Wishingyou
averyScandi
Christmas
0 8 0
the Nordic countries take on a
special kind of glow. Icicles dangle from the snow-draped
rooftops, candles twinkle behind every frozen window,
and the smell of freshly baked gingerbread wafts through
the moonlit streets. The days may be shorter in the lead up
to Christmas, but the local festivities are merry enough
that even Scrooge would have a hard time feeling glum.
And each nation has its own way of doing things.
Danish kids, for example, sleep through the arrival
of
Julemanden
(
Father Christmas), who travels from
Greenland with his nine reindeer. In Sweden, little ones
get a face-to-face meeting with the beardy gift giver, who
arrives during the daytime on Christmas Eve – usually
when a relative has ‘gone to fetch a newspaper’ (nowadays
parents can hire a Santa Claus if they’d rather not dress up).
But it’s arguably Icelandic nippers who have the most to
look forward to. Instead of a single Santa, they can expect
visits from 13 separate ‘Yule Lads’ in the days before the big
event, who leave gifts – or cold potatoes, depending on the
child’s behaviour – in a shoe at the end of their bed.
Then there are the traditions that are rigidly observed
by entire families. On 24th, all of Iceland waits with
baited breath (and, no doubt, growing appetites) for 6pm,
when church bells ring out across the land, signalling the
traditional start of Christmas dinner. In Sweden there's an
even earlier start to proceedings when, at 3pm, households
fromMalmö to Lapland crowd around their TVs to watch
a Donald Duck cartoon. Although the same one has been
screened every year since 1960, it’s still bafflingly popular
–
last year more than a third of the population tuned in.
And there is one old tradition that's exactly the same
across all three nations. It involves everyone standing up,
holding hands and dancing around the Christmas tree
–
much to the embarrassment of the kids, who'd much
rather be playing with their new iPads. Adults love it. And
after a glass or two of schnapps, who can blame them?
If ever a part of our network was tailor-made for this time
of year, it’s Denmark, Iceland and Sweden. That’s why,
this month, we’ve got a guide to celebrating the festive
season in true Scandinavian style
WORDS
STEVEN VICKERS
PHOTOGRAPHY
MARK SANDERS
&
ANIAWAWRZKOWICZ
STYLING & DIRECTION
NINO BAUTI
»
I
nDecember
She wears
Blouse with lace, H&M, £19.99; patchwork jacket, Cartonnier at Anthropologie, £178; black skirt, ALICE by Temperley, £195; grey tights, Sock Shop, £12; cream leg
warmers, Falke, £15; green ankle boots, DSquared at Harvey Nichols, £350; two-strand pendant, Pebble London, £240; silver bracelets, Day Birger et Mikkelsen, £75; fingerless
gloves, Topman, £12
He wears
Check shirt, Uniqlo, £19.90; red check tie, Tommy Hilfiger, £41; pattern cardigan, McQ, £255; grey check blazer, £500, black trousers, Acne at
Selfridges, £250; patterned hat, Toast, £35; polka-dot snowflake scarf, Tommy Hilfiger, £75; blue Aztec gloves, Topman, £12; combat boots, UGG Australia, £285
