On the 7th Day of Christmas… I’m going to show you how to make a cute Danish Nisse out of cedar logs. This craft has become quite popular and is often referred to as “Santa Logs”.
See all 12 Christmas projects HERE
This is the set of santa logs that I made for my MIL
My mother-in-law is from Denmark and hubby and I were lucky enough to take the kids there to visit a few summers back. Here’s a picture from our trip. That’s hubby (blue shirt), his uncle, and cousin (yellow shirt), and his cousin’s family. Smart Jr is in the pink shirt and there’s my little Lulu when she was two. 
Background on the Nisse
Over the years I’ve learned a little about Danish Christmas traditions and hubby and I were happy we to make my in-laws these cute Nisser for Christmas. My brother’s in-laws got one too! What the heck is a Nisse, you ask? The Nisse (pronounced nissa) is a mythical creature of Scandinavian Folklore and differs from the American Santa Claus. Instead, “nisser” are elves or gnomes with long colorful hats. While the name “Nisse” probably derives from St. Nicholas, these old figures are believed to exist long before the birth of Christ. The Nisse associated specifically with Christmas is “Julenisse” (Yule Nisse), who looks pretty much like Santa Claus. The “Julenissen” bring presents to all the nice children on Christmas Eve. But they are not as shy as Santa Claus, and deliver the presents themselves, they don’t come down the chimney in the middle of the night.
So remember Nisser ≠ Santa
Here are a couple of sources for more info: Stavanger-Web, Wikipedia, My Danish Kitchen
These two bigger Nisser hang out on our staircase platform and we have a small Nisse that sits near our kitchen window. The little one is kind of like Elf on the Shelf, but not as high maintenance because you can touch him and play with him. Thank goodness! According to my MIL the regular Nisse (or Tomte in Sweden) stays with the family year-round and can be quite mischievous. He can be known to break things or turn milk sour. Huh, now I know how that stuff happens.
It’s a good idea to bribe the Julenisse, especially if you’ve been bad, by making his favorite Risengrød (rice porridge).
Our family begins every Christmas Eve meal by eating rice pudding at my in-laws. Everyone loves it! My MIL hides an almond in the pudding and whomever finds the almond in their bowl gets a prize. She does want me to point out that the pudding is not the same as porridge, but whatever it is it’s delicious! And it’s a tradition my kids love.
How to Make Wooden Santa Logs (Nisser):
Step 1:
Cut logs to length (whatever length you choose) and then slice one end at a diagonal. I used cedar logs because I had them, but there’s no reason you can’t experiment with other wood species.
Step 2:
Paint the top 1/4 red and the bottom 1/2 white.
Step 3:
Add eyes. I just did a black dot of paint, but you could do googly eyes or something else.
Step 4:
Add a nose. I used flesh-colored pompoms for one set and white on the other, but a red nose would look cute too.
Step 5:
Tie a pretty ribbon around them. My ribbon was recycled from my mom’s Christmas gifts the year before.
You can do one santa log (Nisse) by himself.
Or group the santa logs together for an even greater impact.
Be sure to pin it for later!
Happy New Year everyone! Our tree is coming down tomorrow. 🙂
Be sure to check out these other Christmas crafts:
The pudding is not the porridge. The pudding is a dessert and is now a very popular end to the holiday meal instead of the porridge beginning. I do not make the pudding as my grandson Luke is alergic to nuts. So I stay with the porridge.
P. S. These Nisser are adorable. Good blog, too.
Thanks Annie!
Love your nisse logs, I’ll have to make some for next Christmas. Btw had to laugh when I saw baby’s first time eating Risengrød, looks like he does’nt like it 🙂
Thanks! He loves it now and so does his super-picky sister. As long as it has cinnamon sugar on it! I’ll have to try making Risengrød myself one of these days.
About how tall was your tallest log?
About 2 feet
What kind of paint did you use to make the nisse logs?
Acrylic craft paint. They are kept inside. Thank you for your question.
Love this idea, so very cute and rustic. It could even be americanized by making one a Santa, one Rudolph and one an Elf.
That’s a great idea! Maybe smaller versions for teacher presents. Thanks for sharing. I’d love to see the trio if you create it!
I’m thinking of making them just as you showed but, then taking three more, painting them white and making them snowmen! Thank you so much for sharing. I love knowing the story behind them!
I love this idea! It just so happens that my husband is heading out to the woods this weekend … hopefully he can bring me back some logs to make some Tomtenissen for our home! I remember hearing about the tomte/nissen/tomtenissen from my grandparents … and they had little statues of tomte that were kept out all year. My family is, as my Danish grandfather says, “Scandihoovian Mutts” – we’re Danish, Swedish and Norwegian 😉 – so these were called tomte, nissen and tomtenissen. I can wait to make some for my family!!!!
Awesome! Did your husband bring you any wood? I’d love to see some pictures of what you make! Thanks for stopping by.
what are the dimensions of the wood?
Did you have to let your logs dry for any length of time after cutting…before you painted them??
Not intentionally. But the logs had been sitting in my yard for at least a year before we used them.
can you use hardwood too. How about pine. These are going to be Christmas presents this year. Tooooo cute
I would imagine any type of wood could work although I would try to avoid anything too sappy.
What angle did you set miter saw on from the picture it looks like about 30 degrees
The Nisse Santa Logs are absolutely adorable. The trio make such a fun statement for a front porch!
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful idea!
Aww thanks Susan! I think I need to make some for MY porch this year, seeing as we’ve given away all the ones we’ve made so far. Lol
Do you need to treat the logs to keep them for multiple years? They’re adorable.
Hi Christine. I did not treat my logs and they are exactly the same 2 years later. You could certainly spray the painted surface with a clear lacquer to protect the paint. And if you are worried about bugs in the wood, simply bake the logs BEFORE you decorate them.
Hi Smartgirl! I love these ideas! My grandfather immigrated to the US but he died before my parents were married so we never learned any Danish traditions. I am trying to learn a bit about my Viking heritage to pass on to my grandchildren!
That’s great! Let me know if you need any help and I can put you in touch with my resident Danes! First order of business is to make some nisse. 🙂
These can also be made from square blocks of wood with the block cut at an angle to make a diamond shape. The faces would be painted the same and the sides painted red. The nose could also be a wooden button painted the same colour as the face.
Great ideas! Thanks.
what are the size of these logs 3 inches?
I would say closer to 4″
Just curious about recently cut trees that are still green and how long I should wait to paint them?
I’m not entirely sure. I know you should let wood sit for a few months before staining it, so ideally I wouldn’t use newly cut wood. That being said, this is such an easy craft you might as well give it a try!
Thank you so much for sharing this craft, it was a ton of fun!
Awesome! I’m so glad it worked out for you.
Beuatiful! I love it. Thanks for this great ide
You’re welcome Lucia!