Wednesday Wisdom 5 Norwegian Habits that may Help with the Holidays

Happy Thanksgiving…almost! Are you excited for delicious food, complex company, and Black Friday Sales? I know I am! How do you celebrate the holidays? Is it simple or elaborate? Complicated or sparse? Lots of people or just you? Any way you celebrate it is awesome! Although the holidays usually add a lot of stress for me and I tend to resist that, I anticipate some good memories coming my way from them this year. I don’t know I guess we’ll see what memories I create!

Norwegians love the holidays just like anybody else.  However, I’ve discovered that they celebrate them and any day of the week different than what I’m used to. I’ve been reading other blog articles about the Norwegian culture and this is what I’ve found.

1. They love nature!  If it’s an excuse to get outside, they will do it.

2. They enjoy simple things such as homemade crafts, simple foods made from scratch, anything nature, cabins in the woods with no electricity or running water…

3. They love to feel cozy. This means piling on the pillows, lighting a thousand candles, making hot drinks, having a conversation with a friend, etc.

4. They let worries and problems slide off their backs. I’ve been reading a blog of a woman that lives in Norway and she admits that she tries to provoke her Norwegian friends at times to see if they would get worked up about it. She says it still hasn’t worked yet.

5. They don’t stress about anything. That’s a useful habit to have around the holidays! Sign me up!

If you want to learn more about the Norwegian culture, then my favorite blog to follow is heartmybackpack.com. She is a traveler who has turned into a Norwegian blogger. She’s very knowledgeable, but also very entertaining.

Genealogy is not just about old, dusty books and dead people. It’s also about enjoying the culture of your ancestors in today’s world. The more you learn about it, the more you’ll appreciate your ancestors and how they lived. You don’t have to move there or even like the culture, but you do have to learn their culture in order to understand your ancestors.  So try it and see what you like and don’t like about their culture.  Who knows, the journey may surprise you!

Good luck and happy hunting!