McGuire - Craft Chocolate Christmas Advent Calendar
On Advent Calendars
Every autumn, someone asks us for an advent calendar. It's a fair question. We sell fine chocolate, and December is when people buy it.
We don't carry them, and the reason is mostly arithmetic.
An advent calendar is twenty-four doors. Behind each one sits a few grams of chocolate: a square, a small bonbon, occasionally two. Print the doors, fit the inserts, build the box, and a good share of what you pay goes to the packaging rather than to what's inside it. The box is lovely for a month. Then it goes in the recycling.
Craft chocolate also asks for a little attention. A bar from a serious maker unfolds over several squares. The first bite introduces it, and the second, once you've noticed what the first was doing, is where it gets interesting. A thumbnail-sized piece eaten on the way out the door never gets that chance.
Then there's the shipping. A calendar is large, light and fragile, which is exactly the kind of parcel couriers price by size rather than weight.
What we'd give instead
A gift box of full-sized bars from the makers we rate highest. For what a good craft calendar costs, you give complete bars rather than fragments of them, each with its maker's story intact. A gift note is included free, and the box ships with no pricing.
If it's the ritual you're after, Advent has four Sundays. Open a bar each Sunday and share it at the table. It's slower, and a better way to taste chocolate.
This advent calendar commemorates a year of artistic development in the realm of small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate crafted by the McGuire Chocolate Company.
As Christmas approaches, you'll be treated to 24 distinct chocolate bars or truffles. Each day brings its own unique and exceptional delight.
Every morsel of chocolate featured in this calendar is crafted from cacao beans at McGuire's charming shop in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada.
We are dedicated to sourcing chocolate from small boutique chocolate makers across the globe in a transparent and ethical manner. These chocolates are meticulously crafted and combined with premium ingredients to fashion exquisite world-class chocolate and truffles.
We ship award-winning craft chocolate from our warehouse in Saint John, New Brunswick to more than fifty countries. Rates, transit times and free-shipping thresholds for every destination are below.
How We Protect Chocolate in Transit
Fine chocolate is temperature-sensitive by nature. We pack according to the forecast along the actual route, not the season on the calendar.
25–30°C (77–86°F) — insulated packaging
30–35°C (86–95°F) — double insulation with an ice pack
35–40°C (95–104°F) — double insulation with ice packs
Above 40°C (104°F) — the shipment may be held until conditions improve
We ship Monday to Thursday so nothing sits in a weekend warehouse, and a business delivery address gives chocolate a better chance than a doorstep in August. These measures reduce risk substantially. They do not eliminate it — in sustained heat, softening can still occur in transit.
Estimated Delivery Times
Every timeframe shown in the table, at checkout, or in a shipping confirmation is an estimate. Actual transit varies with destination, customs clearance and carrier operations, and peak periods and public holidays in either country affect it further. We dispatch promptly, but once a parcel is with the carrier we have little control over its progress, and we can't guarantee a delivery date.
Customs and Duties
Duties, import taxes and local handling fees are set by the destination country and are the responsibility of the recipient. They are not included in our shipping charge. Where a destination has a specific requirement, it's noted alongside that destination's rate.
If a carrier asks you for information to complete clearance, respond promptly. Parcels held for unanswered customs queries are usually returned or destroyed, and we can't recover them.
Orders With Pre-Order Items
An order that mixes in-stock and pre-order items ships complete, once every item has arrived. This avoids a second shipping charge. The expected date for a pre-order item appears on its product page and in your order confirmation, and you'll be emailed when the full order ships.
If you want the in-stock items sooner, place two separate orders. Pre-order items can't be expedited.
Damage, Melting and Delays
We don't refund or replace orders for melting, carrier delays, or customs-related outcomes. Our pricing reflects the protective packaging included in every order rather than a margin held back to cover weather.
If something arrives genuinely damaged, write to us within seven days with photographs of the parcel and its contents and we'll look at it.
Delivery to Specific Countries
For country-specific details on customs, transit and local requirements, see our pages for chocolate delivery to Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore.
Don't See Your Destination?
Write to hello@hellochocolate.com and we'll quote it.
This gift is a great example of the sustainability and reusability of its' packaging. Chocolates are wrapped in Japanese-style linen fabric that later can be used as home decor or an accessory (bandana wristband, anyone?)




