📺 Christmas spirit 2025: Yle Christmas calendar + the best LEGO, beauty and delicious calendars

When the smell of mandarins fills the air in homes and kettles with cardamom quietly simmer on the stove, Finland begins its favourite time of anticipation — Advent. Some families open a "window" with chocolate every morning, others collect tea bags and share them between two, and others choose a large beauty calendar and turn December into 24 little beauty rituals. At the same time, there is Yle Joulukalenteri — a television story consisting of 24 short episodes, one episode per day from 1 to 24 December, creating that feeling of "today there will definitely be a little miracle".

I have put together a comprehensive practical guide: how to watch Yle Joulukalenteri, what types of advent calendars are popular in Finland (from LEGO to tea and beauty), what to look for before buying (age, allergens, price, packaging), where to get the best deal, how to carefully plan a "family ritual" and what to do if everything is sold out. I am marking soft anchors in the text — Yle Joulukalenteri, where to buy souvenirs in Finland, Christmas markets in Finland — later we will link this guide to other SuomiGuide materials.

What Yle Joulukalenteri is & why it matters

The television programme Joulukalenteri consists of 24 mini-series that air every day from 1 to 24 December. For Finnish families, this is not just a "children's series", but part of their daily routine: a short series in the morning or evening, shared smiles in front of the screen and "what happened today" over dinner. The stories change from year to year — sometimes it's the school of Joulupukki's helpers, sometimes it's a little family mystery, sometimes it's friendship that "holds winter together". In 2025, Tonttuakatemia is back in the announcements — a second encounter with the world of the "academy" of northern helpers: 24 "windows" of history that can be watched on TV and online.

Reader's voice

"We turn on the series in the morning while the porridge is heating up, and in the evening we reread the dialogues in Finnish — the child's language skills are developing faster than in class."
— Sirpa K., Turku

How to watch: TV, Areena & subtitles

Where to watch. Traditionally, the series is broadcast on one of the Yle channels (usually TV2), and the entire season is available on Yle Areena — convenient for those who like to watch "at their own pace".
Pace. The most relaxed scenario is to watch it in the morning (10 minutes) and then again in the evening with your parents: children understand the meaning differently when they listen together with adults.
Language. Most seasons are in Finnish; there are often subtitles/descriptive audio tracks. If your child is just starting to learn the language, take a "parallel approach": episode → short conversation → Advent card. This helps maintain both concentration and enjoyment.

Anchor on the topic — Yle Joulukalenteri — we will put together a separate brief guide: how to find the season on Areena, where to watch archived stories, and which episodes most often appear in recommendations.

Types of advent calendars

Chocolate. Classics: Fazer, Muumi, collectible series with "winter" designs. Works well for younger schoolchildren and "for two".
Tea/coffee. Nordqvist (including "Moomin tea"), sometimes there are mixes from roasters and small coffee shops. Suitable if the family wants "less sugar, more ritual".
LEGO and toys. The LEGO City/Friends/Star Wars lines are the most sought after; sometimes you can find themed "mini-figures" and details for a New Year's scene.
Beauty. Rituals, Lumene, chain beauty retailers. This is "adult joy" — skincare, miniatures, candles.
Books/activities. Sets with short tasks, quests, and "daily" cards are ideal for family Finnish and quiet evenings.
Mix "for two." 12+12 "windows" for a couple: alternate days, share tea/a face mask/a small chocolate — works when you want something "adult and without excess."

Prices & how to choose the right one

To understand the scale of the budget, keep these ranges in mind (they vary from store to store and campaign to campaign, but they look similar year after year):

● Chocolate (Fazer/Muumi, etc.) — €10–20 per calendar; premium/collectible — higher.

● Tea (Nordqvist and similar) — around €19–25 for 24–27 bags.

● LEGO — around €18–30 per calendar (special offers/coupons at the end of November can help).

● Beauty (Rituals/Lumene/chains) — around €80–150 depending on the set and the "value inside".

Important: in Finland, shops are required to show the "lowest price in 30 days" in their sales advertisements — this is a useful indicator if you are unsure whether the discount is genuine.

How to choose: age, allergens, value "outside the box", ecology

Age. Boxes are labelled: LEGO — "5+", beauty — "adults", books/activities — according to content. If the calendar is "for two", it is convenient to choose tea/coffee or mini-quests.
Allergens. For chocolate, check for milk/nuts/soy additives. If you have severe allergies, it is easier to put together a homemade advent calendar (see below).
Value "out the window". Divide the price by 24 to get the "cost per day". For beauty products, check the total declared value and usefulness of the miniatures (not just the "wow items" on the cover).
Packaging. The easier it is to recycle, the better. There are sorting centres in cities — it's nice to end December without a mountain of mixed waste.
How not to get tired. If your child likes to watch Yle series in the morning, open the "window" in the evening — this will keep them interested and give it meaning.

Reader's voice

"Last year we got tea, and it worked better than chocolate: in the evening, 'our' tea, a cartoon from the Yle archive and warm pyjamas — quieter than with sugar."
— Lena S., Espoo

Where to buy: chains, online & fairs

Chains. Prisma and K‑Citymarket hypermarkets start selling advent calendars at the end of October; the most popular ones are sold out by mid-November. Suomalainen Kirjakauppa and Akateeminen have more book/quest sets. KICKS/Stockmann beauty stocks beauty lines.
Online. Brand stores and large marketplaces make it easy to compare prices per "window" and check availability. LEGO and beauty products often have "early bird" coupons.
Fairs. Handcrafted advent calendars (honey, spices, candles, cards) can be found at Christmas fairs in Finland — beautiful, local, in the spirit of slow gifting.
Gifts to take home. If Advent is a "gift for guests," the logic is similar to where to buy souvenirs in Finland: choose items with a "local flavour" (tea/ceramics/textiles) and Fazer chocolate "in a set."

Interactive map: shopping hubs

Home-made calendars & family rituals

24 envelopes with tasks: "read aloud", "write a card to your grandmother", "make a gingerbread star".
Sugar-free flavours. Berry tea, a slice of orange with cinnamon, nuts for each day, a little honey with a spoon.
Light and atmosphere. The "candle of the day" and a short "thank you for today" — the best part of the evening.
An idea "for two." Write each other little notes "what I am grateful for"/"what made me happy" — Advent turns into a gentle family diary.

Family ritual: how to live 24 days without fuss

— Morning-evening rhythm. In the morning — a series on Yle, in the evening — the Advent "window" and tea.
— One "big" evening a week. On Saturday, open two windows or add a mini-quest: collect a Christmas tree decoration, write a letter to friends.
— Sharing is part of the game. If there is one Advent calendar and two children: even windows for one, odd windows for the other; the final "24" together.
— Plan "if everything is taken apart". Tea/book — can be bought even at the beginning of December; and the "home set" can be assembled in one evening.

Mistakes & checklist

Buyer and viewer checklist

If you found this material useful, share it with your friends, save it for December, and tell us in the comments which Advent and which Yle season are your favourites. I will update the map and cards with prices and categories to make it even easier for the next reader to have a peaceful December.