That’s the kind of advent calendar I had as a kid. It was only as an adult that I became aware of the chocolate ones.
That’s pretty much how the chocolate ones look. But it’s a cardboard box, maybe half an inch deep, and has a plastic tray on the inside. The plastic tray has depressions behind each flap that contains a small holiday-themed chocolate. The backside of each flap sometimes has part of a song/poem/verse/etc. A completely typical example:
https://www.amazon.com/Gather-Chocolate-Calendar-Countdown-Christmas/dp/B084T8NH8R
I doubt any commercial one is going to have decent surprises. So why not instead buy a couple of high-quality empty ones, fill each and swap with your spouse/friend/sibling/etc? Given that you know the person, you have some idea of what they would like.
“I got a Candy-Corn”
“They can’t all be winners, Kid!”
They don’t use full bottles, just the little airplane-sized bottles.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2282/0893/products/IGT_Advent_2022-3.png?v=1662140858
Googling around a bit, the first printed advent calendars were made in Germany, starting around 1900, by Gerhard Lang. Paper shortages during WWII (and, apparently, a Nazi ban on making calendars with pictures on them?) forced him out of business, but the concept was revitalized post-war by Richard Sellmer. They became popular in the US after the press published pictures of Eisenhower gave them to his grandkids. Up to this point, they were all the printed kind CairoCarol is familiar with, but the chocolate ones started showing up in the 1950s.
So the best strategy would be to line them up on the counter, adding one each day, then drink them all on Christmas Eve! (Well, maybe not ALL. Save some for New Year’s.)
I think one of my FBFs (whom I know from, ironically, my old church) got this a year or two ago. He really enjoyed that nightcap.
If bought these for my adult kids for years. Buy early, since they tend to run out.
I got my wife one with chocolate last year, but good chocolate. Yeah, the ones you can buy for $10 are crap, but you can find much better quality one from big chocolate makers.
And an egreeting card company had a digital one last year, where each day was a Christmas in London scene. Plus games.
My coworker does this with her partner. She was really excited last year as she has gotten some special chocolates to include in the Advent calendar. This is not hers, but she has something similar.
The other advantage of doing one’s own, is that you can mix it up.
By the way, I would not recommend the advent calendar put out by the Whizzo Chocolate Company.
Although the beer one I bought a few years back had large (20 oz?) cans.
We also received a wine one that same year. We don’t drink all that much so these both lasted into the new year.
Most of December. It is a nice countdown to Christmas thing, and has become secular.
In most western churches advent is four sundays before Christmas. So it doesn’t always start on the first of December. This year that would be 27th of November. Interestingly in 2024 it will be dec. 1.
This is my favorite Advent calendar:
I love this carousel Advent calendar:
24 Tastes of a Candy Carousel Advent Calendar (sugarfina.com)
At the store today, I saw a Dungeons & Dragons “Countdown” (Advent) calendar:
Thanks! I have a friend that just started playing, and she’ll love it!
Try web searches for “weird”, “unusual”, “alternate” advent calendars.
Now I wonder how many “Hot Wheels” advent calendars are never opened, just stored away by collectors.
This is a great suggestion and something I’d also been considering after seeing some of the wooden Advent Calendars that have little drawers…
Now, which of my friends is most likely to put in the effort for something they probably don’t care about as much as I do? 
This is really cute!