how many days of Christmas?

In the US we typically celebrate December 24th as Christmas Eve and December 25th as Christmas Day and that is it. We sometimes look at the calendar and see that the 26th is "Boxing Day" and we curiously wonder if this is something we should be participating in and should we get this holiday off too? In Norway, Christmas lasts longer. It starts on December 1st with advent. Remember, no separation of church and state here, so everyone (just about) observes advent and lights a candle every Sunday before Christmas, many go to church, and children indulge in a small gift every day from the advent calendar. December 23rd is "little Christmas eve", December 24th is "Christmas eve", December 25th is "First Christmas day", December 26th is "Second Christmas day" and December 27th is "Third Christmas day." Then, the days until New Year's Eve are referred to as "romjul" or "between Christmas." Then it becomes much simpler with New Year's. December 31st is New Year's Eve and January 1st is New Year's Day. Simple and sweet.