Hamar isn’t the center of the world, but it is where we live. And we wanted to show you how our town decorates to make sure we all have a very merry Hamar Christmas.
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All of the lights
Right around the first Sunday of advent we usually go downtown to attend the lighting of the Christmas tree. Now this has been a tradition for me ever since I was a child, growing up in a totally different part of the country. And I have to admit that I was a bit anxious about wether it would be possible for me to find the Christmas spirit anywhere else than home. But the ceremony when lighting the Christmas tree downtown has become something I really appreciate.
Each year during this ceremony the lights at the square are turned off. Then the light in the ballet halls with huge windows facing the square are lit. And we get to enjoy this breathtaking and touching dance performance to some beautiful and moody Christmas music. I love this moment.
This year the ceremony was cancelled due to COVID-19. However that didn’t mean no Christmas lights in town. Rather the opposite. The town has really made an effort to make several scenes around the town center for us to enjoy, and to help us find that Christmas spirit.
Light show every day at 6 PM
Every night at 6 PM there is a light show downtown. It’s music and moving Christmas lights, all very American as far as I can tell by the videos. We haven’t seen it yet. The boys usually go to bed at 7 PM, so we have to wait for the weekend. But we love the fact that it’s possible to gather as a family to see something different downtown.
Gingerbread ruins
We participated in making a gingerbread building board, to be part of a ginger bread construction we had no idea how would turn out. The idea was that all the inhabitants that wanted to participate made a gingerbread rectangle at about 25×35 cm, delivered it to the builders and waited to see the finished gingerbread construction.
The finished construction turned out to resemble the church ruins that Hamar is somewhat known for. A glass dome protects the actual ruins. But the gingerbread version is not protected. The town says it will stay up for as long as it’s keeping together nicely. A fun idea for the community to take part in.
Christmas in our hearts
Hamar wants us all to have Christmas in our hearts. And after visiting the town center we get a little bit closer to that Christmas spirit. I hope you too will find your spots that will help you find that Christmas spirit this year. If you stick around for Blogmas tomorrow, you’ll get to see how we’ve decorated our house to help feel Christmas in our hearts at home as well. Stay safe, I’ll see you tomorrow!
