A Christmas calendar is a form of Nordic

Nordic countries

The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...

 televised advent calendar

Advent calendar

An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, whereas others are secular in content...

s, first introduced in Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 in 1960.

Each series consists of 24 episodes which air daily beginning on the first of December, and ending on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...

. The first Christmas calendar was the Swedish Titteliture. The first such series aired in Denmark was Historier fra hele verden in 1962. The form gradually extended into the other Nordic countries of Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 and Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

.

Most Christmas calendars are produced for children, while some cater to both children and adults, and even some are directed at adults alone. Many Christmas calendar series, such as the 1979 Norwegian Jul i Skomakergata

Jul i Skomakergata

Jul i Skomakergata is a Norwegian TV-show produced in 1979. It is a televised advent calendar, meaning it is broadcast from December 1 to December 24. It has been broadcast several times in Norway by NRK and is one of the most treasured programs in Norwegian television history. The story revolves...

, and the Icelandic Á baðkari til Betlehem

Á baðkari til Betlehem

Á baðkari til Betlehem is an Icelandic television series that first aired on Icelandic public television channel Sjónvarpið in December 1990...

 have become classics in their respective countries, and are enjoyed both by children and adults (if purely for nostalgic reasons).

A more modern version of a Christmas calendar is the show The 24th, which is a parody on the popular American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 series 24 starring Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...

.