Category Archives: Christmas

Happy New Year 2013 from Little Scandinavian in London

Thank you for all your kind support over the last year! This blog would not have been anything without you! With that said we are leaving the year of 2012 behind.
Wishing you a great new year filled with happiness and success – All the very best!

With big excitement, we are counting down to the New Year! Previous years shared with you on Little Scandinavian
♥ How to celebrate in style, London with Kids New Year’s Celebration 2012
♥ How to celebrate Nordic style, greetings from a mountain resort New Year’s Celebration 2011
♥ Little Scandinavian’s very first Happy New Year’s post New Year’s Celebration 2010

As last years New Year’s Eve family party and celebration in London was such a success, we’ll repeat it this year!
The New Year’s Celebration 2013 will start with Norwegian traditional “pinnekjøtt” served for dinner followed by our favourite dessert and theScandinaviandad’s specialty, crème brûlée. There will be fun family boardgames and Astrid Lindgren DVD’s to keep the children awake. Just before midnight we will head out in the night, to meet up with neighbours and friends. Bringing a bottle of champagne, some rye crisp bread with slices of freshly smoked salmon by Hansen & Lydersen and a picnic blanket -ready to enter the New Year together!
From the top of Primrose Hill, with breathtaking views of the city’s skyline, we will admire the official London Firework 2013.

What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? And are there any New Year’s resolutions in store?

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Blåtimen -The Blue Hour and Magic Silver

The blue hour, from the French expression l’heure bleue, is the period of twilight each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. The time is considered special because of the quality of the light.
In Norway, the blue hour is a well recognized phenomenon, especially magical experienced together with a snowy landscape.
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© Little Scandinavian. l’heure bleue in Lommedalen, Norway December 2012.

Art, music and film has been inspired by the beautiful deep blue colour. The Norwegian TV series “Jul i Blåfjell” (Magic Silver) combines the blue hour with magic and old Norse fairytales. I beautiful screening for the whole family this Christmas.

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Merry Christmas from Scandinavia and Swedish Princess Estelle

Adorable Princess Estelle of Sweden wishes everyone a Merry Christmas -dressed in the beautiful Page dress by LIVLY.
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We are so pleased to see that the Crown Princess and Prince of Sweden chooses Swedish children’s fashion for their first born beautiful baby daughter.
As a special Christmas treat, you can win the Paige dress and matching party shoes by LIVLY in the last day of the Little Scandinavian Advent Calendar. Enter by leaving a comment here.

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays – with my favourite Christmas Advert for Nidar julemarsipan.

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There will not be Christmas without Freia Juleglede

There will certainly not be Christmas in a Norwegian home without the milk chocolate Juleglede by Freia. But did you know that the delicious creamy milk chocolate pieces in various of Christmas motifs are illustrated by Cecilie Ellefsen?


Cecilie Ellefsen is a Norwegian illustrator and artist. She grew up in a rural part of Norway, and her work is highly inspired by the nature and wild animals. “The feeling I’ve had since my childhood of finding that secret enchanted forest with trolls, hollow trees, traps and hideaways fascinates and inspire me.” See more of her design and artwork at here

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How we celebrate Christmas in Norway

It’s 4pm and all you can hear is the sound of the church bells calling and the crunch of your footsteps in the snow. Snowflakes swirls down from the dark blue skye, your coat feels warm and snug. At home the Christmas dinner is all ready, waiting for you, after being slow cooked for hours in the oven. Christmas is finally here.

By the end of November you find yourself running around to get hold of an endless amount of small treats and gifts for your children’s Advent Calendar. And it’s with great satisfaction, in the 12 hour, that you finally can admire the finished present galore. Early next morning the children gather excited to be opening the very first present, as a token that Advent has started. We’re counting down the days to Christmas.

Read the rest of How we celebrate Christmas in Norway on the blog JouluJoulu
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Win a gorgeous winter jacket by high end brand Pale Cloud in the Advent Calendar today! Enter here

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Serinakake – Easy recipe on Scandinavian Christmas Cookies

Last minute, a quick and easy recipe on Scandinavian Christmas Cookies; Serinakaker. Almost like shortbread, only chewier, rich on flavours and sprinkled with almonds and sugar. My favourite Christmas cookie that will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth!

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© Little Scandinavian Serinakaker Christmas 2012

Serinakaker, recipe from Stor Kokebok by Henriette Schønberg Erken
Ingredients
1/2 kg plain white flour
200 g caster sugar
375 g butter, lightly salted
2 eggs
50 g almonds
20 g pearl sugar
1 tsp hjortetakksalt (E503 ammonium carbonates) alternative bicarbonate soda
1 tsp vanilla sugar

Method
1. Mix the flour, sugar, hjortetakksalt and vanilla sugar.
2. Add eggs and the butter (room temperature). Knead into a smooth yellow dough.
3. Cut into small rounds and place onto a baking tray. Lightly flatten with a fork. Sprinkle with finely chopped almonds and pearl sugar.
4. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.
5. Store in a biscuit tin and try to save as many as possible for Christmas Eve!

In Norway the tradition is to bake at least 7 different types of Christmas cookies, before the 24. December. We’ve featured a few other recipes as well, such as Gingerbread Men, Berlinerkranser and more. Check out Scandinavian Christmas Cookies.

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How to survive the run up to Christmas Step by Step

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19. Trip to the post office, make sure all cards are written and presents wrapped. Treat yourself to a hot chocolate on a nearby cafe. If you haven’t already -bake the gingerbread house!

20. Grocery shopping for Christmas. The trick is to do a list, and follow it. That way you’ll shop what you need, nothing less or more. Remember plenty of clementines and mixed nuts. Finished with the shopping there’s time to decorate the gingerbread house. Also, make some “Brente Mandler”, almonds with sugarcoating.

21. Make sure your home is clean and tidy before the big day. Everyone in the family can contribute on the Big Tidy up! Add some fresh pine branches to add to the feel of Christmas. Reward yourselves, without messing up the tidy home by a visit to a local family pub for a hearty lunch. And why not take the children out for a walk afterwards, to burn some excess energy and get some fresh air.

22. Bake Christmas cookies and make little treats of nougat and marzipan together with family and friends. Make sure to have plenty of mulled wine, both a redwine version and blackcurrant for the children, simmering on the stove. Also plan what everyone is wearing for Christmas, that it fits, is washed and ironed etc. Hang aside, ready to “dress without stress” on Christmas eve.

23. Last day to decorate the Christmas tree and your home. Enjoy a light Christmas supper with the family. How about some Scandinavian Santa’s Porridge with sugar, cinnamon and butter on top. Hide a peeled almond in the porridge. The one that finds the almond will win the Marzipan pig!

24. Merry Christmas!

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Enter todays Advent Calendar competition where you can win functional and retro cool children’s clothes, here

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Countdown to Christmas and Saint Lucia

Less than 2 weeks away… We are cleaning, dusting, polishing and sweeping. We are baking and cooking with wonderful spices and lots of sugar and syrup. Writing greetings on glittery cards and wrapping in gifts. Pine branches and candles lid…


We are counting down the days to Christmas. Today we’ll be celebrating St Lucia with delicious home baked saffron buns called “Lussekatter” in Scandinavia. You can find the recipe here. Also looking forward to tomorrow when the family together will be going to Westminster Cathedral for the Saint Lucia service and concert arranged by the Swedish Church.


There will also be a traditional Lucia Service in the Danish church. There is two services on Sunday 16 December, 3pm and 6pm: Experience the beautiful and solemn Lucia tradition, the candles are lit as we hear the Christmas readings and sing the hymns and carols in Danish as well as English. After the services you can buy Danish specialties “gløgg” and “æbleskiver”. See more at Den Danske Kirke.

We are celebrating the Advent time and counting down to Christmas on the blog as well, with the fabulous Advent Calendar. Fantastic prizes has already been shipped out to lucky winners. Winners are notified by email and on Facebook.
You can see what’s hiding behind today’s window, and enter here. The Advent Calendar will run all the way up until Christmas, so do make sure to enter every day for your chance to win some beautiful Scandinavian design.

Prizes by Popupshop, ready to be shipped to lucky winners today.

Enter todays Advent Calendar competition where you can win chunky knits for children here

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A Scandinavian Christmas by Trine Hahnemann

A few weeks ago we were invited to the launch of the Scandinavian Christmas by Danish chef Trine Hahnemann, at La Fromagerie in London. Trine had gathered press, foodies, family and friends to introduce her finished project; A beautifully packaged book including 70 Christmas recipes so we can all celebrate Christmas the Scandinavian way!




In this book, Trine is not only sharing her favourite recipes for Scandinavian Christmas Cookies, she’s inviting the readers to experience a entirely Scandinavian Christmas holiday; Christmas Baking, Gifts from the Kitchen, Advent: A whole month of Christmas, Festive Brunch, Christmas Party, The Christmas Eve Feats and the Christmas Day Smørgåsbord is chapters you can’t wait to sink into. Beautiful photos from a white Christmas in Scandinavian together with Tines small anecdotes from the world of Christmas makes this the book you don’t want to miss this festive season.

Available from selected independent store around the UK in addition to Amazon

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Get into the Christmas Spirit in Helsinki

Recently we came across JouluJoulu, a blog dedicated to share Christmas inspiration. The blogger behind the ‘All things Christmas’ blog, Silvia de Vries, has lived in Finland and experienced the Nordic Christmas celebration first hand. This is something she’s keen to share on joulujoulu.com

We’ve asked Silvia, who recently went for a trip to Helsinki, if she could share some Nordic Christmas spirit with us.

Silvia from the JouluJoulu Blog about Helsinki during Christmas
Helsinki is a slice of Nordic heaven, a compact city, with lots of wonderful things to do. Especially now that Christmas is around the corner. I visited Helsinki a couple of weeks ago and I had a look around to see what’s new and happening this Winter.


The lights of the big tree on Senate Square have been lit, the streets are decorated with holly and lights. Christmas is near and you can see it all around you on the streets of Helsinki. But there is one place that beats it all: Stockmann’s Christmas window. I’ve seen many of them in my lifetime, but this years is by far the prettiest I’ve seen.

© Christmas window display at Stockmann Department Store, Helsinki. Photo by Silvia de Vries.

Helsinki’s oldest house, Sederholm house built in 1757, is now a museum for children. It’s called ‘Children’s Town’ and it certainly is! The house is ruled by children, us grown ups are only there to visit. There are so many things to do and to see. The kids can play, make art, perform on stage and do many other things. You can also visit the museum’s Grandpa & Grandma who ‘live’ in a 1970’s decorated home. I’ve been and I loved everything about this museum! Admission is free.

© Children’s Town, Helsinki. Photo by Silvia de Vries.

Stores, stores, everywhere. And ones for Children to. There are so many good and cute children’s stores to be found on the streets of Helsinki. Filled with nice clothing and toys. But I can only name a few, so I’ll share my favorites. Here goes:
Zicco Frederikinkatu 18 – Virkkukoukkunen Eerikinkatu 10 – Punavuoren Peikko, Uudenmaankatu 15

© Shopping in Helsinki. Photo by Silvia de Vries.

Thank you Silvia, for sharing some great ideas on what to see and do in Helsinki! I’ve only been once, when Little B was 3 months old. All I can remember was lots of snow and ice cold temperatures, great shopping with desirable design shops on every corner and arguably some of my best restaurant experience ever. Would love to go again! visithelsinki.fi

Silvia is a journalist and copywriter based in Amsterdam. In addition to JouluJoulu she also has the blog elke-dag.com

Today’s Advent Calendar – Win beautiful designer clothing from Dundelina, Enter here!

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