Christmas - Christmas Biscuits

Gingerbread baking is an indispensable pastime in many Icelandic homes before Christmas. The artfully decorated gingerbread can be made into all sorts of shapes and colours. Families come together to bake biscuits or make their own gingerbread houses in various shapes and sizes. Christmas is a family time, and most people find that spending time with their children and close relatives is the best and most precious gift they can wish for.

The bustle of activity during Advent, the decorating, the baking and the seasonal cleaning, everything together creates a special feeling of celebration. The children are full of expectation and want to help – to bake biscuits of course, but not only! Some families hold handicrafts evenings, making their own Christmas cards; others attend Christmas concerts or go to the woods to find and fell their own Christmas tree, perhaps using the occasion to collect spruce cones. The children’s excitement and anticipation before Christmas combines with the sound of resonant music, while Christmas lights and the distinct, sweet smell of gingerbread and spruce fill the house. Finally, everything settles on Christmas Day. A true Christmas spirit reigns and everyone receives a present. The Christmas stamps this year are quite special, because they smell of newly baked gingerbread!