Loving Winter Cheerful Homes, Invigorating Sports & Lots of Friends Keep Spirits Bright BY BONITA CAROLIn the last few weeks my friends have been seriously poutingabout the coming of wintertime. It’s as if they have to succumb to fourmonths in a cold dark prison cell. I spent three winters in Norway before movingto Fairfield. It was there that I fell in love with wintertime and learnedto embrace nature’s cold cycle—her ice, snow, and the many longhours of darkness. Below are some of the Scandinavian customs that we can incorporateto help make our Iowa winters just as warm and koselig (“cozy” inNorwegian) as they are in Norway. IIn central Norway, the December sun starts to go down at about 2:00 p.m.and the sun doesn’t rise until 10:00 a.m. It never gets full sunlight,and it’s always overcast. I asked my friends how they deal with the long,dark, and cold winters, which stretch from November to March. With great cheer,they said, “You just get into it.” Every aspect of wintertime iscelebrated, ritualized, and made to the fullest. Cold Outside, Warm InsidePicture this: Outside it’s freezing, windy, dark, and the roadsare icy. You come home, it’s warm inside, candles are lit, the colorsare bright and cheerful, and the curtains are open to a scene of snowlit up by the moon. The smell of bread fresh out of the oven fills theair. You put on wool slippers, sit down by a warm woodstove fire, andsip some delicious hot chocolate with a friend. In Norway, many people experience this sort of warmth every day in wintertime.There is always someone’s house to visit, or friends drop by welcomelyuninvited. Create Magic in ContrastsIf you can’t go to Norway, then bring some Norway here. Get a breadmachine with a timer, and time it so it finishes baking when you get homefrom work. Light some beeswax or soy candles. If you don’t havea fireplace, light some pine or fir incense (use the real kind, not synthetic).Don warm slippers and a fuzzy sweater and relax with your family withoutthe TV on. Or invite someone over for hot chocolate or for no reason atall—just to be. Do this at least twice a week, and you may startto love wintertime. Get into a winter project such as painting your rooms beautiful andbold colors—remember: gray outside, bright inside. It is typical of Scandinavianhomes to have rich colors—a deep red wine color in the living room,or cobalt blue in the kitchen with matching blue and white dishes. Drapescreate an atmosphere of warmth. Norwegians use thick natural fabrics,which they change with each season. Keep live plants around to keep thespring lively inside of your being.
Of the many homes I entered, all had candles burning, adding to thespecial nurturing atmosphere. The idea is to create contrast with theextreme cold weather conditions outside by creating extreme warmth andcheer inside. It’s in that contrast that the magic of winter can be felt. Ritualize Outdoors DressingAs an impatient American girl who was used to fast-paced efficiencyand instant gratification, I had much to learn when I arrived inNorway. For a while I did not own a car and had to walk everywhere—taking mydaughter to and from school, traveling to the grocery store up and downbig hills. So the first thing that I had to learn was how to dress myselfand my daughter to be outdoors in the cold for long periods of time.
Dressing for the outside is a ritual that I have observed in everyNorwegian home. A special entry room stores all the jackets, boots,hats, scarves, and mittens. It is heated, too, so you can leave dampsnow pants and boots there to dry out. The wool hats, mittens, and sweaters are most likely lovingly handmadeby someone’s mother, grandmother, or aunt. The Norwegians are veryproud of their unique, high-quality sweaters made with a sense of timelessnessduring the long winter months. Each part of the country produces distinctsweater designs and motifs. The dress starts with long underwear, and at least two pairs of socks.Next comes everyday clothing, then a wool sweater, silk scarf around theneck, a down coat, mittens, hat, and hood, and another scarf. Are youwarm yet?
In America, the likelihood of someone knitting us our own personal sweateris quite romantic, but unlikely. Instead, invest in several well-madewool or silk sweaters that you really love and would enjoy wearing twoor three times a week. You should feel great joy when you put thesesweaters on. Have a variety of colorful hats, scarves, and woolen tightsor silk socks that you look forward to wearing. Before purchasing, thinkabout choosing the colors that will uplift you, and the thickness, texture,and naturalness of the fibers. Look at your clothes as an additionallayer of skin—they should feel that comfortable. Vikings in the MakingWhen you venture outside, breathe the fresh wintery air into your lungsand oxygenate your whole mind and body. You’ll find it’s rejuvenatingand energizing to shovel snow when you are warm and toasty all in yourwinter clothes. Hey, at least we have sunlight here! In Norway, mothers put their infants outside to nap in the cold air.They say the fresh air makes them strong and healthy. They also have kindergartensoutdoors with nothing but a little wind shelter, and the children playin fresh air all year long! They also sleep with the windows cracked openas another way to get fresh air. Learn a Winter Sport Moving your body is absolutely necessary in the winter because the coldcan make us stiff and achy. Exercise will help stretch and warm the musclesplus keep you in a cheerful disposition to get out of the house and seeother people. The Norwegians put skis on children as soon as they learnto walk. Skiing didn’t go over too well with me. Growing up in theconcrete jungle of Chicago, I never developed my adductor thigh muscles,which are specifically used for skiing. More Saunas Than CarsIn Finland, saunas are a way of life. They outnumber cars, with one saunafor every seven people. Entire families relax and sweat together two orthree times a week to relax, purify, and socialize.
So when you just can’t get warm in winter, try sauna bathing.The moist heat warms you to the bone, and you’ll be toasty forhours afterwards. The Finns are also known to alternate rolling in thesnow naked with a hot sauna—no thanks! For us Americans, we can visit a local sauna or spa a few days per week.And since you’re already there, why not include an svensk massasje—Swedishmassage—to cheer you up. Scandinavian Holiday TraditionsI was surprised to find out that Santa Claus is not a part of the NorwegianChristmas tradition. But Norwegians could have invented Christmas fromthe way they cozy up with family and friends this time of year, eatingtheir traditional sweets and enjoying being with each other for days ata time. Below is a one version of a traditional holiday drink that isserved from November through January with homemade pepperkake, or gingersnaps. Recipe for Glogg9-12 fresh crushed cardamom seeds
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cinnamon sticks
6-12 whole cloves
6 dried figs
1/2 cup crystallized ginger
1/2 cup orange peel
2 cups raisins
1 sliced lemon or orange
1 bottle of black currant juice or sweetened cranberry juice
1 bottle of apple juice Slowly bring ingredients to a boil. As soon as it boils, remove fromthe stove and cover pot. Allow to soak overnight. Filter out the spicesand fruit. Before serving, warm but do not boil. Add a teaspoon of thealmonds and raisins to the hot glogg and serve with a spoon. Wine or brandyis traditionally added. January and February seem to be the most challenging time for Norwegiansand others who live in cold climates—the holidays have ended andseveral more months of winter remain. It’s a natural time to goinward, so why not enrich new areas of your life? Explore your creativityand do things you would never do in the summer. Finally, remember that the seasons always change, and the darkest daysof winter hold the promise of spring, new growth, and light. Bonita Carol is a mother, massage therapist, and sauna enthusiast. Email her at
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