‘Merry Christmas’ in English or ‘God Jul’ in Norwegian![image error]

I have always visualized Christmas as something snowy, dark and cold with Santa Claus making it rainy (with gifts), bright (with colors) and warm (with love). It is a very family festival with most time spent sharing gifts and having a nice chat over a hot meal. Growing up in a tropical coastal town I never experienced the snow, the darkness or the [image error]cold.

But this year life provided an opportunity to experience all three on Christmas. Celebrating Christmas in the Arctic is very different from the Tropics. It is cold, dark, and snowy and feels like what I used to read about in the books. The Santa Claus, of course, remains mythical even so high up North