Celebrating the Holidays in Norway

December is the darkest time of the year in Sykkylven, our part of Norway. We only have four hours of daylight, which makes spending time outside less exciting than in the warmer months. Due to the darkness, most of our time in the winter is spent indoors, but some days we are lucky enough to get snow, which not only brightens up the day, but also creates an outdoor playground for children and adults alike. It’s wonderful.

With so much darkness in the winter months, Norwegians really look forward to the holiday season because it gives us the chance to spend time with our loved ones and create warm and inviting home environments.

Since we can’t spend much time outside we like to make our homes feel extremely cozy. I strive to create a warm atmosphere with plenty of candlelight to accompany a delicious cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. It’s a great way to relax and unwind in the evenings. I also enjoy decorating my home for the holidays.

White Christmas, Natural Christmas, Golden Christmas…the trends keep changing and the magazines continue to present beautiful and tempting pictures of different ways to decorate your home for the festive days.  For my family and me, Christmas is all about traditions. Even if I keep up-to-date and find the new trends beautiful, I stay true to the decorative elements that were always in our home.  I use the traditional Norwegian red and green in my kitchen and dining room. My decorative accents include pinecones, branches and reindeer. In my living room, I prefer to decorate with white and silver.

Once the decorations are hung, it’s time to enjoy the season. Our holiday celebrations start in early December when children have their “nissefest,” which is a festive Christmas party often held at schools. It is not uncommon for children to dress as Santa or little elves for the celebration. Then, on the 13th of December we celebrate St. Lucia Day. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, parties and celebrations with friends, good food, baking (in Norway the tradition says that you should make seven different types of cookies for Christmas…) and decorating are all welcomed activities.

The best part about the holidays is enjoying the magic of the season with those that mean the most to you. In my family we have a nice Christmas tradition, which takes place every 23rd of December. On this day we gather together to make porridge to bring out to the woods where Santa parks his reindeer! It is very exciting for the youngest children and a much-appreciated tradition for everybody else.

The true festivities start on Christmas Eve when the family gathers to go to church. We then come home for Christmas dinner and presents. Although every family has their own traditions, dinner in the afternoon followed by opening the gifts is very common in Norway.

I enjoy everything from decorating the house, preparing food and baking special Christmas cookies with my grandchildren to decorating the table for Christmas parties and wrapping gifts. But most of all, I enjoy spending time with the people I love – lazy mornings and late brunches with the whole family are my favorite moments!

This month, bring the spirit of the holidays to your home through decorations and traditions with those closest to you. It is a great way to brighten up the cold winter months ahead.

Wising you joy this December!

Berit