Wooden Advent Calendar with Drawers: Size, Lights and What Fits Inside

An advent calendar is a countdown to Christmas with one door, pocket or drawer for each day. You open one each day and find a small surprise inside. The wooden ones in this guide have 24 numbered drawers, so the countdown runs from December 1 through Christmas Eve, December 24.

Unlike a card calendar with paper doors, a wooden one is empty when it arrives and you can use it again every year. The drawers come without fillings, so what goes inside is your choice: a note, a small treat or a small keepsake.

Drawer size is the number that decides what you can put inside. Every drawer on these calendars is small. The Santa sleigh has drawers 1 in wide, 1.4 in deep and 0.9 in high. The 24-day lighted village has compartments 1 in wide, 1.75 in deep and 1 in high inside. The long village has drawers 0.9 in wide, 1.6 in deep and 1.4 in high inside.

The lighted scenes calendar has the largest drawers, 1.75 in wide, 2 in deep and 1.5 in high. The 24-drawer LED village does not state a drawer size, so plan on a folded note and check the filling against the drawer once the calendar arrives.

The Santa sleigh is the only one without lights. It needs no batteries and no assembly, and it looks like decor even with every drawer closed. The other four are lit by built-in LEDs and run on batteries, so you can place them anywhere on a mantel or shelf without an outlet.

The 24-drawer LED village and the lighted scenes calendar each have 10 LEDs. The 24-day lighted village and the long village each have 15. Batteries are not included with the first three: the 24-drawer LED village takes 3 AA batteries, and the lighted scenes calendar and the 24-day village take 2 AA. The long village is battery operated, but no battery type or count is given for it. For the 24-day village, remove the batteries and store it in a dry, dust-free place after the season.

For the small drawers, which are about 1 in wide, think flat and light: a folded note with a task or a memory, a sticker, a single wrapped candy or a small charm. A note works well because it can send a child to look under the tree or in the freezer for the real treat.

The lighted scenes calendar has room for a little more, at 1.75 in wide, 2 in deep and 1.5 in high: a few wrapped chocolates, a small figure or a rolled note with a ribbon. Measure the wrapped piece before you fill all 24, because a drawer closes only if the filling sits below the front edge. Drawers arrive empty and fillings are not included.

Measure the shelf first. The Santa sleigh is 3.1 in deep and the lighted scenes calendar is 3.5 in deep, so both fit a narrow mantel or console. The lighted scenes calendar is also 14.25 in wide and 20.5 in tall, so check the space above it.

The 24-day lighted village is 17.25 in wide, 4 in deep and 14.5 in tall. The 24-drawer LED village is the most compact in width and height at 9.75 in wide and 11.5 in tall, but its base is the deepest at 7.75 in. The long village is 32.7 in long, 3.5 in deep and only 6.7 in tall, which suits a long, low shelf. The 24-drawer LED village is the only one that needs assembly.

Most orders arrive within about 8 business days from a US warehouse, which is nearly two calendar weeks. If you want drawer 1 ready on December 1, order well before the end of November. The store's holiday cutoff is Thursday, December 10 for the best chance of delivery by December 24. Ships to US addresses only.

Sizes are overall, in inches, and each calendar has 24 numbered drawers or compartments. Where a number is not stated, the table says so. Ships to US addresses only.