By Julie Schmale

Are you feeling more nostalgic this year? I know I am! Christmas is for sure my favorite season. It brings me right back to my childhood.

Being from Denmark, we’d use a real tree (and scoff at fake ones!). We’d go to a tree farm, wander around to find the perfect one, cut it down ourselves, strap it to the roof of our car (or did it go in the trunk?) and drive it home. Good times. The smell of pine filling the house, decorations hanging from windows and doors, little mice and gnomes sitting on shelves, candles and tealights throughout. An advent wreath counting the Sundays till Jesus’ birth, and an advent calendar to open every morning.

This might all sound very extravagant, but in reality the Nordic Christmas season is more simple than the North American. What I mean by that is, our decorations are less extravagant. Think white paper garlands, handmade white paper stars, straw reindeer, wooden decorations, angels and gnomes, lots of red and white, and lights. Lots and lots of lights. On top of the tree we put a star -I had never seen an angel topper till I came to North America.

The Danes are well known for their ability to create “Hygge” (learn how to pronounce it here). But like Jess eluded to in her October Blog, the attempt to create hygge is not so much about having the right things, but creating memories. I laughed at the quote she found “hygge is our way to combat boredom”. It’s true! The Danish weather in the winter months is very dark and dreary. We do not often get snow, and it rains a lot. Like… A LOT. So to combat the depressive nature of nature, Danes have come up with traditions and experiences to get them through.

This year, we will all need to actively create our own hygge with our family to get us through this “dark” season. I feel a nostalgic need this year. What do I mean?! The year has been so unpredictable and chaotic. I think there is comfort to be found in things that are familiar, things that evoke feelings of togetherness, memories that remind us of the people we maybe can’t physically be close to this year. I think Covid has either made us more angry, or it’s made us more thankful for the little things, more aware of creating our own memories with those close to us, more intent on making Christmas 2020 great, despite everything going on. -Because what other option is there?! Sinking into a deep hole of depression??! Let’s learn a lesson from the Danes.

These photos are from Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen with their incredible show of lights

Like I mentioned before, hygge is about making memories. Bear with me as I tell you about a few of mine.

It’s funny to think back to the things my parents made me be part of when I was young -things I would roll my eyes at and say were booooooring! Now that I am an adult, I look back to those memories fondly. As an example, they’d drag us along to “Handel’s Messiah” performed by a full orchestra set up in an old church with great acoustics. I hated those 3 hours. Now, I love that experience; they made it a tradition we shared together -and the setting and music WAS incredible!

Sometimes we’d drive into the city just to see the lights on the big fancy Hotels, decorated store windows, the Royal Palace, and the Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli Gardens now hosts an impressive Christmas Market with these little booths selling all things Christmas and goodies you can only get during this season.

Memories eating hot pancake balls with powdered sugar and jam, drinking hot glogg, buying sugar-roasted almonds from a small street stand, walking under the lights stringed on trees, poles, everything! -but the one major difference there is weather. The cold is nothing like what we experience here. In Saskatchewan, we can’t possibly copy this way of being in the outdoors because it’s so much colder! And these activities lose their “hygge” feeling, when you take it indoors.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because for many of us, this year we will have to come up with simple things to do with our family, and I think we can draw from our own childhood memories to inspire us. The main idea of hygge is creating memories with people. And this year we’re limited in so many ways, and the challenge is to NOT focus on the things we can’t do, but actively participate in things we CAN do.

Tivoli Gardens in the daytime

Just because I am from Denmark doesn’t mean I am all nordic in everything I do. I love a lot of North American things. My tree is fake because it can sit out longer and is less messy. My tree is LOADED with ornaments! This year I have added tinsel-tailed birds to my tree because they remind me of my Grandmother. I have also ordered little cones to hang from the tree that I will fill with candy because that’s what I grew up with. My mantle is loaded with greens, and I have hung greens around the house (this is more decorating than I have ever done before). I do not indulge the gnomes, tea lights and red decorations -although those are all very Danish!

What I AM doing this year: Playing Handel’s Messiah -the full album- even though my kids ask me when can switch it to “real” music, decorating more than just the tree, adding more candles, our advent calendar is ready to go. I want to make Sunday memories, lighting the candles in our advent wreath while counting down the days, and watching Hallmark Christmas movies with the kids. Looking for local things to participate in, making those memories that will carry us through this season despite everything going on. And I encourage you to do the same. It will look different for everyone, so find your own inspiration and make your own “hygge” this year.

At Liliidae, we are hosting our first Christmas Market with a select few local makers. It’s not going to be as extravagant as you might experience elsewhere, but we are hoping to start a new tradition that gives our community an experience of the Christmas Markets I have fond memories of. We can’t focus on the things we aren’t able to do, but engage in the things we ARE able to do. So even though it’ll be small, it will be “hyggeligt”.

Let’s talk about the Christmas Story for a minute…. God loved humanity so much that He let His Son be born into a world that was chaotic, dark and crazy. Much like our world feels today; dark, confusing, uncertain, scary. Yet God in His love reached down to earth, touching every heart wanting Him. Through Jesus, He brought light to our darkness and He still today speaks peace, comfort, and strength to our hearts. I am reminded that His love is still as strong today as it was on the night Jesus came to this world, to show us the way to the Father. And that’s another reminder of my childhood -singing Christmas carols filled with this good news. These songs will lift your spirit and remind you of love, joy, peace, and a God who cares. So, if you feel depressed or hopeless, turn off the news and crank up the Christmas tunes.

Fun fact; on Christmas eve, the Danes walk around the tree and sing carols -but this is one tradition I will not be engaging in. Not because I don’t like it, but because I’d be on my own -my family would not want to take part, LOL! That’s okay. I’ll keep this one as just a fond childhood memory. But singing is my thing and I’ll be doing it right till Christmas!

Those are my thoughts for the Christmas season this year. If you are looking for ways to get inspired in true Nordic fashion, there are a couple of good blogs to read here and here.