Sunday, December 1, 2019

24 Days of a Baltic Christmas, 2019 edition!

Tere, sveiks, labas, hello! Welcome back to 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas, in its sixth year of showcasing Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian culture, traditions, recipes and crafts! Coming on the heels of the Baltic countries’ centennial, this year’s series is a testament to the interest in the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian holidays; we have received messages and emails from people all across the world with their Christmas and Yule stories, questions about recipes, and encouragement to continue the series for another year.


24DoaBC Logo designed by artist zilgma

Hosting the 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas is a sirds lieta for me – a thing of the heart. My blog originally started as a way to keep family updated during our expatriate assignment in France (hence the name of the blog, Femme au Foyer), and has evolved over the years into multiple things, including a hiking diary, review of local spots here in Upstate SC, and of course the Christmas series. However, this year has been the first in almost ten that I’ve published fewer than a handful of posts – other things in life have taken precedence, including family, the home, and time outdoors. It was tempting to allow the series to culminate with last year’s celebrational centennial series, especially with the thought of all the other Things that require my attention during the holiday season. But then I thought about all the times 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas has come up in conversation, the number of people that have expressed that the series brings them joy during what can be a rushed season, the constant mentions of recipes from the series on popular Facebook sites… and here we are, kicking off the sixth year of what might have lasted only one month!


I would like to remind our readers that the contributors to 24 Days do not receive payment, and you will see no advertisements on the site other than the occasional sponsored link. If you enjoy reading, I can suggest supporting the writers, artists, musicians and bloggers by ‘following’ their social media accounts, visiting their virtual markets, and sharing things you enjoy with friends. As our audience grows, we endeavor to maintain quality content, and supporting 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas contributors is an easy way to do it.


This year we continue to bring you more of your favorites: tried-and-true traditional recipes, cross-cultural anecdotes, beautiful photographs of snow and lights in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and ideas on how to bring the Baltics into your home this holiday season. From the Baltic tirdziņi that are scattered across the Baltics and diaspora the months preceding the New Year, to the recipes that evoke memories of Yule past; from the decorations that adorn our Christmas trees and homes in Baltic style, to the history that explains why we do so; from the posts that will strike the chords of emotion and memory, to those that will tickle your funny bone – join us in counting down the days until the holidays with 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas!



As a compliment to the countdown, the 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas Facebook page features not only the links to the daily posts, but also Baltic holiday photos, recipes, articles and other links to help you find inspiration and magic in the coming month. For those of you on Twitter and Instagram, please consider following me (@FemmeFoyer) and using #24DaysofaBalticChristmas when tagging your Baltic holiday photos. You can also follow the 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas board on pinterest, where you’ll find recipes, crafts and other inspirational pins to help count down the days until Christmas. And as always, you may sign up for the posts to be delivered directly to your inbox; look for the box on the right hand side that says 'follow by email,’ enter your email address and click ‘submit’!



If you would like to be involved in the series, have questions, or suggestions on a topic you would like to read about, send me an email (LLucane (at) yahoo (dot) com) or message via Facebook; we’re always planning, and would love to hear from you. I hope that you’ll join us once again in counting down the days until Christmas, while reveling in everything Baltic! Tomorrow on Day 2, a round-up of Baltic holiday markets…

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