Nisser, Tomten and Yule Elves are associated with Scandinavia, the winter solstice and winter holiday season. They are known as gift givers, but not the same way as Santa Claus – although like Santa, it is important that you are nice to your Nisse! Nisse can be your answer to Elf on the Shelf for the Yuletide season, if you are a folklorist like me. I first encountered the Nisser when I lived ...
DIY Gift Making: Melt and Pour Soap
This is the first in a series of posts about DIY holiday gift giving. This year I am getting back to basics, focusing on what I really love about the holidays: time with family, good food, “hygge” (a Danish word which loosely translates to “cozy”), and doing things from the heart. Making handmade gifts is one of the ways I like to cover all those bases. We make gifts as a family, lots of the ...
Infuse Your Life with (more) YUM. YUM is the stuff that feeds not just our bodies but also our spirits. Offering simple recipes and tips, life hacks and tools and little pleasures to infuse life with more of the Good Stuff, the YUM.