Ages before you had an Elf sitting on your shelf, Danish children had the family Nisse. Milly spent last year in Denmark, and assures me that the Danes know better than anyone how to celebrate Christmas. She was absolutely enchanted when the family and guests danced around the Christmas tree, lit by tiny candles.
This year we’re going to share a few Danish Christmas traditions you can easily fit into your celebrations, starting with the Nisser.
Sometimes Danish children take turns bringing the classroom Nisse home with a journal to document the interesting situations he gets himself into. Our family Nisser are still adjusting to a new home, it seems. They quietly observe and generally enjoy the festivities from their favorite shelf.
We wanted to find a way to share these little creatures with all of you, and so we took this adorable little guy from a fabric we’ll be releasing soon, and designed these fun little gift tags. Just click to open the full-sized file, then print!
We’ve included them in both Danish and English, because we love you.
Watch in the next few weeks for more Danish Christmas traditions you’ll want to adopt. We’ll be sharing how to make paper heart baskets for the tree and a traditional rice dessert for Christmas Eve!
Hi! I’m Barbara Anne Williams, a designer and illustrator living in the Rocky Mountains of Northern Utah. I find inspiration in the beauty of nature, the scent of old books, and the kindness of everyday heroes.
