Santa Claus, Nisser, and the Wonder of a Danish Christmas

If you visit Denmark at Christmas, you will see plenty of Santa Claus, or Julemanden, as he is called in Danish. But you will also see another little character everywhere you go—the nisse. Nisser sit on windowsills, hide among Christmas decorations, appear on cards and wrapping paper, and peek out from under Christmas trees. Some are sweet, some look a little mischievous, and most are wearing the familiar red hat.

Growing up in Denmark, nisser were simply part of Christmas. A singular one is nisse, and plural would be nisser. I never really thought about where the tradition came from because they were just there every December, along with the candles, Christmas decorations, special foods, and all the other traditions of the season. Julemanden and the nisser each had their place in our Christmas, and as children, we didn't stop to think about how the traditions fit together. They were simply part of the excitement and magic of December.

The Danish Nisse

The nisse comes from old Scandinavian folklore and existed long before the modern Santa Claus became part of Christmas. Traditionally, a nisse was a small household or farm figure who was believed to live in the rafters, and help care for the farm and animals. He was usually pictured as a small older man with a beard, simple clothes, and a red cap.

According to the old stories, if the family fed the nisse risengrød (rice pudding) he would be helpful and look after the farm. But he also had a mischievous side, especially if he felt he had been ignored or mistreated. Over time, the old farm nisse became closely connected with Christmas, and the julenisse, or Christmas nisse, became part of Danish Christmas celebrations.

One of my most cherished nisse memories is making risengrød with my Mum. We would help her make the warm rice pudding, and then we would put some into a bowl especially for the nisser. Of course, we had to add cinnamon sugar and a nice lump of butter in the middle. You couldn't expect the nisser to eat plain risengrød!

Once the bowl was ready, we would walk out to the barn and carefully place it up on the rafters for the nisser to find. The next morning, my sister Melissa and I would sneak outside to see if they had eaten it. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that the bowl was empty! To us, that was all the proof we needed that the nisser had visited during the night.

I can still picture the two of us going out to that barn to check the bowl. At the time, it was simply part of the excitement of Christmas, but now it is one of those childhood memories I cherish. I don't remember wondering who had really eaten the risengrød. As far as Melissa and I were concerned, the nisser had eaten every last bite.

Julemanden and His Home in Greenland

Denmark has Santa Claus too. His Danish name is Julemanden, which literally means “the Christmas Man.” He brings presents for children on Christmas Eve, December 24, when Danish families traditionally have their main Christmas celebration and open their gifts.

Growing up, we were told that Julemanden lived in Greenland, and one of my favourite parts of Christmas was writing my wish list and sending it to him there. I would carefully write down what I hoped to receive, put my letter in the mail, and wait. It seemed completely normal to me that if you wanted Julemanden to know what you wanted for Christmas, you needed to send your list all the way to Greenland.

The best part was that we would get a note back. It came with a stamp from Greenland, which made the whole thing seem very official to me as a child. Julemanden wasn't just someone we talked about at Christmas—my letter had actually gone to Greenland, and now I had something that had come back from there! I wish I still had one of those notes today.

Julemanden didn't replace the nisser in Danish Christmas traditions. Instead, the two became part of the same Christmas world, and nisser are often pictured alongside Julemanden or helping him prepare for Christmas. As a child, I didn't think about where one tradition ended and another began. Julemanden lived in Greenland, the nisser were around at Christmas, and both were simply part of December.

Nisser Are Everywhere at Christmas

Walk through Denmark during December and it doesn't take long to spot a nisse. You will find them in homes, schools, shops, Christmas markets, and all kinds of Christmas decorations. They might be made from fabric, wood, paper, or felt and placed on shelves, tucked into the Christmas tree, or sitting somewhere unexpected.

Families often have nisser that come out year after year with the rest of their Christmas decorations. Some look like the old-fashioned farm nisser, while others look more like the Christmas elves children recognize today. They are such a familiar part of a Danish Christmas that you almost stop noticing how many of them are around.

For me, however, nisser aren't simply decorations. When I see one, I can remember being a little girl walking out to the barn with a bowl of warm risengrød, and then Melissa and me hurrying back the next morning to see if it had disappeared. Those are the memories that eventually helped inspire the nisser in my own Christmas story.

From Danish Nisser to Rasmus and Ingrid

When I wrote The Blessing Nisser, I wanted to take this Danish tradition I had grown up with and give my nisser a different kind of job. That is how Rasmus and Ingrid became part of Charlotte Olsen's Christmas. They still have the fun and mystery of the Danish nisser I remember, but this year they have a plan for Charlotte.

Rasmus and Ingrid want to help Charlotte notice the people around her, especially her selfish brother Hans and grumpy Mr. Andersen who lives down the street. Instead of simply getting into mischief, they leave opportunities for Charlotte to serve. As Charlotte begins doing these small acts of service, something starts to happen to the people around her, and even Hans and Mr. Andersen begin to change.

I don't want to give away too much of Charlotte's story because part of the fun is discovering it as you read. Eventually, though, we learn where Charlotte's desire to serve comes from. Charlotte loves Jesus, and she understands that Jesus came to serve others. That is the heart behind The Blessing Nisser—taking a fun Danish tradition from my childhood and using it to encourage children to look beyond themselves and find ways to bless the people around them.

When I think about the nisser now, I still think about that empty bowl in the barn. I think about Mellissa and me discovering it the next morning and being completely convinced that the nisser had enjoyed their Christmas treat. I also remember writing my wish list to Julemanden, sending it all the way to Greenland, and receiving that very important reply with its Greenland stamp.

Those were simple things, but they were a wonderful part of growing up in Denmark at Christmas. And all these years later, two little nisser named Rasmus and Ingrid are helping me share a little of that Danish Christmas with another generation.

God Jul and be a blessing!

Kirstie