Ten tips for a wonderful outdoor Christmas
Christmas is cozy, but there is also a lot we have to do! We challenge everyone to care a little less about everything we should, and instead take the time to relax with good experiences out in nature.
In December, there is a lot to arrange, buy, bake and decorate, and a lot we feel we have to. Then it's good to get a time-out once in a while. Do something together and make it easy. Nature is never far away, with many different opportunities to do something a little different.
- In nature, we get away from everything else that steals the attention now in the Christmas season. Here you can experience silence, but there is also room for good conversation. I encourage everyone to take time for a few breathers and feel the Christmas peace on the trip, says Secretary General of DNT, Dag Terje Klarp Solvang.
Go on a cabin trip
Bring your friends, boyfriend and family. Fire up the oven, cook simple food on a gas hob and log off. Remember a deck of cards, a good book, warm good clothes, a headlamp and a DNT key.
It's nice to get away and live a little differently for a couple of days. You can find your dream cabin among one of DNT's 580 cabins.
Find tips here: Celebrate Christmas or New Year at a DNT cabin
Take the Christmas party outside
Outdoor parties are great for children of all ages, whether it is in the garden, the park or in the nearest woods. Create a reflective trail/nature trail, stick relay, snowball rolling and sledding competition.
Hang reflectors in trees and bushes and hide the tasks and surprises on the trail. With headlamps and flashlights, there is guaranteed to be an atmosphere.
Invite to adventure time around the fire
Invite children and acquaintances to tell the most beautiful Christmas stories around a fire in the woods. Bring good food and drink, and make a winter evening unforgettable.
Sleep outside in the winter night
Surprise your family or friends with a night in nature. Find a sleeping mat, sleeping bag and wool underwear and sleep under the stars. Going out into the woods is nice, but it can be just as fun on the terrace or in the garden. Remember a hat!
Go for a walk in the blue hour
Both in the morning and in the evening you have a small hour that is neither day nor night, but blue. The light is very special and the atmosphere can only be experienced, not explained.
Get a blue breathing space in the hectic Advent everyday life, and feel the peace that nature provides.
Swimming in ice water
The toughest of us can jump into the sea and feel the Viking blood rushing in our veins! A winter bath is a cold pleasure, but it is healthy and completely harmless.
Get the Christmas spirit
Find Christmas decorations in the forest. Take a walk out into the forest and pick moss, spruce needles and pine cones that can be used to make Christmas decorations or as natural input to the nativity scene.
Cut down the Christmas tree yourself. The tree is never as beautiful as when you have walked in the forest and picked it out yourself. Take the Sunday trip to a place where it is allowed to cut your own Christmas tree, many farms have their own Christmas tree fields where you can choose and fell the tree you want.
Check out the neighborhood's finest Christmas decorations. During the darkest time of the year, many people decorate their houses in beautiful light decorations. Go for a walk in the neighborhood and see if you can find your favorite.
Plan next year's trip
Find hiking books or magazines, or search for inspiration here on dnt.no or all of Norway's hiking portal UT.no. Dream away and plan next year's hiking experiences!
Do you want to go with others or try something new? DNT's member associations arrange trips and activities for all age groups, how about a kayak course, an evening meal trip or a cabin trip?
Take a digital outdoor course
Here you can learn more about what you should wear and in your backpack, how to cook or sleep outside and not least – map and compass.
You might associate winter with freezing, diving in snow, slippery skis and soaking wet mittens? Don't be afraid to go hiking in the winter! Winter outdoor life can offer great nature experiences both in the high mountains and in the local countryside as long as you are well prepared.
Make your trip a breeze with the Cool Trip app
In the outdoor app Kul Tur, children can register hiking activity and trip length, and collect points every time they are out. The app is free, and available in Appstore and GooglePlay.