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God romjul!! Happy romjul!
I bet you are wondering what on earth romjul is? Well it's the time between Christmas and New Year. In the English speaking world we might call that Twixtmas or something like that. Here in Norway it's called romjul and it has a very specific place in Norwegian tradition.
As you know in the Nordics when it's time to celebrate everyone loves to indulge a little. After all we will be back outside into the fresh air making the most of friluftsliv in no time at all. It's good for our mental health to allow ourselves a few indulgences from time to time.
Relaxing time with no work
Although lots of people work in romjul, there is less pressure to keep up with everything. It's a calm time of slower schedules and less work pressure. Many people will have taken holiday and will probably not be at work and if you try to get anything done in a public or government department you can forget it. They close for the entirety of romjul.
Time for family
Romjul is a time to be around family and friends, but not in the same way as Christmas. Christmas was more formal and structured. It's more about getting some casual clothes on, going for a walk and grilling a few hotdogs out in the open air. Romjul is about chilling out, celebrating connections and being a little less formal.
Informality
The stiff Christmas clothes have had their outing. It's time to be informal. In Norway the jeans come back out, the soft comfortable clothes are worn again and the scratchy, sequin covered outfits are put away until the next time (probably a confirmation or two in the spring). Our beautiful decorations stay up, but we are relaxed and informal.
Time to get outside
Romul is a crazy time to get outside in Norway. Everyone is out and about, hiking, grilling, making the most of the lovely winter weather and breathing some fresh air. Lots of the friluftslivsenters (outdoor centres) have activities on to get families and friends outside. If the weather is cold enough we start ice skating on the lakes or take a morning to sit quietly and ice fish. It's all about taking the time to enjoy and embrace the great outdoors.
It's time to start on some healthy eating habits
With all this fresh air and health, it's natural to start eating a little more healthily. We've had lots of fun indulging over Christmas and even if you don't go crazy you still feel that need for vitamins and minerals in what we eat. It's a time in the Nordic to look to all the wonderful fresh food that is around. We choose lighter foods and go back to enjoying candy and chocolate on certain days like Saturdays and Wednesdays.
No pressure
We can find ourselves under so much pressure at Christmas and the run up to Christmas. There is pressure to get the right gifts, make all the food, make the house look perfect and it doesn't help to be bombarded by the perfect looking lives of social media influencers. But romjul is the time to let that go. It's over. In the Nordics we make a conscious effort to take the pressure off.
How to make the most of romjul, Nordic style:
Relax and stop trying to make everything perfect. Christmas is over and it's time to let your shoulders drop and enjoy the last few days of the year.
Get outside. Over Christmas we tend to spend more time inside than normal. So now it's time to get some fresh air. Get outside and enjoy the winter (or summer if you live in the southern hemisphere). Put on your winter clothes and take a walk in the fresh air let your lungs fill up and move your body a bit.
Start to look at some healthy habits you might want to adopt. I'm not one for huge New Year's resolutions. I would rather adopt small habits one at a time and give them time to stick. Start with a few more vegetables and fruit in your diet each day, drink a little more water and get outside for a few minutes. All these things are very Nordic and easy to bring into our lives.
Leave the pressure to be perfect behind. Christmas can be a time of unbelievable pressure to be perfect. Everything has to be Instagammable and aesthetic. Leave it behind at Christmas! Let your life be imperfect, or at least your romjul. The way you live your life is your choice and it's already perfect for you.
Spend some time with your family and friends. Have you got Christmas food and snacks to eat up? Get some people over and share them. Invite a few friends for a walk and take a flask or two of hot chocolate to add some hygge to the day. Be creative and adventurous. I promise it will be a wonderful!
All this is called romjulshygge or the cosiness after Christmas.
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