"I accidentally spent $11,000 on an Advent calendar!"

That's how Singaporean influencer Grace Glazee starts a Tiktok video in which she unboxes the entire contents of Dior's new luxury gift set, "La Malle des Rêves Holiday 2025."

Right after this first sentence, she adds the sound effect of a slap — reflecting what many viewers might be thinking: "Uh, accidentally? How stupid can you be?"

But the influencer knows exactly what she's doing: You've been baited. You will now join the millions of people who have watched her go through the 24 drawers of this "trunk of dreams."

Spoiler alert: It's filled with different Dior perfumes, a snow globe, a designer scarf and … paper ornaments.

Of course, not everyone might find it the best use of $11,000 (although, to be fair, that sum is actually in Singapore dollars; the official price of the luxury calendar in US dollars is $8,200; it was listed at €7,500 in Europe).

But with plenty of people willing to spill their cash, the 120 units of this highly exclusive and limited-edition collector's item quickly sold out. There's now a waiting list.

The origins of the Advent calendar

This luxury set is a far cry from the modest origins of the Advent calendar.

The word "Advent" comes from the Latin word "adventus," meaning "arrival" or "coming." It's a period of anticipation ahead of Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus.

Many Advent traditions to mark this countdown were the result of a major change initiated by Protestant reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546). 

Until the 16th century, children received their holiday presents on St. Nicholas' Day, December 6. But for Luther, this amounted to venerating a saint, which is why he established that gifts should instead be given on Christmas Eve. The new gift-bringer would be the "Christkind," or Christ Child.

As children thereby had to wait longer for their gifts, Protestants came up with various customs to mark the countdown to Christmas, such as drawing 24 chalk lines on a door, with one erased each day, or slowly burning candles with 24 marks throughout the month of December. In families that weren't too poor, each day would be sweetened with baked treats.

Catholics found the concept attractive too, and the tradition quickly spread across German-speaking countries.

In the early 1900s, the first printed versions of a calendar started appearing, featuring illustrations or Bible verses.

With the post-WWII rise of consumer culture, chocolate companies realized that Advent calendars were a perfect format for daily micro-treats.

In the 2000s, beauty and skincare brands started releasing their calendars too. The boxed sets provided an ideal marketing device to allow customers to discover their products through 24 mini-samples.

From there, alcohol and beverage companies jumped in, along with pretty much any brand that can fit 24 items in a box.

Adults embraced the "grown-up" version of the childhood tradition. After all, who doesn't enjoy a new surprise treat every day?

Luxury sets driven by the 'unboxing' social media genre

There are countless videos just like Glazee's for all the boxed sets produced by the world's top designer brands. Indeed, an entire 'Advent calendar unboxing' genre emerged in the 2010s through social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube, and then TikTok.

In 2021, the viral potential of videos focusing on luxury Advent calendars reached new heights. That year, Chanel released its first-ever Advent calendar, celebrating the 100th anniversary of its iconic Chanel No. 5 perfume.

The most viral take on Chanel's offering was created by TikToker Elise Harmon, whose unboxing demonstrated that the contents of the set clearly weren't worth the $825 retail price. Beyond miniature samples, it contained stickers, a flip book, a drawstring bag and various trinkets.

The backlash was widely covered by the media; it was described as a PR disaster for Chanel. The articles noted that Chanel's social media platforms were flooded with outraged comments.

But, truth be told, all the contents of the calendar had already been depicted on the website where the gift set was promoted and sold, so Chanel had been very transparent about their rip-off. Nevertheless, the company promised to do better in the future.

But were the scandalized viewers really the target market of such a luxury calendar in the first place?

But were the scandalized viewers really the target market of such a luxury calendar in the first place? Chanel might not care if some people believe their products are too expensive, or don't buy into their deluxe promises.

For designer brand influencers, who are now unboxing a different luxury Advent calendar every day of December, and sharing their "$11,000 accidents," it's a winning strategy for generating attention.

After all, without their video content driving the desire for ever more extravagance, would such sets have ever been designed in the first place?

Edited by: Sarah Hucal