Christmas in Norway wouldn’t be complete without Advent candles, a Christmas calendar, aquavit (a flavored distilled liquor), marzipan pigs, pinnekjøtt and kålrabistappe (dried, salted lamb with mashed turnips).
“These are some of the most important items for a Norwegian Christmas,” says the Consul General’s Assistant Tove Bucknavage, at the Consulate General of Norway in New York.
“And then there’s the gingerbread house, singing carols around the tree and just spending time with family,” she adds.
Another popular Christmas tradition is to listen to or read the story “The Night Carpenter Andersen Bumped into Santa Claus” written by Alf Prøysen in 1971. This classic story has been shown on Norwegian TV and played in many local theaters across the country.

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