Bring a little hygge into your Christmas this year.
Blurb: Christmas is the most hyggelig of seasons, and in this book Becci shares over fifty ideas to bring a touch of Scandinavian coziness to your home this winter. The chapters cover everything from sumptuous edible gifts and homemade presents with a Nordic flavor, to traditional Danish crafts with which to decorate your space.
Projects include a wild winter birch wreath, woven julestjerner star chandelier, five-minute sock gnomes and even a Christmas tree bath scrub! Try your hand at a quick finger-crochet scarf, scented white clay ornaments, or make bangles, cushions and baubles from a pre-loved sweater. Becci’s favorite recipes for the ultimate in Danish festive comfort food cover both baking and the all-important Christmas Eve feast, plus there are traditional after-dinner games for all the family to enjoy.
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Becci Coombes’ Craft Your Own Cosy Scandi Christmas is like a 101 course on creating a hygge Christmas, covering gifts, crafts, decor, food, and games. Coombes, who lives in England, spent holidays at a family farm in Denmark and shares traditional goodies and crafts.
One of the best aspects of this book is that Coombes’ uses found objects in nature or repurposes items in her craft. She uses an old Christmas sweater to make a new pillow, gloves to make nisse, the Danish equivalent of a mischievous gnome. Walnut shells become ornaments. Socks become a larger version of a nisse. Birch twigs become a wreath. The ideas allow you to think outside the box and perhaps come up with your own substitutes. Each craft has its own recipe, with pictures included.
I was very interested in a pattern for a cowl in which the author uses her fingers instead of a crochet hook. I’ve heard of arm knitting but didn’t know a similar thing could be done for crochet. Her instructions are very good and I suspect a person who has never crocheted before could easily make the cowl based on her notes.
Usually I’m all about the food in books like this, but I have to admit that I wasn’t very intrigued by these recipes. One I might try is called chocolate salami and incorporates chocolate, cookie (or biscuit, as the author says), nuts, and glacé cherries that are all rolled together like a salami. It sounds yummy, although I wonder if dried cherries might not be more interesting. Brunkager also sounds nice; it’s a spicy Danish cookie.
The final chapter is all about games that can be played with the entire family.
While the author has included a list of possible sources for some items, they are in the UK. Likewise, the units for cooking and in crafts are all UK.
Craft Your Own Cosy Scandi Christmas would be an excellent choice for anyone wanting to do something a little bit different this year for the holidays. Put a little hygge in it.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“Hygge” and finger knitting. Learned two things today. 🙂
That’s what I’m here for . . . well . . . kind of. 😀
Would even make a gift in my case.
Yes, it would! I should have put that in there. The color copy (mine was b&w kindle) looks especially nice. Hope you’re doing well, Paul!