We continue our advent calendar series with McCrea’s Candies advent calendar. McCrea’s Candies is based in Massachusetts and has been making delicious, classic caramels ever since founder Jason McCrea turned his scientific training to the sweet, sweet science of caramels. And it really is a science. Sugar turns to different textures, depending on how long you cook it. Jason chose chewy, but not so hard that your teeth are pulled out.
McCrea’s Candies advent calendar has two main illustrations. The cover is a charming picture of a rabbit family shopping for a Christmas tree. They’re bundled in woolen coats, debating which tree to get while their animal friends shop around them. The interior box, where the windows are, is of the rabbit family decorating their tree, preparing for Christmas, in what looks like a very cozy parlor.
The all-important caramels are the perfect size for an advent calendar treat. Each caramel has just the right sweetness and chew. The flavors include some of their classics, like Deep Chocolate (brownie caramel, anyone?), a variety of salted caramels, and several holiday flavors. McCrea’s Caramels uses salts from a variety of locations around the U.S., including Cape Cod and Hawaii. The holiday flavors include chocolate orange, gingerbread (my favorite!), and Spiced Plum.
McCrea’s Candies partnered with Angellize Rivera for the illustrations. I use the word “partnered” intentionally. If you’re looking for gifts that are good both in flavor and in intention, McCrea’s Candie’s advent calendar could have paid a flat fee for the artwork, but insisted on a royalty agreement, both increasing her payment and giving her a new starting point for future agreements. We love a fair agreement that doesn’t exploit artists.
TOP TIP: If you’re sharing the advent calendar, but want to guarantee you get all of your favorite flavors, you can open the calendar from the side and rearrange the caramels behind the windows. This also works if you want to make sure each of your littles gets their favorite flavor.
https://www.mccreascandies.com/products/advent-calendar-2025
https://www.amazon.com/McCreas-Candies-Gourmet-Caramel-Calendar/dp/B0FLKMZYSM/
٭٭٭٭٭Highly Recommended
And of course there is a celeb photo with the Jason McCrea!
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