Christmas time in Nuuk

One of the things that I was most excited for during my time here in Greenland was Christmas and December, the most magical month of the year. I’m usually not a big Christmas person, but this year I started playing Christmas music in September and counting down the days since the day I set foot in Nuuk! This year, I’m in love with everything that has to do with Christmas. The traditions, the Christmas hats (I even bought myself one), the music and even the early shop decorations. Greenland did that to me.

Ever since coming here, I’ve been in a constant Christmas mood. I think it’s also the fact that my family is visiting me here during that very special time. And Greenland during the Christmas time is just very special. It is, after all, where Father Christmas lives.

My Christmas time here in Nuuk started on the last day of November, when I went to a Christmas lunch with my colleagues from the national museum. I had such a fun evening, one of the best, where Nele, my boss Christian and I danced and sang literally all night. My feet were killing me by the end, but it was so much fun! There were also lots of games and quizzes – and I just happened to be on the winning team!

The next morning, I woke up to two (vegan) Advent calendars, waiting to be opened and consumed by moi. Chocolate is the perfect start to the day, if you ask me!

That weekend was full of Christmas events, and the Saturday started with a small get-together with some of the other exchange students. We spent a couple of hours eating Christmas treats and making decorations together. Afterwards, Regine and I headed down to the Colonial Harbour, where the first Christmas tree in town was lit.

The next day, we woke up to snow. It was perfect timing, as we were headed to another Christmas event in the center of Nuuk, where the biggest tree was lit by Father Christmas. First, a small children’s choir sang some beautiful Greenlandic Christmas songs, before Father Christmas showed up and was hoisted up in a crane to light the beautiful tree while the snow was falling beautifully from the dark sky. It was such a magical moment.

A week of school and work went by, and then it was time for another weekend of Christmas activities. On the Sunday, we had an almost full day planned! After losing our minds and joining in on polar plunging (dipping yourself in the freezing ocean in -13 degrees), we went to a big indoor Christmas market to warm up and find some Christmas gifts. I was surprised by how big and spacious the market was – so different from the ones I’m used to. I bought some hard candy, burned almonds with liquorice (soooo good!!) and three pictures of Greenlandic villages that I’d visited during my travels around the country in September and October.

A few hours later, Regine, Maria, Charlotte, Augusta and I went to a wonderful Christmas concert in the Hans Egede Church with songs in both Greenlandic and English. That was an incredible experience, and actually the first time I’ve seen people wearing the national dress!

The Tuesday after, we had invited Augusta, Claire and Lisa over for a little Christmas celebration with Secret Santa gifts and lots and lots of unhealthy foods. We had a lovely cozy evening, where the highlight was seeing the happy faces of everyone when they opened their Secret Santa gifts and tried to guess who had bought it. I gave mine to Maria, and thankfully she loved it. I also love mine, a painting of a Greenlandic mountain, gifted to me from Lisa.

13th of December came, and it was time for Santa Lucia day, which is celebrated in the North with a candle parade. I wasn’t sure that I’d get to see the usual parade as I had class that day, but luckily, the university has organized for some adorable children to do a parade for us all. It was so cute to watch, and the perfect way to celebrate Saint Lucia.

The next day, it was sadly time to say goodbye to Regine and Maria, as they headed back home to celebrate Christmas with their families. So then it was only Charlotte and I left in the apartment!

On the 21st, I had my last day of work before the holidays, and it was celebrated with my lovely colleagues, first at the museum and later at our favourite pub, Daddy’s. It was a great evening with lots of pool-playing and I even won some games, but that was mostly thanks to my partner…

My family was supposed to arrive here in Nuuk on the 22nd, but unfortunately, their flight was cancelled and postponed to today, the 24th, because of a big storm in Nuuk. I hope and pray that they’ll get here today so we can celebrate Christmas together.

So instead of hanging out with my family, Charlotte and I spent the 23rd baking cookies and muffins and getting our home-made Christmas tree ready for the big day! We spent only 45 DKK on the Christmas tree, as it’s literally just a bunch of cut-off branches that we’ve put together in a bucket. All the ornaments are homemade or found in the apartment – way to be creative on a tight budget!

Now I’m excited to (hopefully) finally welcome my family to Nuuk, so we can enjoy the holidays together and catch up on all the stuff that has happened in the last four months. It’s going to be magical.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas!