I spent this past Christmas in Norway, where my mother is originally from. My family tries to spend at least every other Christmas in Norway with her family here, and guys, it is so absolutely magical!
My family is incredibly supportive and proud of me. Lovely, right? Except actually it’s something that over the years has driven me crazy, especially when I overhear my dad telling his friends exaggerated tales of my accomplishments, painting a picture of my life that I’m pretty sure bears little resemblance to its reality.
When I was younger I would try to rebel against these embellished accounts, taking any opportunity I could get to tell my family’s friends that actually I’m quite a horrible daughter, and did they know that I cheated on my last math test? (It wasn’t true, but I knew that people were always ready to doubt a girl’s math skills.)
So it’s ironic that I’ve now found myself following in my father’s footsteps. Travel bloggers might not get blamed for this as much as fashion or lifestyle bloggers, but in general blogging does tend to depict quite rosy versions of reality. I do try to write about the downsides of traveling too, but for the most part my carefully selected and heavily edited photos do focus on the prettier, more blog-worthy side of travel.
It’s actually something I love about blogs. I love getting lost in photos and stories from beautiful places, gorgeous outfit photos that look like pure art, or lifestyle articles that almost make me want to settle down and start filling a home with the prettiest decor that anyone ever did see. It’s a lovely escape into a fantasy world full of beauty and positives, both as a reader and a blogger.
This is all just a long winded apology for the gushing that’s about to come. Because if perfection does exist in real life, it is Christmas in Norway. My photos don’t begin to do Christmas in Norway justice – this was a time when even the hippest Instagram filter couldn’t possibly make the scene more picture perfect.
There are cosy little Norwegian mountain cabins.
Rauland, Telemark
my favorite is when it gets dark and we can see the cabins sparkling in the snow on the mountainside across from us – and lucky for me Christmas in Norway is incredibly dark, so there’s lots of time for the cabins to sparkle!
I feel like nothing says “Christmas in Norway” better than a log cabin in the mountains!
Delicious Norwegian Christmas treats.
Endless sparkling, powder-light snow.
Christmas porridge with a hidden almond. Whoever finds it whens a marzipan pig!
And cross-country skiing during every precious hour of sunlight. Since Christmas comes at the darkest time of year, we only get a few hours of sunlight here in southern Norway (in the north they don’t get any!) so we definitely make the most of it!
Of course there were also plenty of uncomfortable family moments, a few tears, and a whole lot of lazying about in boredom (secluded mountain cabins don’t come with Wifi). Because Christmas. But it certainly looked beautiful!
Mostly I just spent my time pinching myself to see if I had actually so quickly been transported from Thailand to this winter wonderland, and thinking up ways in which I could stay here forever.
Because Christmas in Norway truly is one of the most special things I’ve experienced – and I love that I get to experience it again and again each year! Well, at least each year that I’m in Norway for Christmas. But you better believe that I try really hard to make sure that I’m in Norway for Christmas as often as I can be. I might be living in Thailand right now, but my heart is absolutely in Norway.
Edit: Now that I’m actually living in Norway I thought I’d add a video from Christmas 2016:
I hope you all are enjoying the holidays! I would love to hear where you’re spending them ❤
PIN IT!
Jakob Gibbons says
Haha, great, I can totally relate to the family exaggeration thing; my holidays are normally spent doing damage control on my Nana’s exaggerated stories of how I’ve been to every country twice and learned all their languages and such 😛
Beautiful photos, looks like a real winter wonderland! Meanwhile, in Florida, we have the air conditioning on this week… happy holidays!
Silvia says
Haha it sounds like your Nana could even give my dad’s stories a run for their money! I don’t do well with warm Christmases, but I hope you enjoyed Florida!
Patti says
Picture perfect!
Silvia says
Right? Ahh Norway.
Ashley says
Wow, these photos look like postcards! So beautiful.
Silvia says
Norway really does seem to always be postcard ready.
Miriam of Adventurous Miriam says
Aaw, you’re having risalamande (riskrem) as well! Did you get the almond? Norway looks amazing! We got just snow a few days ago and the landscape is completely white now. It’s so pretty!
Silvia says
My dad got the almond! Which was fine with me as I actually hate marzipan, haha. It’s amazing how much a small coating of snow can transform a landscape – Scandinavia is definitely the place to be for the holidays 🙂
Vanessa @ The Travelling Colognian says
Your photos are absolutely amazing, , Silvia. It seems like you had a wonderful Christmas and I hope, there weren’t too many tears. Happy new year 2015, I am looking forward to read about your upcoming travels.
Silvia says
Thanks, Vanessa, I think I managed to keep the tears under control, ha.
Justine says
Why can’t my family be from Norway? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place as idyllic and as beautiful is that! I love your third photo with the snow-covered roofs. I just picture families inside those homes all snuggled up by the fireplace. Glad to hear you’re enjoying your time, despite the awkward family moments! Happy holidays 🙂
Silvia says
Norway in the winter really is so cozy! Pretty enough to make up for a bit of uncomfortable family time, haha.
Polly says
That IS perfect. Our holidays were decidedly imperfect, but that was all right 🙂 Happy holidays!
Silvia says
Imperfect holidays sound pretty perfect to me 🙂
Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie says
You weren’t joking about the perfection thing! These photos are pretty much the most perfect Christmas photos I have ever seen!
Silvia says
Right? Norway in the winter really is magical!
Shing says
Can I have Christmas with you next year?
Silvia says
I think everyone in the world needs to spend Christmas in Norway next year 🙂
Grace | The Beauty of Everywhere says
Ah I would love to spend Christmas in Norway! The interior photos are gorgeous as well, I love traditional decorations and wood and marzipan… And it’s completely fine to gush sometimes, especially when it’s about a place as beautiful as this 🙂
Silvia says
I could not get enough of my grandmother’s cabin – the logs are so cozy, and there were so many cute touches, like trolls peeking out of cupboards!
Jeanna says
That cabin! Gah! !!
Thought of you over my Christmas break at home … I couldn’t find a quiet place to READ & thought, “this would never be a problem for Silvia”.
xx
Silvia says
I read SO many books while at the cabin! Like, more than I read during the whole rest of the year (sadly). Hope you eventually found yourself a spot! xoo
becky hutner says
this looks positively magical. and a million times more christmassy than downtown LA! my husband & i have a standing offer to stay with his childhood friend, near bergen. but we’re scared of the cost. what do you think, should we take it???
Silvia says
Bergen is SO beautiful! It is ridiculously expensive, but there are a lot of cheap flights from around Europe (especially London) so you could combine it with a cheaper destination and then only spend a few days in Norway – enough to see the fjords, but not long enough to go totally broke, haha.
Danni @Two Peas in a Pack says
These photos are stunning. You could sell them as postcards or Christmas cards or card cards.
I, too, love my family to bits by they have their ‘interesting’ moments.
Silvia says
Haha glad to hear that I’m not the only one with these feelings about family time!
Joella in Beijing says
Oh wow Silvia, it looks beautiful! A proper winter wonderland! I also spent Christmas with my family (In the UK) but it didn’t quite look like this haha!
Silvia says
I spent New Year’s in the UK and was surprised by how sunny and mild it was! Not quite a winter wonderland, but really pretty and pleasant!
Renate @ Renate's Travels says
Ah, so beautiful… And light! Up here it’s mostly just dark all day long during Christmas, haha. But now the days are luckily getting brighter earch passing day (even though it’s quite slow at the moment).
It looks stunning down there! Truly picture perfect, and I bet you had an amazing Christmas 🙂 Happy new year!
Silvia says
So crazy to think how dark it is up north, especially because to me Telemark seemed really dark! It was so nice being back though, and now I’m crossing my fingers I can move to Norway in the summer!
Victoria@ The British Berliner says
What a marvellous view! I love winter and snow as I was born in December. Norway in the winter? Oh yes, please!
Silvia says
Winter has always been my favorite season, which makes it insane that I haven’t lived in a country with a snowy winter in five years! I definitely need to change that, haha.
Lynsey @ Eternally Wanderlyn says
Wow! That looks incredible! I would love to experience a white Christmas again. Unfortunately, I live in south Texas, so our Christmases aren’t very white.
Silvia says
I once spent a Christmas in Cambodia and was totally grumpy about the lack of snow! Growing up in Massachusetts and Norway definitely spoiled me, haha.
Laura says
Your photos are lovely! Everything looks so cozy and warm. 🙂
Silvia says
It was sooo cozy! I read more books during my week at the cabin than I did the entire rest of the year, it was insane!
Fabiana says
It does look perfect. I love your photos.
Silvia says
Thanks, Fabiana, Norway really shines in the winter!
Miquel says
These photos have me in the Christmas spirit all over again. Absolutely beautiful!
Silvia says
I’m totally that person who gets random urges to play Christmas music in the middle of April, haha. Christmas spirit year-long!
Susanna89 says
Beautiful snow pictures! it used to look like this (but without mountains) in Helsinki but because climate change there is not anymore all the time snow but sometimes is.
Happy new year!
Silvia says
I drove through a lot of places in Norway without snow this Christmas – it really is crazy how the climate is changing!
Leah says
Wow, so beautiful! It really is perfection 🙂 My Christmas and New Year’s were both here in Medellin where it’s sunny and warm (actually its gotten a LOT warmer lately) and not at all the white winter wonderland you experienced. I don’t mind warm Christmases though!
Silvia says
The bitter cold was a bit of a shock coming from Thailand – Christmas in Medellin sounds pretty perfect as well!
Fabiana says
Hello Silvia!
These photos are so lovely … they give me such a warm and cozy feeling 🙂
I think Norway is a wonderful place and I would like to visit it one day.
Regards from Sardinia!
Silvia says
I hope you can visit Norway someday, it really is such a special country!
Vicky Lang says
Thank you so much for sharing this. We spent two Christmases in Norway in the late 80s. For the last several years, I have decorated our Christmas in a Norway theme. This last year I found Norwegian Christmas market an hour from my home and was thrilled to add to my collection. Wish I could share a photo.
Deb says
My paternal grandparents were from Norway. Wish I could go to see it. I love everything about the stories & piictures. Love toasty cozy everything, small cabins ect. My siter & brother have always laughed because I love being North (Ontario) in the smallest cabin by the water. No electricitym just views, trees ect. Now is it possible to inherate this feeling of peace? Hope so.
Bill DeRoche says
I would like to invite you to join with us in celebrating Christmas 2020 on a zoom meeting this December 20th at 8:00 PM Norwegian time.
I represent the Washington D.C. lodge of the Sons of Norway. We are an international fraternal organization composed of people who are Norwegian, Norwegian descent, married to a member, or just like Norway.
I will be placing the video of this meeting on our YouTube channel and publicizing this video to the entire organization. Christine Meloni, a member of our lodge, is the Washington, DC correspondent for the national Norwegian American newspaper and she will write up the event for publication in the newspaper.
I loved you articles and pictures of Christmas in Norway and I am sure out members will enjoy learning about Christmas customs.
You can check out our website (http://www.norwaydc.org) and our YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/wderoche) .