Growing up in Denmark from the age of eight to fifteen was a perfect way to spend a childhood. I was raised in a small town in southern Denmark where community and relationships were important. We biked to school through rain, wind or snow. Christmas time was magical. The darkness outside didn’t bother us as we gathered around the table with candles glowing and spent time with one another. The Christmas season included outings to the forests to gather greenery, visits to the special Christmas markets, and sampling the wonderful special foods.

For many years, I’ve wanted to write a book about the Blessing Nisser. They have visited our own home in North Carolina for several years. My husband and I desired for our two daughters to truly understand what Christmas is about: the birth of Jesus and loving and serving others. In order to help us accomplish this, we added the Blessing Nisser to our holiday traditions.

A Nisse in Denmark is a mythical character that lives in the rafters of a barn. They are temperamental and need to be fed rice pudding in order to behave. I chose to make my Nisser into Blessing Nisser. They bring the community and families together by serving and loving others. I have taken liberty to have the Blessing Nisser in the story kind and caring, not temperamental. Our view of the Blessing Nisser is our own. In the kit, you will find items to make your own Nisser. Every picture I have seen of the Nisser portray them with a tall, red hat. I would encourage you to buy felt and other fabric and let your children make the Nisser into their own. You will have fond memories looking back years later on their personal creations.

This book can be read all at once or daily in December. In our home, we read the whole story after Thanksgiving. Then my husband and I look through the provided cards to come up with what service projects we want to do. We intend to do one every day of the month. However, you may decide to just do them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday or on the weekends. That is the beauty of this book: it is up to you. We have also provided you with blank cards that you can fill in with your own ideas and traditions. In addition, we have included cards that say, “You have been loved by the Blessing Nisser.” If you need more than what was provided, you can order additional cards from the website www.blessingnisser.com.

Our family’s prayer is that you will be blessed hearing about the love of Jesus and how Charlotte and the Nisser reflect Him through serving and loving others. We pray this book will become a tradition in your family for many years to come. When I finished reading this story to my youngest daughter, she hurried upstairs and made our bed and left a note on our pillow saying, “You have been loved by the Blessing Nisser” – all unbeknownst to us. Just by hearing the story, she wanted to bless us. Our prayer is that children will be inspired to love and serve others. Please post your stories to our Facebook page, sharing about how the Blessing Nisser came to your home.

Kirstie Marx