It's a marriage of two classics: The Nutcracker and Advent calendars.  Front cover flaps part like stage curtains to reveal 24 full-color illustrated story-books. Books are numbered, and like the peekaboo windows of Advent calendars, they're meant to be opened and read, one per day, from December 1 until Christmas Eve. From a first glimpse of the Stahlbaum house (#1) to the duel between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King (#14) to the magical Sugar Plum Fairy (#20), the
board books retell the complete story. In addition, with their gold-thread loops and four different trim sizes, the jewel-like books are designed to be hung on the Christmas tree year after year