Hi, I’m Mike. I’m British-Norwegian and live in Oslo with my family.
The Happiness Calendar started here, where December is dark, cold and full of the little things that make winter good: candles, snow, hot chocolate, walks outside and people squeezed around the table.
In Norway, lots of families have an Advent calendar where children get a small present every day for 24 days. Somewhere along the way, that seems to have become normal.
Twenty-four presents before you’ve even got to Christmas.
It feels like a lot.
I wanted to try a reset. Not get rid of the excitement of opening a door every morning, but change what’s behind it.
Instead of another thing, you get something to do together. Something silly. Something kind. Something Christmassy. Occasionally something slightly ridiculous.
The sort of things our family might actually remember.
That’s The Happiness Calendar. A small Norwegian-born experiment in less stuff, more moments.
I hope it creates a few good ones for your family too.