments, mini Christmas books and other holiday-themed trinkets. If you’re someone who can’t wait until December 25, advent calendars are an excellent way to scratch that gift-opening itch and unwrap a new present each day.

And you’ve never got an advent calendar before, here’s a word to the wise. They go on pre-sale months before the holidays and are known to sell out well before their official release. And if these Disney advent calendars are anything like other pop culture advent calendars—such as Disney, Harry Potter, Star Wars Marvel and Batman—we suspect that they’ll go fast. Read on ahead for the best Friends advent calendars.

Friends Central Perk: 12 Days of Bath & Body Advent Calendar

Take a bath with Friends products with this 12-day advent calendar. The Central Perk: 12 Days of Bath & Body Advent Calendar includes a dozen Friends-themed bath and body products like Central Perk hand balm, “How You Doin’?” body washes and a Friends-emblazoned nail filer. The calendar also comes with bath salts, bath bombs and a loofa. The calendar itself is decorated with the Central Perk logo with two steaming coffee cups. The design is reminiscent of the iconic cafe the six friends hung out at in every episode.

Friends Central Perk: 12 Days of Bath & Body Advent Calendar is available on Amazon.

Friends: The Official Advent Calendar: The One With the Surprises (2021)

Buy: 'Friends: The Official Advent Calendar' $26.99

After the success of the 2020 Friends advent calendar, Insight Editions, a collectible books and calendar company, released a 2021 version with even more goodies for fans to celebrate the holidays alongside their favorite Friends: Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey. Like the 2020 version, the 2021 version of Friends: The Official Advent Calendar: The One With the Surprises includes 25 days of unique Friends-themed keepsakes, such as show-inspired ornaments, recipe cards based on iconic dishes from the series and other festive trinkets.

The calendar, which is for all ages is decorated with Friends holiday photos, cartoons and quotes such as when Chandler told Monica, “But I didn’t get to shake my belly like a bowl full of jelly!” when he dressed in a Santa costume to surprise Ross’ son, Ben. Another quote on the calendar is when Ross told the group, “Wow, Monica letting other people help decorate her tree? Did someone get her drunk again?” when he found out that the crew helped Monica decorate her Christmas tree. (Spoiler alert: Monica just turned around the tree to face the part where she decorated on her own.)

Friends: The Official Advent Calendar: The One With the Surprises is available on Amazon.

Friends: The Official Advent Calendar: The One With the Surprises (2020)

If you didn’t buy the 2020 Friends advent calendar (or just want two this year), the previous version is still on sale on Amazon. Like the 2021 version, the 2020 version of Friends: The Official Advent Calendar: The One With the Surprises features 25 pockets for fans to open as they countdown to Christmas. Inside the pockets are more than 40 Friends-themed items. There’s even a surprise inspired by the Holiday Armadillo, a character Ross created in season 7 when all the Santa costumes were sold out. To teach Ben about Hanukkah, Ross dressed up as the Holiday Armadillo and told Ben that he’s Santa’s Tex-Mex friend.

Friends: The Official Advent Calendar: The One With the Surprises is available on Amazon.

Buy: 'Friends: The Official Advent Calendar' $18.70

Friends: The Official Cookbook 

Buy: 'Friends: The Official Cookbook' $19.96

If you’re all set this year on Friends advent calendars, Insight Editions also has a Friends-themed cookbook, titled Friends: The Official Cookbook, on Amazon. (There’s also a cheaper version on Kindle.) The cookbook, which includes Friends-themed recipes such as Monica’s Thanksgiving feast, Rachel’s Trifle (you know, the one with meat in it) and Phoebe’s Grandmother’s Cookies (shout out to Nestlé Toll House), was written by Amanda Yee.

Friends: The Official Cookbook is available on Amazon.

For more Friends-themed merchandise, click here for our gift guide.

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