euRo{ChRistmAs}

GOD JUL!!! och ETT GOTT NYTT AR!!

Well its nearly December 25th~ CHRISTMAS TIME!!! But here in Sweden December 25^th really means nothing! I thought I would catch you guys up to date with how a Swedish Christmas rollzzz!

(a downtown christmas concert with the gang)

Lots of people have told me how Christmas is a really big ordeal in Sweden so I have been stoked to see what the hype is all about! I can tell you this much- Orebro was raring to go FAR BEFORE Christmas day & FAR earlier than we tend to put up decorations back home. By mid November downtown had their Christmas lights up, Julbocken standing, Tomtes in the windows and Julstjarna shining! Whoa whoa whoa lets start back at the basics...

DECORATIONS

1. By early November, Christmas was already buzzing in Orebro. Decorations were set downtown and people were racing around (lets be honest, walking around...) buying their decor for home! But to be fair, for the locals this does not require too much. Orebro is predominately apartments and condos.  But don't let this fOOL you, there are still many traditional items that a Swede must have!
2. "What are TOMTES??"  They are little old man nordic figurines (like Santa gnomes) EVERYWHERE in EVERY size. You can buy little ones that look like those freakish dried apple heads, bigger ones that are like dolls that 8 year old girls collect that look far to realistic or jumbo ones that you can literally blow up. You “gnome-hunters” would have a hay-day out here in Orebro!
   
   
   
3. Julstarjna**In the windows a good bundle of the town have light up paper stars. I have no idea what the “story” is behind these stars, but they look pretty so why complain!
   
   
   
4. Most of the town have these triangle stands with 7 candles perched out of it that lights up- im not sure on the story but I have a guess at it! Apparently, back in the day each advent the church lit seven candles in the advent tree~ by christmas there were 28 candles burning in the pine... this seems kind of irrelevant but its my best “reasoning” behind the seven!
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Advent candles! EVERYBODY has 4 numbered candles in their home somewhere! Each Sunday before Christmas you light one of them! For instance, the first candle was lit November 27^th! Im OBSESSED with candles so I totally dig this tradition :)
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Julbocken~~~ save the best for last.. the swedish goat! Orebro has this huge 18ft?? spruce goat perched in the town square. Typically these goats are made of straw, but our town goat is spruce! Apparently some guy made it in 1966 and it caught on! The town keeps the goat up until New Years when they burn it down!
   
   
   
   (this is so random- a stuffed reindeer in the grocery store.... i had to put it in to the blog)
   
   

DECORATIONS SWEDEN Doesn't ROCK

1. Chocolate advent calendars- you can buy them but they are definitely NOT a hot commodity!
2. There are few white christmas lights in the town, and ZERO coloured lights!
3. GinGerbread houSeS- again, you can buy them but few people do AND they are the tiniest kits you have set your eyes on!!! !like kits made for the Tomtes!

euro FOOD & DRINKS

1. Glogg wine!! Glogg wine i thought was signature to Germany- but its not. Thank goodness I hauled back a bottle of it on our nightmare trip back home from Berlin... haha but regardless its such a fun tradition! Its simply hot, mulled red wine! The flavors are embellished times 10!! And its everywhere! In the markets, restaurants etc. This tradition you could start back home in Canada! Go for it its fun! 
    **Beware- quite toxic.
   
   
   (this is a Swedish pop~ that looks so festive!)
2. FisheRman fRiends & Schnappes shot:: (i dont know what it is actually called & i dont know if this is a “christmas tradition” but these nasty swedish drinks were consumed at the Christmas party so they are part of OUR tradition!)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Ginger snap heaRtSsS- super delicious but deadly dangerous! These little gems are so tasty but so small and light! I could crush a whole box of them so i prefer to stay away :) but still so tasty!
4. Cold Salmon and raw Hering (known as “sill”) for dinner with Risgryngrot (rice pudding) for desert~``nope not lying.. One fun thing that some families do with the rice pudding is “The Almond.” In the rice pudding there is an almond and whoever gets the almond is the next person to get married! This reminds me of birthday cakes when grandparents would wrap coins in wax paper and put them into the cake for the kids....maybe this was just my grandma!

FOOD & DRINK swedes are miSSing

1. Apple cidar... yummmmY
2. Pumpkin spice latte..... yummmm haha they dont have a starbucks but i miss that one so i thought id toss it in there!
3. ^Christmas baking^ (shortbread cookies, sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies etc.) Me and Chelsea took this one into our own hands!
4. The :BIG turkey dinner: on the 25th- this one doesn't do too much for me because im a veg-head buttttt i still love the getting together and hanging out etc!
5. Cinnamon buns (this could be just my family but we make cinnamon buns xmas morning, and if lucky before that!)

christmas DAY & EVENTS

1. SAINT LUCIA~December 13^th! LUCIA is a BIG event here that is {celebrated} LUCIA is an angel that is honoured & celebrated at church OR at horse stables -- which is where we went! LUCIA was a Christian who died for her faith, in the plays she wears a white robe & a crown full of candles.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. JulaFTon~ Christmas eve:: Christmas is the 24^th here NOT the 25^th. Everything is opened, eaten & drank on the 24^th!!
3. On Julafton at 3pm everyone watches the Disney show that is televised on TV “From all of us to all of you.” Zac you would love this!! It isn’t till after the show that everybody gets to eat and open presents!

DAY&EVENTS THAT ARE NOT CELEBRATED

1. Boxing day. Even if there was a boxing day here it is still double the price back home...So whats the point really??
2. Stockings on Christmas eve! You can not buy stockings here, & people do not know what stocking stuffers are. What a shame... this is my FAVORITE part of christmas!! SO FUN!
   
   
   
   
   

Thus far that is about all i know about XMAS here in stoCKholm!  & the fact that you can still RoCK your bike in the snoW!  If i missed something, ill let you know post-Christmas & if I misspelt or got some facts wrong- sorry, bear with me :) 

~mycket kARLek~

xo.