Last time I visited Sweden for Christmas (before Thomas and I were married), I felt a little overwhelmed…with the cold, the dark, the different traditions, and without my family for the holiday. This time though, at least in afterthought, I’m seeing winter-Sweden in a little different light. Literally too — we had daylight only from 9:30AM – 3:30PM, but a couple feet of snow really helped reflect the light.
The days before Christmas, Thomas and his brother took me to downtown Stockholm where I was amazed by the great shopping. Stores were open late and I found several shops where I could have looked for much longer. I’m starting to appreciate Swedish design – clean lines, natural fibers, traditional prints. It does go beyond Ikea. :)
Downtown Stockholm
I also found some appreciation in the different holiday traditions. There were a couple dishes that Thomas’ mom made that I hope to try my hand at – bulla (saffron buns), rotmos (mashed parsnip and carrots), and rice pudding. We didn’t do it this year, but Thomas’ family used to have a tradition of making gingerbread houses – sounds fun to me!
Fresh-baked Bulla
Along with most of Sweden, we watched the Kalle Anka (Donald Duck) Christmas Special on Christmas Eve. The mix of Disney short clips has been showing every year since the ’60s – same channel, same time. It’s the most watched show of the year there. I was surprised to hear even a 70-year old say he was going to watch it.
Snowy Neighborhood
The other tradition I enjoyed seems to be a dying tradition, probably due to people traveling more and moving further out. On Christmas Eve morning, we delivered small gifts to nearby friends and family. Thomas jokes that this is a chore, but I did enjoy it. And it was a great opportunity to peek inside some Swedish homes. I think it’s a really nice gesture to spend time delivering gifts to loved ones before Kalle Anka, Christmas dinner, and unwrapping presents.
Dallas and Thomas
Thomas and I haven’t had a Christmas by ourselves yet, but especially when we have kids, we’re going to need to be sure to incorporate traditions from both sides of our families. We already have some conflicts – his side opens presents on Christmas Eve, and mine on Christmas Day – but the other traditions I mentioned could easily be included.
If you’d like to see more of the photos (and a video) from our holiday in Sweden, I’ve posted them online:
- Christmas Week in Stockholm (20 photos)
- Sledding in Sweden (2.30 minutes)
P.S. I guess now that I’ve posted my Christmas in Sweden photos, I’m way overdue for my May Day in Sweden post. I will have to get right on that… :)
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its great to see the other traditions.
They can be interesting to work around sometimes too :)
The buns look good. For some reason it surprises me that something like saffron would be included in traditional Swedish cooking. I didn’t think their spice trade was that far reaching.
.-= Lilacspecs´s last blog ..Best of Lilac Colored Glasses, 2009 =-.
Sweden would be an amazing place to visit in the middle of winter. I imagine they have lots of traditions to try and bring some warmth and light into their lives. How lucky to be able to peek into their homes and get such an intimate glimpse into another culture.
.-= Lydia´s last blog ..Rabat and Casablanca =-.
looks like a lovely white christmas! love the traditions. but I am with you. you have to open gifts on christmas day – especially when santa comes!!! when we were home this Christmas I was reminded of my mom’s pumpkin bread delivery to neighbors and friends. I tried to do the same in brussels this year, but our neighbor – the hairdresser – thought I was pretty bizarre bringing him baked goods for the holidays! oh well.
.-= Reid´s last blog ..Europalia =-.
Nice! Glad you had a good Christmas!
I’m sure you guys will work it all out when you have kids. :) I always opened presents with my mom’s side of the family on Christmas eve and my dad’s side on Christmas day. :)
.-= lisaschaos´s last blog ..Thanx Amanda =-.