On the Seventh Day of Christmas

The seven swans a-swimming reminded me of a post I did during my first year of blogging, all the way back in 2007! One of the best things I’ve ever gotten is an eiderdown blanket. If you don’t know, eiders are large-sized sea ducks that are found in the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. Eiders breed in the Arctic and a few northern temperate regions. 

Eiders line their nests with their down, and when the chicks have flown the nest, the eider down is harvested by farmers in coastal regions. The nests are in protected areas, so the relationship between the farmers who feed the ducks and harvest their down and the ducks, works quite well. Icelandic Eiderdown farming is a multi-million dollar industry.The words eiderdown and quilt or comforter are used interchangeably, but they are totally different things. Eiderdowns are difficult to find these days and when you do, they are very expensive. I’ve seen king-sized eiderdowns priced anywhere from $4,800 to more than $13,000! You can sometimes find real eiderdowns on Ebay, or in vintage or antique stores in the UK and Europe. Most of the time, they are twin-sized though. They usually have a flower or paisley print fabric, or satin, which usually slides right off the bed. Eiderdowns are very,very light… I think that’s where the expression “Light as a Feather” comes from. With an eiderdown, you can’t feel the shafts of the feathers’ quills like you can on down comforters.If you ever see an eiderdown for less than $4800, you should buy it… or ask Santa for one!