An old Nordic tradition involves leaving out a bowl of porridge during the winter solstice so that the gonk may feast and join in the festivities. As Christmas became more prominent across Scandinavia, these stories and traditions stayed with the people, and gonks eventually came to be paired with Christmas. A Gonk is For Life, Not Just for Christmas

Tree Decorations - Threaded with a string, they’ll look wonderfully whimsical hanging from a branch on your Christmas tree, where they can watch over the presents until the big day. What’s a Gonk?” This question came from the rest of the What’s The Best team when I excitedly told them that I’d found a fellow Gonkaholic in TV star Stacey Solomon. I couldn’t believe no one I worked with knew what a Gonk was. For me, Gonks have been a major feature in my Christmas decorations for many years. Ornaments - Looking for something with a lot of class? You can find some elegant gonk statues around. These will look stunning placed on your mantlepiece or a coffee table! Rather than using an electrically-powered machine (aka a tattoo gun), the design is applied dot by dot using a single needle to push the ink under the skin. Slower than your average tattoo, yes, but also a great technique for achieving extremely delicate designs.The Scandinavian novelty creatures have become a staple Christmas decoration in recent years and are clearly here to stay, but while many people will decorate their homes with gonks, it appears that two gonk-obsessed friends have gone one step further. Life Size - These creatures are always three feet in the lore at most. You can find some standing life size gonks to place around your home, and they’ll look fabulous stood either side of a door or your television.

Debbie shared two images of the tattoos - one of her new inking and then one of her and her best friend Sarah holding up their matching inks. A Gonk is essentially a Christmassy gnome-type creature; they have big beards, big hats, big bottoms, and you can’t see their facial features, apart from often a big nose. In Scandinavian folklore, they’re known as Tomte, and they protect children and homes from misfortune. Lots of people tagged their best friends and encouraged them to join in and get matching gonk tattoos too. They are considered to be the Nordic version of Santa Claus and one gonk fan, Debbie Fox, revealed that she loves gonks so much that her and her best friend got matching gonks tattooed on their arms.The blonde-haired beauty was so pleased with her unique inking that she has even made it her profile picture on the social media platform. Unsurprisingly, the loud buzzing noise and look of a tattoo gun can be enough to put people off, which is where hand-poked tattoos gain an advantage. The process is a lot calmer and quieter, and generally makes the experience less uncomfortable. Our Farmhouse Gonks, Seasonal Gonks and Themed Gonks are carefully handcrafted and sent from a small garden workshop in Norwich, Norfolk to their new homes.