Hei Hei!
I hope everyone had the most wonderful Christmas filled with lots of family time, couch-napping, and Christmas cookie eating! I have been the queen of vacation the last week and making the most of our holiday in Norway. The days leading up to Christmas were a blur of holiday get-togethers and feasts to say the least.
In Norway, their big Christmas celebration happens on the 24th. You spend the day lounging and eating candy in your ugly sweaters watching old cartoons and Norwegian tv programs. At dusk on Christmas Eve, most families head to the cemetery to light a candle for their loved ones which is such a sweet tradition, and the hundreds of candles look beautiful in the white snow. Then everyone goes back to their homes and gets dressed up to have a big Christmas dinner! Traditionally, everyone eats either Pinnekjøtt which is cured lamb or Ribbe which is pork with the most incredible crispy pork belly on-top. We had both with all of the traditional sides – rutabaga mash, boiled potatoes, brown gravy, sauerkraut, and tyttebær which is a lingonberry/cranberry jam. You wash it down with beer and akevitt which is the Norwegian liquor of choice. This is the first time Thomas and his two brothers were together in a while so the shot glasses stayed filled to say the least! Although the gift exchange is fuzzy and I remember confetti being stuck to my head at some point, it was definitely a Christmas celebration for the books!
We’ve been rejuvenating on the last leg of our vacation by getting lots of sleep, watching movies, and staying cozy around the fire. The only time we’ve taken off our comfy clothes is to go have coffee with friends, explore Oslo, and to play in the snow! Tomorrow we are heading to a friends cabin in the mountains to spend New Years Eve. I hope everyone enjoys the last days of 2017 and I can’t wait to see you in 2018!
