My family and I baked the annual Christmas lefse recently, so I was thinking about Scandinavian traditions and wondering if we have books at the library on that subject. Yes, we do have Scandinavian books!

I’m starting with holiday books because, after all, it’s that time of year. Jul: Swedish American Holiday Traditions by Minnesotan Patrice M. Johnson (641.5686 Johnson) is a beautiful book highlighting Swedish traditions. Lutfisk anyone? The Swedish Meatballs are more to my liking. There are many traditional recipes for your julbord (Christmas table), but I especially enjoyed the stories highlighting Swedish Christmas traditions.

There is still time to knit up some ornaments or gift adornments with Scandinavian-Style Christmas Knits: Ornaments and Decorations for a Nordic Holiday by Thea Rytter (746.432 Rytter). I love the little acorns, and there is a pattern for the cutest little mushrooms of different sizes.

If you have some little ones to knit for you will want to check out Winter Knitting for Little Sweethearts: 46 Nordic-Style Patterns for Girls, Boys, and Babies by Hanne Andreassen Hjelmas (746.432 Hjelmas). There are patterns for easy projects like hats and scarves to more advanced projects with colorwork and charts. Stop in and take a look. Once you see this delightful book you will want to find some yarn and get started.

Scandinavian From Scratch: A Love Letter to the Baking of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden by Nichole Accettola (641.815 Accetto) contains cover-to-cover Scandinavian dishes from sweet to savory. I’m drawn to the “Fika” section. Fika is the custom of taking a coffee break, and what’s better with coffee than a Danish, sweet bread or cookie?

Are you interested in giving some traditional Norwegian dishes a try? Then North Wild Kitchen: Home Cooking from the Heart of Norway by Nevada Berg (641.5948 Berg) is the book for you. There are some interesting recipes in this cookbook, including, of course, a couple for traditional lefse!

And finally, Scandinavians are known for living a happy, contented life. You no doubt remember the terms Hygge and Lagom which were popular a few years ago. If you would like a refresher during this cold, dark winter, stop in and checkout Hygge Simplified: A Guide to Coziness, Comfort & Conviviality (158.1 Hygge) or Live Lagom: Balanced Living, the Swedish Way by Anna Brones (646.7 Brones).

If you’d like to request these or any other books, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose Library Catalog, or call the library at 507-359-8331. New Ulm Public Library is located at 17 North Broadway and is open from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The library will close at 1:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve and will be closed for Christmas Day.