Christmas in Europe

If you had said a year ago that we would be working from home for almost a year due to a global pandemic, we would hardly have believed you. And despite our growing acceptance that almost anything is possible nowadays, we  still would have doubted a month ago the odds that we would be celebrating Christmas by participating in Swedish straw goat burning, Norwegian broom hiding, and Czechian boot throwing.

Nevertheless, “Christmas in Europe” was the theme of the day’s holiday festivities and we went for it! From making Christingles (festive oranges with cloves and candles stuck in them) to watching for the first star of the evening (called Wigilia in Poland) to feeding our local wildlife (as is tradition in Finland), we celebrated in all ways European.

Our favorite was probably the Gavle goat. It’s a 40 feet high straw goat that was constructed in Gavle, Sweden in 1966. It’s a beautiful site. However, what makes it famous is that it has a history of being vandalized. Specifically… arson! What started as a singular joke has become an ongoing tradition to see if the annual goat structure survives the Christmas season. It seemed too good to not incorporate. So, given that we had an aging reindeer lawn decoration we were planning to get rid of, we refashioned it into the form of the Gavle goat and burned it to the ground. And it was just as much fun as you would expect. In fact, it might be one of the highlights of the entire season!

The food spread was equally robust. St. Lucia buns for breakfast, Scandinavian julboard for lunch, Portuguese tapas for snacks, and a full dinner of salted cod, caramelized potatoes, and cavatelli with poppy seeds from all over the continent. We wrapped up with Danish rice pudding and Feuerzangenbowle from Germany. This was possibly one of the most ambitious days but also one with some of the most laughs. Who knew all the places that you could hide a full sized broom in a house? So, in a year where going to Europe wasn’t even a remote possibility, we did our absolute best to bring Europe to us!

MENU:

• Coffee & Saffron Buns (Sweden)

• Julbord (Sweden)

• Tapas (Portugal)

• Wine (Italy)

• Bacalhaus / Salted Cod (Portugal / Italy)

• Carmelized Potatoes (Denmark)

• Cavatelli with Poppy Seeds (Czech Republic)

• Rice Pudding (Denmark)

• Feuerzangenbowle (Germany)

ACTIVITIES:

• Straw Goat Burning (Sweden)

• Broom Hiding (Norwegian)

• Boot Throwing (Czech Republic)

• Treats for Birds (Austria / Finland)

• Star Watching (Poland)

• Christingle (United Kingdom)

• Front Window Candles (Ireland)

• Christmas in Italy Playlist (Italy)

INTERESTING READS & CONTEXT:

• Black Pete (Podcast) (Netherlands / Belgium)