Scan Magazine | Top Ten Feature | Ways to Enjoy a Scandilicious Christmas
5. Display Viking courage with a winter sauna Saunas are a part of daily life in Finland, and so saunas are also a part of the festive season. You might shiver at the thought of running naked through the snow for a dip in ice-cold water, but ask Wim Hof and you’ll see that it has plenty of benefits. More importantly, that Scandinavian predilection for cosiness is rarely as striking as when you’re sitting there – in the nude or wrapped in a towel, if you insist – sweating out the year’s frustrations in the heat of a winter sauna. For an extra festive touch, add candles and a mug of ‘glögi’ (see point 6) before or after. Finnish winter sauna. Photo: Harri Tarvainen
Photo: Pexels, Tembela Bohle
Finnish winter sauna. Photo: Harri Tarvainen
6. Over-consume Scandinavian mulled wine ‘Glögg’, ‘gløgg’ or ‘glögi’ is Scandinavian mulled wine, made with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, bitter orange peel and cloves. It is typically consumed at least every Sunday of Advent and on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and often all the way through the holidays until New Year’s Eve. These days, the glögg craze often starts weeks before Advent officially kicks off, making most of the festive season into a glögg-fuelled but gorgeous-smelling haze. Serve heated in small mugs with raisins and blanched almonds, and remember to serve the children nothing but the kiddie version.
Glögg. Photo: Helena Wahlman, imagebank.sweden.se
7. Try all the new Christmas beers Just like there’s a special type of Christmas cola – julmust – in Sweden, Scandinavians are fans of making special Christmas brews. Decades ago, there was ‘julöl’ or ‘juløl’ – a type of Christmas beer with a special festive flavour. Off the back of the craft beer trend, there is now a long line of seasonal brews, covering different beer types as well as strengths. They are a must to have with Christmas dinner, and ideally also on what’s sometimes referred to as ‘Little Christmas’, on the evening of 23 December. But with so many different types to try, it’s a good idea to start well before then in order to ensure that you can enjoy the very best kind on the big day itself. 36 | Issue 130 | November 2019