Advent calendars are used to count the days until Christmas. Some have small windows that open to reveal pictures, while others have small candies or gifts inside, adding to the fun of waiting for Christmas.

The 2014 Christmas calendar for the popular "Moomin" character is an advent calendar with 24 small windows containing figures of Moomin and his friends.

Countdown to Christmas with the Moomins! (Source: All Things MOOMIN)
Countdown to Christmas with the Moomins! (Source: All Things MOOMIN)

The lineup of figures is inspired by the animated feature film "Moomin the Movie," which was produced to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tove Jansson, the author of the original novel.

It contains 24 figures (spoiler alert!) (Source: All Things MOOMIN)
It contains 24 figures (spoiler alert!) (Source: All Things MOOMIN)

The movie is scheduled to be released in Japan in February 2015, well past December, but it would make a great gift for fans as a way to anticipate the world of the movie.

The calendar is priced at 4,860 yen (tax included). It can be purchased at the official overseas Moomin website "All Things MOOMIN" as well as at Amazon.co.jp and other online retailers.