After 2 weeks in Norway, we did end up staying for Christmas. There was just too much interesting culture, food, and tradition to move on. The kiddies learned about rosemaling and gave beautifully decorated boxes as gifts. We ate a delicious meal of kjottkaker/meat cakes, kokte poteter/boiled potatoes and peas on their Sami felt square cloth. These made beautiful placemats. The Sami people are an interesting group. They are a minority group of people who live in the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. They are typically of small stature with high cheekbones. They wear bright decorated clothing of red and gold, often with bells or shiny metallic brooches. They wear shoes with pointed curled up toes, and funny hats with droopy tails. And to top it all off they herd reindeer and are pulled by sled across the snowy tundra. All these years I’ve told my children that there aren’t any elves at the North Pole, now they are convinced otherwise…

We ate lots of pepperkaker/gingerbread cookies. And on Christmas eve we went caroling and gave out cookies to our sweet old neighbors. The holiday was complete with our gingerbread Nativity and julekake/Norwegian Fruit Bread also called “Jesus Cake”. I think that parts of Norway will become our own Family’s traditions for years to come.

DD's Rosemaling Box 

Sami Felt Squares

Christmas Sweets