DECORAH — As visitors gather for juletrefest at Vesterheim, the national Norwegian-American museum and heritage center, they’ll meet the julenisse (Christmas elf) who brings gifts and the ...

Nisser are small supernatural creatures that could be compared to a gnome or an elf. They have existed in Norwegian folklore for centuries and are heavily associated with Christmas in Norway. As with ...

Norway’s Christmas traditions can seem peculiar if you ... The porridge can either be left out for the big man himself, or for the nisse (little Christmas elves) to ensure a good harvest. The porridge ...

Maybe that’s why Christmas in Norway feels more like a pagan festival ... If you neglected your “nisse” — those mischievous elves of the forest — ill fortune would hit your family.

including hand-crafted paper decorations and small Nisse elves. Workshops making Norwegian Christmas paper decorations will take place on December 13 and December 20, from 1.30pm to 3.30pm.