Combine November and Advent and you have Novent, a new trend in Sweden that I would like to soon conquer the rest of the world! Novent means that in November you will gradually start to bring Christmas atmosphere into your home. Think of extra candles, lights,… and if you want some Christmas decorations.
November feels like the saddest month of the year. The days are getting shorter, the autumn colors are disappearing and it is still waiting for the Christmas lights in the streets. Who says we can’t enjoy the most wonderful time of the year already in november?
Smygstarta julen
I think ‘smygstarta julen‘ is one of the nicest phrases in Swedish. Sometimes you also read ‘att tjuvstarta julen‘ It means as much as secretly starting Christmas. Looking forward to something is often half the experience. Once we have switched to winter time, I want to make it extra cozy at home. I’m really counting the days till Christmas. For the Christmas fun, but also because the days after that are gradually starting to get longer.
What is novent to me?
Celebrating Novent makes the darkest, grayest month of the year just that little bit more pleasant. For me, Novent means that I light some candles more often, that I take the time to bake some more (a house that smells like pepparkakor is Christmas at its best!), that I take out my Christmas mugs,… During November I also put the Christmas playlist on and I might watch a Christmas movie. It even itches to craft some Christmas decorations! And oh, julmust is really part of it for me. Cozy Christmas without it all becoming too ‘Christmassy’.
During the holidays we often have a lot of ‘obligations’. As fun as these are, the days fly by with family visits and Christmas dinners. You wouldn’t be the first to feel ‘Christmas stress’! Nothing has to be done during novent and maybe that is why it is becoming so popular. You can just enjoy it.
The tip for a perfect novent for me is dosage. Keep it subtle. Do it little by little. Dose and don’t go jingles all the way so that, even as a Christmas fan, you’re not tired of Christmas by December 24th. For me, novent is also thinking about the Christmas menu and possibly trying something in advance, thinking about gifts and buying Christmas cards. During novent you do it because you want to, not because you have to.
The origin of ‘novent’
It was the Swedish Olsson family who invented the word novent in 2014. They counted 3 extra Sundays before the start of Advent. Week 4 of Novent is celebrated together with the beginning of Advent. It was a way for them to enjoy Christmas longer. In the meantime, novent has also been recognized as a new Swedish word.
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