Merry New Year!

This will be my last post of 2022! I want to share a book with you that I began reading on Christmas Eve as part of my Hygge Living Experiment (Cozying Up), that began in earnest in September of this year. I began following/practicing many of the Scandinavian traditions after my visit to Norway in…

It’s Been a Good Time to Read a Book!

I’ve had a very good time reading this book, Keeping Christmas, by Kathleen Stokker, and learning about the Christmas traditions in Norway! It fit in perfectly with my Norway series, which I am about to start up again, since we’re not through Norway just yet! The book begins with the link between Viking customs and…

There’s Still Room For Some Christmas Cheer!

We had a lot of our traveling plans curtailed this year and who knows if and when we will ever be able to travel again, as we once did……………We added a few shorter state trips to our itinerary this year and that may be the way to go, as the country opens up again in…

Nordic Christmas Traditions: Birds at Christmas

  One of the things I learned about Norway, is the folks really like the outdoors! They love the clean, fresh air, the farm life and simple living. Another Norwegian tradition, with an unknown origin (although they have ideas about it) is the sharing of the julenek, or the sharing of grain, as a Christmas…

Nordic Christmas Traditions: Let’s Take the Sauna and Ice Plunge!

What could be more Nordic than the sauna and the ice plunge? The oldest known saunas were found in Finland. They were simple pits dug into the slope of ground and used as a dwelling in winter. Brrrrrrr…….  They added a little fireplace with stones….and by throwing water on the stones produced steam, which gave…

Nordic Christmas Traditions: Gingerbread and Gløgg

How can one get through Christmas without gingerbread or gløgg? I know my family couldn’t! Making the gingerbread is a family affair! I love the fragrance of gingerbread baking! So, who made the first gingerbread and gløgg? Originally the term gingerbread (from the latin word zingiber, via the Old French word gingebras) meant preserving ginger….

Nordic Christmas Traditions: Fika (the Swedish Coffee Break)

I’m including a Nordic Christmas Tradition with the WeekendCoffeeShare today! So come on in and sit awhile, while we enjoy a fika! The Nordic lifestyle is one to be envied! Purity and simplicity are essential elements! In Sweden, Fika is translated as “coffee and cake break.” It is an essential part of the culture! It…

Nordic Christmas Traditions: Broom Hiding

The Winter months in Norway are dark and long……………..What better way to spend the dark, dark hours of the night,  but to focus on winter stories! Many of these stories include mischievous sprits, elves, trolls or witches…….. In the Nordic countries it is said that witches roam the land during the darkest month of December….

Nordic Christmas Traditions: The Nordic Christmas Goat (Yule Goat)

I love learning the traditions that have been passed down through the centuries to get to the beliefs we celebrate today, don’t you? Since, I have been posting my Norwegian travels, I thought it might be fun to share some Christmas Nordic traditions.  We’ve been visiting goat farms and have seen the goats for ourselves!…

The Nordic Christmas Calendar

Since I’ve been posting about Norway for a while now, imagine how happy I was  to learn that the Jacquie Lawson 2020 Digital Christmas Calendar featured Norway this year! I have been getting her calendars and cards for several years and sharing them as well! As far as I’m concerned her digital goods are the…

The Tale of Oranges

To continue with previous postings of my Christmas Foods And Traditions Series we will look today at the Elizabethan period of England. As a queen, Elizabeth had access to some of the most luxurious foods that were on offer now from many parts of the world. Her food reflected the wealth and power of England and was…

Christmas Oranges

For the last few weeks months I have been very busy with a project. More of that coming when it is completed, sometime in January. But, I thought I would share some Christmas posts that I have posted over the years to get us all in the Christmas Spirit! Today, its all about the Christmas…

T’was the Day Before Christmas and All Thru the House………….

Everyone is too busy to stir……………..but we are all decorated and ready for Santa! With a view from this way ………. and that………….. The animals talk at Christmas you know………. And the table is almost set…………we just have to add two more place settings! This year, it is Santa and two reindeer on display……… And…

T’Was Days Before Christmas and in the Fourth Ward……

I can’t think of anything I like better to do than to go on a Christmas Walk and Home Tour during the Holidays. We have a favorite spot in Charlotte in the Fourth Ward. What began as a neighborhood potluck dinner crawl for neighbors over 41 years ago, has evolved into a vibrant, festive celebration…