Swedish Baby Culture and Christmas Photos

  • January 23, 2011 10:33 PM

A couple feet of snow, five hours of daylight and -22 degrees celsius (-8 fahrenheit) doesn’t sound fun, does it? But Pumpkin’s first Christmas was great – I’d say my favorite in Stockholm yet! We spent the holiday with Thomas’ family, where Pumpkin got to meet Tomte, go sledding, and was spoiled by her Farfar, Farmor, and Uncle Mikey. We introduced her to Thomas’ side of the family’s Christmas traditions: Kalle Anka, Bulla, Santa’s Helpers, Christmas Eve presents, and after-Christmas parties, all blogged in past years (2006, 2007, 2009).

Christmas Elf

Now that I’ve got a baby, I notice baby culture everywhere – are there changing tables, high chairs, stroller-friendly accessibility? This is not one of Brussels’ strong points, so I was amazed at how many parents with babies I saw out and about in Stockholm, especially with the freezing temperatures. They just bundled their kids, put them in a baby carrier or stroller, and headed out. The bassinet buggies with four big air-filled wheels were very popular.

My Favorite Christmas Present

You would probably never see this in the US, but a Danish mom recently told me that where she’s from, children are bundled and put in their strollers outside for naps. Thomas’ mom said this is done in Sweden too. After seeing how well Pumpkin napped during our winter walks, I can understand (though I’m not ready to leave her outside myself).

Dreaming of Sugar Plums

Children seemed very welcome everywhere we went – the mall, the movies, restaurants. While sitting in a mall food court during our trip, I counted 4 or 5 breastfeeding moms. There were also high chairs, and a baby lounge and play area. It was quite a contrast to Belgium where young children are not really encouraged in restaurants. You rarely see highchairs, changing tables, or kids’ menus here.

Enough Photos Already!

It’s apparent how welcoming Sweden is to children when you look at the parental leave provided by the government – all working parents are entitled to a joint 16 months paid leave per child – encouraged to be shared between the parents. We’ll have to keep that in mind when we’re ready for baby #2. :)

Despite the harsh winter weather, it was a great holiday, and very nice to see the positive baby culture there. It’s a shame that Pumpkin won’t have any memories of this first Christmas, but hopefully she’ll see how special it was in the photos we took. I’ve posted the album to PicasaWeb.

Christmas in Sweden

  • December 30, 2009 12:12 PM

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:

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… :)