People in many countries now are preparing to celeberate Christmas. In Sweden, every day from the first of December through Christmas Eve, kids across the country open a window on their advent calendar in the countdown to the holiday. In the capital, Stockholm, they have gone one better and produced a Living Advent Calendar performance, with carols, duets and drama. CGTN soaked up the festive flavor just in time for Christmas, on a chilly night in Sweden. Al Goodman reports from Stockholm.

Santa Claus and his reindeer, of course, live at the North Pole. And Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is pretty close by. To celebrate the holidays, the Swedes do a Living Advent Calendar, that relies heavily on the city's picturesque windows. It runs right up to Christmas Eve.

It's been going on for 14 years, says the director of the cultural center that organizes it.

LISA HELLBERG LIVING ADVENT CALENDAR "We have lots of calendars and some do just one performance just for the first of December and then maybe Christmas Eve, so we are going on and on and on every day. So I think that's one thing that's unique."

AL GOODMAN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN "The Living Advent Calendar moves around to a different location almost every night in Old Town Stockholm. Trying for each night to be a surprise of songs and speeches."

This night, a Syrian war refugee living in Stockholm was invited to describe being an outsider at Sweden's holiday time.

OMAR AL ZAN KAH SYRIAN WAR REFUGEE IN SWEDEN "It's a Christmas, it's a holiday and I'm not a part of it, but I try to be a part of it. So it's just about ignorance, but I'm trying to be a part of this society, to be integrated."

But these nights are mainly about song. The cultural center that manages this building has brought the old German advent calendar tradition to Sweden. With professional and neighborhood singers, even children. This choir member says the trick is to keep it fresh.

MARTINA TILLBOM LIVING ADVENT CALENDAR SINGER "The people who are listening always want to hear Silent Night and those very famous Christmas songs. But we have always one, two, three new songs."

The melodies of the traditional carols aim to bring warmth to the chilly December holiday nights in Sweden. Al Goodman, CGTN, Stockholm.