Editing Advent calendar (section)

==Design and use==
[[File:Luzern - Adventskalender bei der Reussbrücke (Picswiss LU-22-14).jpg|thumb|Doors for 15 and 17 December of an Advent calendar at a building in [[Lucerne]], Switzerland]]
Traditional Advent calendars feature the [[manger scene]], [[Saint Nicholas]] and winter weather, while others range in theme, from sports to technology.<ref name="MacBeth2014">{{cite book|last=MacBeth|first=Sybil|title=The Season of the Nativity|date=November 1, 2014|publisher=Paraclete Press|language=en|isbn=9781612616131|page=50|quote=The variety of Advent calendars is endless, and they are available online, in bookstores, and even in some grocery stores. The "old-fashioned," meaning twentieth-century and earlier versions, are made of paper and often include pictures of Santa Claus, the manger, or winter weather. Most calendars have twenty-four little paper doors; behind each is a picture or a Bible passage.}}</ref> They come in a multitude of forms, from a simple paper calendar with flaps covering each of the days to fabric pockets on a background scene to painted wooden boxes with cubby holes for small items.

Many Advent calendars take the form of a large rectangular card with flaps (variously referred to as doors or windows),<ref name="GassmannLarson2001" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-03 |title=Advent calendar {{!}} History, Chocolate, Makeup, Kids, Adults, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Advent-calendar |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> one for each day of December leading up to and including Christmas Eve (December 24) or Christmas Day (December 25). Consecutive doors are opened every day leading up to Christmas, beginning on the start of the Advent season for that year,<ref name="ACNS2016"/><ref name="CI2014"/> or simply on December 1, as is the case of reusable Advent calendars. 

Often the doors are distributed across the calendar in no particular order. The calendar doors open to reveal an image, a poem, a portion of a story (such as the story of the [[Nativity of Jesus]]), or a small gift, such as a toy or a chocolate item. Often, each door has a Bible [[Bible citation|verse]] and [[Christian prayer]] printed on it, which Christians incorporate as part of their daily [[daily devotional|Advent devotions]].<ref name="Mills2010"/><ref name="Black2004">{{cite book|last=Black|first=Vicki K.|title=Welcome to the Church Year: An Introduction to the Seasons of the Episcopal Church|date=January 9, 2004|publisher=Church Publishing, Inc.|isbn=9780819225757|page=17|quote=The Advent Calendar: Another way to mark the progress of Advent is the Advent calendar. Again, many children enjoy this hands-on way of keeping Advent, and families can incorporate prayers and brief Scripture readings or nativity stores into the daily ritual of opening the Advent calendar.}}</ref> 

There are many variations of Advent calendars; some European villages create advent calendars on buildings or even so-called "living" Advent calendars,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-38203933|title = Penarth neighbours create 'living' advent calendar|work = BBC News|date = December 5, 2016}}</ref> where different windows are decorated for each day of Advent.