To quote a recurring Saturday Night Live ditty, “I don’t care what your momma says, Christmastime is here.” Per usual, as the clock struck midnight on November 1st, the winter holidays took over the decor of grocery stores, shopping malls, and — as of today — Starbucks locations. Additionally, this week marked the return of some Aldi fan favorites: culinary advent calendars.
This year, Aldi locations have stocked a number of different advent sets to suit your taste. For example, on our visit yesterday, we managed to pick up a box of various chocolate truffles as well as a 24-pack of specialty cheeses. Sadly, we were unable to locate another advent item we had our eyes on: one featuring two dozen single-serve coffees. Meanwhile, there were also plenty of options for kids (including a set with regular milk chocolate figures and another Disney and Marvel-themed one) and adults (wines, beers, and hard ciders all have their own advent boxes).
What’s awesome is that, true to Aldi’s M.O., many of these advent options are quite affordable. In our case, the truffles came out to $7.99 while the cheese set was $14.99. That said, the alcohol packs seem to be significantly more expensive, going up to $70 for the wine set (although that’s not so bad for 24 187-mL bottles). As a bonus tip, if you have a Square Cash card, be sure to check your Boosts as I was able to use one for 10% off any grocery store purchase.
Ironically, while these advent calendars may already be on sale now, those wishing to use them as intended will need to wait a few weeks to dig in. If you’re unfamiliar, advent calendars typically feature 24 spaces meant to count down to Christmas Day. Of course, there’s certainly no rule that says you have to utilize them this way — so people of all faiths can enjoy these treats however they see fit.
Meanwhile, if you don’t feel like heading into Aldi yourself, you may want to hit up Instacart instead. Not only can you order these items for delivery but can also try the pick-up option, which has a fee of as little as $2 if you spend more than $35. However, be warned that these advent items are popular and so there’s a chance your order may not be fulfilled (note: if the item does get removed from your cart after you complete the transaction, you won’t be charged extra if your new total falls below the $35 threshold).
Now that we have chocolate and cheese to eat as well as tea to drink (from another, much more expensive advent we purchased from Kusmi) every day, we should be in for a fun December. If that sounds like your type of party — or if you want to add some alcohol to it — you may want to hit up your local Aldi ASAP. Happy Almost Holidays!