Swedish Christmas Cookies: A Recipe To Make Pepparkakor

Christmas is a special time in Scandinavia and Sweden in particular. Tradition and Heritage are extremely important to Swedish culture and there are many traditions which are widely upheld.

In most traditional Swedish homes, the smell of home baked foods and desserts fill the air at Christmas time. The Swedes really love to cook and for many, the holiday season and the Christmas Eve celebration is the highlight of their year.

One recipe, which is very popular in Sweden, is for a cookie called the Pepparkakor.

Pepparkakor, literally translated, means “pepper cookies” but I’ve yet to see a recipe that included any pepper. They are similar to the American gingersnap cookie but they are generally thinner, crisper and smoother in texture.

Many refer to this cookie as a “ginger…

Celebrate Christmas the Scandinavian Way!

Scandinavia, which includes the countries of Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, has a variety of beautiful and unique Christmas traditions.

While there are a number of similarities, like the use of candles and a combination of red and white decorative elements, there are also many traditions that are unique to each of the Scandinavian countries.

The length of the Christmas season also differs, ranging from an eight day celebration in Norway to twelve full days in Sweden.

Finnish Christmas Traditions:

The Christmas season begins after the first weekend of Advent. Advent, which means “coming,” refers to the coming of the Christ.

With Advent comes a multitude of Christmas decorations and a number of pre-Christmas gatherings. After Advent, the next important holiday is Independence Day, which coincides with the feast day…

Help With Your Holiday Gift List – Mom

One of the great advantages of living in the twenty-first century is that moms are no longer strictly associated with maternity clothes, minivans and PTA meetings. In fact, the chic members of the Hollywood baby boom have reset established style stereotypes and forged a able “Yummy Mummy” look and attitude. That’s right, moms can be trendsetters too.

Whether mom is a new mom or older, doesn’t mean she deserves boring, bland or so-called appropriate presents, so why not treat your favorite mom to fun, trend-focused, and hip designer treats? In short, it’s time to say goodbye to sweats and blenders and hello to sweet cozy sweaters, modern accessories and festive gifts! Today’s holiday gift guide offers you just that, plus a handful of other thoughtful finds we hand-selected with the…

Help With Your Holiday Gift List

On this glorious first week of December, we must confront an inescapable truth. Despite our best efforts to ignore the signs (which means avoiding direct eye contact with our neighbors’ faux snow decorations and snubbing the candy cane aisle at the store), the holidays are officially here once again. In other words, tis the time to go shopping, dear readers! But if the task of finding the perfect presents for all your nearest and dearest fills you with the spirit of Scrooge instead of seasonal cheer, we’re here to help. Starting this week, we’re thrilled to roll out huset-shop.com’s annual gift guide – a highly personal, totally desirable pieces for everyone on your list. We’re spotlighting our favorite finds for ten different recipients, so be sure to check in every…

Featured Designer: Swedish Design Label – Dagmar

This month, we are featuring Swedish design label, Dagmar.  Dagmar is created and run by three sisters — Kristina Tjäder, Karin Söderlind and Sofia Malm.

Dagmar, which was launched in Spring 2005, has received much acclaim. In February, 2006 Dagmar was awarded “Best New Designer of the Year” by Swedish Elle Magazine.

A Dagmar piece emphasizes on the wearers personal style and creates a modern opening for individualism. Excellent handicraft with a tailored touch will give the wearer a feeling of sensualism and enhance her energy.

The video, below, was taken at a fashion show in Stockholm, Sweden and showcases Dagmar’s Autumn/Winter line of 2008.

Enjoy!