As we approach Christmas in Texas for the first time in seven years I have been thinking about our experiences the past years. A few observations and reflections. Please click on the links for photos and additional information.
Christmas Markets are popular across Europe in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The markets are a great place to get unique gifts/crafts and local/traditional food. Some markets include activities and carnival type rides.
If Christmas falls on a weekend you do not get a "make-up" day off on the Friday or Monday (true for all holidays that fall on a weekend).
A tradition we established in our short stay in France was visiting the flagship Galeries Lafayette in Paris. GL is a large department store with themed display windows along the street and an amazing Christmas tree suspended from the ceiling, considered to be one of the most beautiful Christmas trees in the world. We visited the Christmas Market on Champs Elysees our first Christmas in France, but the market has since been cancelled.
Our Christmases in Norway are the ones that stick out the most in my memory. Candles are everywhere. The heavy-duty long-lasting (8-10 hours) candles come in a bucket the size of a saucer (as in cup and saucer) and line streets around shopping centers and driveways/sidewalks of people hosting parties. Julenisse are a cross between a troll and Santa. Virtually every boutique offers pepperkakke (crisp thin gingerbread cookies) at the checkout counter. Traditional Christmas main course food consists of pinnekjott (lamb ribs), lutefisk (gelatinous dried white fish in lye), ribbe (pork ribs) and smalahove (sheep head--tasty but very little meat on the cheek, fun to play with the eyeball and teeth) and to drink akavit (distilled from grain and potatoes). Many Norwegian hotels and restaurants close between the 23rd of December and 3rd of January.
As tourists we got to sample Christmas in Kiruna, Sweden, Copenhagen, Denmark (amusement park in the freezing temps), South Africa (visited a prison), Thailand, Greece (first snow in 40 years) and Portugal. The details may differ but what is uniform is that Christmas is special time of the year, celebrating with family and friends, having good food and celebrating your faith.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all my readers!
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