From beauty products to books, with a segue via booze – you name it and there’s an advent calendar for it. And the adult advent calendar market has exploded. A recent Ipsos study shows that amongst those aged 18-34, 81% will buy an advent calendar. And 51% of people will buy one just for themselves.
And while they look like cute December gimmicks, for women they’re doing something important: carving out a tiny sliver of the day that’s just for you. A moment that isn’t about anyone else’s mood, needs or expectations.
(Honestly, every day should have this, year round!).
A 2025 YouGov survey shows women are still far more likely than men to take on the majority of Christmas cooking, cleaning, decorating, shopping and planning, often on their own. And that’s before you add the invisible load: remembering who likes what, smoothing family tensions, managing budgets, orchestrating traditions, and playing referee between relatives who should frankly know better by now.
So if ever a small break in the day, just for yourself is needed, it's definitely in December.
Meanwhile, the self-giving trend continues, with recent UK retail data showing that nearly 30% of shoppers now spend more on themselves at Christmas than on individual gifts for others - rising to around 50% for Millennials.
In other words: women aren’t waiting to be “treated” anymore.
They’re treating themselves.
And good on them.
Because after a year of low-level anxiety, decision fatigue, financial strain, emotional heavy-lifting and the general feeling of “holding everything together”… women absolutely need to stop automatically putting themselves at the bottom of the pile.
We’re finally learning our own love language.
And if that language is gift-giving, we’re starting to include ourselves in the exchange.
And honestly?
That's a beautiful thing.
No room for disappointment. No looking hopefully for a gift receipt. Just receiving exactly what you want.
Ready to self-gift some self-love?
We have the perfect pick-me-up for the never-ending greyness of January in our self-gift vouchers - available here.
Much love,
Anna
xx
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