Christmas is unquestionably my favorite Holiday. There’s just something about the feeling I get when I think about it. I see my childhood home; the red drapes framing the big windows in the kitchen and the living room, framing in the glistening snow that lights up the dark, cold winter night. My mother has lit candles on the coffee-table, and the mandatory bowl of chocolates and treats is already in its usual spot, next to the nisse decoration at the end of the table. There’s always a bowl of clementines as well, whose zesty scent fills the room. I see my sister and I waking up in the morning, for once eager to get up, and check our advent calendars too see which treat we got that day. It was usually a small piece of chocolate, but it was the most magical chocolate we ate all year. I see bright, sunny days in the slopes, and nights with red sunsets behind snow-clad mountains. I swear, I can even smell the Christmas tree, and the general smell of winter as I’m writing this. I can’t describe the smell of winter, but it’s one of my favorite smells in the world.
Most of all I love the food. Eastern-Norwegian Christmas food is the best, and I’d eat it all year around. My favorite is these big meatballs that we make. They’re made by grounding meat until it’s a mousse, then make meatballs (whichever size you desire). My mother usually steams in the oven before frying them in the pan. Or something like that. I think she puts them in the oven twice in the process. It’s quite easy to make, and much better than normal meatballs where you get chunks of fat and whatnot that you have to spit out. None of that with Norwegian medisterkaker! (Link HERE if you want to see what I’m fussing about)
I currently live in Bergen, a coastal city, where the vibe I’m describing is vastly different. The weather is cold, it rains all winter, it’s so windy you take one step forward and two back, and there’s pure ice instead of snow. They don’t eat my beloved food here either, the more traditional foods here are pinnekjøtt (dried, salted lamb steamed for hours and hours over sticks) and smalahove (legit, a sheep’s head. Yikes!) So yeah, I ain’t really feeling it yet. Coming from a small place over 600 meters above sea level, where we have thick layers of snow from October to early/mid May, and temperatures that can reach below 30 degrees celsius, coastal weather downright sucks. I’d rather have freezing temperatures, sunny days and solid ground to walk on (snow), than this rainy, icy hell that FEELS freezing cold, but is often barely below zero degrees. On Tuesday I’m going home to my precious winter wonderland, so BYE CHRISTMAS WEATHER OF THE DEVIL HIMSELF.
This evening we spent at the Bergen Christmas Market, which I find incredibly cozy. It helps me regain some of the Christmas spirit I lose when heaven itself is pissing me in the face and I see people munching on sheep’s heads. We tried some local foods, I ate two desserts instead of dinner, and we finished the evening off with each our cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream in the extremely crowded indoor sitting-area. It was cold and rainy outside (who saw that coming?) so I can’t blame people for not wanting to go back outside and instead just enjoy a beer, cocoa or mulled wine inside. My boyfriend wants to go back before I leave, and I agreed, solely because I missed my chance of a third dessert today. Who doesn’t make sure to have enough red velvet cupcakes for sale, am I right?
THE SAGA DYNASTY 