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CHRISTMAS

How do Norwegians decorate their Christmas trees?

Christmas is just two weeks away, and according to a new survey, 93 percent of Norwegians plan to decorate their homes for Christmas.

Published: 11 December 2022 12:01 CET
Updated: 23 December 2022 15:25 CET
Christmas tree
According to a new survey, 90% of Norwegians will have a Christmas tree at home this holiday season. Photo by Sapan Patel / Unsplash

An extensive international Christmas survey in 17 countries that celebrate Christmas showed that no one is more fond of decorating their homes for Christmas than Norwegians.

According to the survey, 93 percent of Norwegians will decorate their homes for Christmas, and 90 percent will have a Christmas tree, news bureau NTB points out.

Some 60 percent will have fake trees, while 30 percent want real trees.

A big Christmas survey

The Christmas survey has been carried out by the payment and shopping platform Klarna. More than 17,000 respondents have answered questions about their Christmas tree and Christmas decoration plans.

It seems that the once frowned-upon plastic tree is now twice as popular as real trees, in some countries even more so.

“It’s an example of how something is gradually being accepted,” social anthropologist and trend researcher Gunn-Helen Øye told the news bureau NTB.

In the past, the plastic Christmas tree was criticized for looking fake, but today, several varieties look very real. In addition, it does not carry live insects, and it can be reused, to mention just a few of its benefits.

Sales of artificial Christmas trees soar

Sales and product manager at Jernia, Stian Jørgensen, says the chain has so far sold twice as many artificial Christmas trees as last year.

Compared to 2018, the growth is around 240 percent. Jørgensen believes a lot of the increase is due to the fact that the trees look so real.

With only 10 percent of Norwegians opting for a Christmas without a tree, Norway differs slightly from other Nordic countries in the survey.

The proportion of people who will not decorate a Christmas tree in their home is 24 percent and 21 percent in Finland and Sweden, respectively.

The survey shows that the Christmas tree is considered the most important element among Christmas decorations in all the surveyed countries.

How do Norwegians decorate their Christmas trees?

The survey also asked people how they plan to decorate their trees. Five out of six Norwegians answered that they plan to decorate trees traditionally.

On a slightly more detailed level, they were also asked to describe the style of their Christmas tree.

Here are the survey results:

  • Maximalist style with lots of lights and decorations (33 percent)
  • Mostly personal decorations: Characterized by inherited Christmas decorations and decorations that people feel personally connected to (30 percent)
  • Minimalist style, limited lights and decorations on the Christmas tree (13 percent)
  • Monochromatic, clean style (10 percent)
  • Only homemade decorations, preferably natural decorations (cones, cookies, dried fruit) (4 percent)

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NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS

Five Norwegian Christmas traditions foreigners find strange 

Whether it's the food, games, approach to advent calendars or the weird dub of a Czech retelling of Cinderella, Norwegians have several traditions that seem strange from the outside looking in. 

Published: 8 December 2023 15:57 CET
Updated: 24 December 2023 08:30 CET
Five Norwegian Christmas traditions foreigners find strange 

Every country has its traditions, and Christmas in Norway is guaranteed to be different to what you might be used to. 

Having grown up with many of the same Norwegian Christmas traditions, the locals tend not to think much about them or how much sense they do or do not make. 

However, if you’ve grown up elsewhere, many things will seem a little out of the ordinary. You may want to adopt some of them into your own traditions, others you may learn about from the sidelines instead. 

Tre nøtter til Askepott

Everyone has the films and TV shows they watch to get into the Christmas spirit or something they’ll watch on the day. For UK readers, this might be Bond or Wallace and Gromit (hopefully not Mrs Browns Boys).

Our American audience might prefer a classic like Miracle on 34th Street or something modern like The Grinch or Home Alone. 

Norwegians choose to watch a Czech retelling of Cinderella from the 1970s. As if that wasn’t strange enough, the dubbing is done by one male performer. 

The dubbing performer, Knut Risan, could even be considered the voice of Christmas in Norway, as more than 1 million people typically tune in to watch the Christmas classic. 

The interesting spin on this version of Cinderella sees her given three nuts that contain a special outfit. 

The movie has received the Hollywood treatment in recent years, with a modern remake featuring Norwegian actors. But for many, nothing comes close to the original. 

Soda wars

There could be a separate list on the food traditions. For starters, there are the annual light-hearted debates among friends, families and colleagues over which Christmas soda is best. 

Many pick one colour, red or brown, and stick to it for the rest of their lives. Other parts of the country may see other colour variations, and in Telemark, there’s a choice between “clear” and “murky”. 

Red Christmas soda is usually sweet and fruity, while the brown variant is often more full-bodied and very sweet. 

The partisan approach to food doesn’t just end at soda; there are also three Christmas dinner options. 

These are cured mutton ribs (pinnekjøtt), ribbe (roasted pork belly), and lutefisk. Lutefisk is a fish that has been cured in lye. 

For those unaware of what lye is, the Oxford English Dictionary defines the substance as “a strongly alkaline solution, especially of potassium hydroxide, used for washing or cleansing”.

This gives the fish a gelatinous texture. This and the smell put many off trying the dish. 

Do play with your food 

Once the annual arguments over food are settled, it is typically time to sit down for your Christmas meal. 

Good manners dictate that playing with one’s food is impolite. In Norway, you are specifically encouraged to play with your food when eating a rice porridge/pudding. 

This is because there will be an almond in there somewhere. The person who finds the almond wins a marzipan pig. 

You are also supposed to leave some porridge out for the nisse. These are gnome-like guardian spirits who live in barns. If you don’t leave the porridge out, the nisse will wreak havoc in the coming year. 

Advent calendars 

Many grow up with the tradition of Advent calendars. Norwegian do too, they typically have one of the more traditional type and one that takes the form of a TV show. 

The majority in Norway grew up watching serialised episodes of Advent calendars. The episodes are released daily and are normally around 20 minutes long. 

They normally carry an overall message about what Christmas means in the modern age or the importance of family and friendship. 

Julebord

Meaning Christmas table, a julebord is the traditional Christmas party. These can be put on by both your work and any clubs and societies you are signed up for. 

Typically, they involve an equal amount of alcohol and speeches. Given how reserved Norwegians can come across, it may be the only time of the year you really see your colleagues let loose. 

Such is the popularity of julebord, the weeks leading up to Christmas could be considered a fifth season of the year – julebord season.

While a Christmas party might not sound too strange, it needs to be experienced to be appreciated. 

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