What? You thought the holiday craziness was already underway? This Thursday, December 1, the countdown to Christmas really begins. So here’s a suggestion: Purchase a chocolate Advent calendar this season, and before you run out the door each morning, take a second to calm yourself with a little something sweet. Just be aware that not all chocolate Advent calendars are created equal. Here are five we found around town.

Heidel Nostalgic Advent Calendar
$5.99 from Cost Plus World Market – made in Germany
This calendar’s old-fashioned Victorian artwork charmed us. Open each flap and you’ll find a small piece of smooth (unwrapped) milk chocolate. Pop out the piece of chocolate and behind it you’ll see another sweet drawing – a toy from Santa, an angel, a Christmas tree. This is the best bang for your calendar buck.

Trader Joe’s 2016 Advent Calendar 
99 cents at Trader Joe’s – made in Canada
You get what you pay for with this 99-cent calendar. There are four different designs to choose from – we opted for DJ Santa and his dancing elf. The unwrapped chocolates are slightly grainy in texture. One of us liked the flavor well enough, but two of us thought this tasted more like a pellet you might feed a reindeer. At this price, however, you could buy Advent calendars for your child’s entire class.

Valrhona Advent Calendar 
$9.99 from Trader Joe’s – made in France
On the back of this calendar, there is an illustrated guide to what’s inside – nine different chocolate varieties and one regular-sized chocolate bar (reserved for Christmas Eve), each individually wrapped. This is clearly the “adult” calendar of the tasting. The chocolate is rich and silky, and the design is elegant. No surprise that it was the winner of our taste test. Alas, this calendar is sold out at the Trader Joe’s on South Shepherd where we bought it, but you can find it (for more money, oddly enough) on Amazon.

The Madelaine Chocolate Company’s Countdown to Christmas Calendar
$10.99 from Candylicious – made in Rockaway Beach, New York
This Village Toy Shop countdown-to-Christmas calendar came in second place in our taste test. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the size of the wrapped chocolates that pop out of this calendar. On the backside of each toy shop window flap is a different rhyming Christmas verse just as sweet as the treat inside.

[soliloquy id=”19707″]

Windel Train Advent Calendar 
$17.99 from Cost Plus World Market – made in Germany
The oversized Santa Express calendar from Windel – it’s about twice as big as the others – is pricey for the quality and size of chocolates it contains. Each piece of chocolate is individually wrapped, but the taste will remind you of airline chocolates. On a positive note, the chocolate’s flat rectangular shape is perfect for s’more-making.