“It’s small but I wanted to be able to add details,” Tolla Crisp told me after inviting me to visit her winter setting, an offshoot of her Frogmore (and Mousehole) regions (although quite separate from them). I have no problem with small settings, even when a complete Homestead region is concerned, because small can often be better.
In the case of Crisp Kringle – Frogmore Christmas Region, small brings us a little and engaging touch of Tolla’s homeland, as she notes in the About Land description:
A tiny Swedish Village of childhood memories, snow covered landscape, warm Fika Shoppes, and the light sound of Reindeer paws.
For those unfamiliar with fika is at the heart of Swedish coffee culture, a social institution involving the practice of taking a break with a beverage and snack that is widely accepted as central to Swedish life. Traditionally, it involves a cup of coffee enjoyed with a pastry, although the coffee can be replaced by alternate hot beverages such as tea and hot chocolate, and juices and squashes for children. In addition, the term can also be used to mean an informal meeting, generally within a business and between management and business.
Crisp Kringle offers plenty of opportunities for both. Along the little village street can be found a little fika café where a hoot drink and pastry can be enjoyed indoors, while a couple of outdoor spots offer either hot chocolate or mulled wine for those needing a warming of the hands an tummy without necessarily wanting to stop and sit a while. And while the idea of a fika and a meeting might be couched in business, here it also relates to the way people can visit, meet, explore and enjoy entirely informally.
From the icy landing point, the street rises by a series of steps to pass between various small businesses (including one with a sense of being Santa’s workshop) before descending down to another frozen body of water. This is large enough to support some ice skating (skates available via a sign on the ice), with the ice certain think enough to support a lot of weight, despite someone having hack a hole through it for some ice fishing, as evidence by the reindeer (large and small) stress testing it from time to time with heavy jumps.
Also to be found are cabins where further warmth can be found, together with opportunities for cuddles, or the for daring, an outdoor, coal-fired hot tub awaits. While for those who fancy a quite skate away from the main pond and the town, a small pond sits over the hills.
Small, but with a lot of detail to be discovered and photographed, Crisp Kringle – Frogmore Christmas Region offers a nice winter setting with just a hint of Christmas to be found within it without a hint of the usual schmaltz to spoil it.
SLurl Details
- Crisp Kringle – Frogmore Christmas Region (Malfurion, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 