HOT: Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar, Swedish Church, 21 St Georges Rd, Toorak

Even though I’ve spent most of my Christmases in the Australian summer, I have to admit that I don’t think I’ve ever felt more Christmassy than my time spent in the Northern Hemisphere. Maybe I’ve been indoctrinated by Christmas cards featuring reindeer in snow and songs about a white Christmas, but it just feels more right to be spending Christmas in the cold.

The closest we get to a White Christmas in Melbourne’s 30+ degree heat is the Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar held at the Swedish Church in Toorak. The church is actually an elegant white mansion (reminiscent of Tara in Gone with the Wind) tucked away in a residential tree-lined street of Toorak. Every year Melbourne’s Scandinavian community welcome visitors to its pretty grounds, which hosts all manner of stalls selling Scandinavian goodies.

I haven’t been in a few years and the market seems to have gotten bigger in that time. Stalls varied from the fabulous Swedish inspired stationery shop Kikki K, Danish Christiana bikes from PS Bikes and cute Christmas decorations and Marimekko serviettes from Scandinavian homewares shop Nordliving.

Inside there were wooden Christmas decorations galore and a Scandinavian deli selling things like knackerbrod (rye crispbread) and tarama (cod roe spread).

The atmosphere was friendly and festive – there are musical and dance performances throughout the day, lots of blonde tanned people lounge under trees chatting away in their native language and a popular day out with families as there was a petting zoo and jumping castle for the kids.

Always a sucker for Christmas decorations, I purchased four that day, in between munching on a Danish hot dog (the crunchy fried onions and sweet mustard are a must) and a cinnamon roll (I lived on them when in Norway). The only thing missing was a herring van.

The Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar is held every year in the first weekend of December – so sorry if you missed out. Keep it in mind for next year!