"Nordic Noel"

I have always been a fan of the French Nordic style so decided that this year I would decorate the store for Christmas in this style. My husband is from Norway and I have actually had the pleasure of spending a Christmas there. Christmas traditions in Norway are very different from ours. "God Jul" as they say in Norway features a Norwegian Santa Claus called "Julenisse" who wears a long red stocking cap and has a long white beard. He comes to the house with a sack of presents on Christmas Eve.



Christmas food traditions in Norway often feature potatoes, red cabbage, salted lamb's ribs, ribbed pork and sausage although with modern times Turkey has now crept into the dinner menu for some families. Deserts range from cloudberry cream, rice pudding to crème caramel.



On Christmas Eve family and friends join hands to walk around the Christmas tree, singing carols. The children anxiously await the knock on the door, announcing the arrival of Julenissen with his sack full of gifts. Before he takes the presents out of the sack he always asks "Are there any good children here?" I loved experiencing the Christmas traditions of Norway and try to maintain some of those same traditions when celebrating Christmas with my family at home in Canada.

Here is a sampling of some of the wonderful French Nordic Christmas decorations offered at French Vanilla for this holiday season: