Ho, Ho, Ho, dear readers,

It’s that time of year again, and this time I’m looking forward to getting into the festive spirit. Admittedly, as I write this I am enjoying the sight of the first fluffy white snow in Linköping, which makes it easy for me to get into the Christmas mood, but I have been doing some fun “Holiday-themes” activities with friends to make this (dark and cold) time of year more exciting.

DECORATIONS: One of the easiest things you can do to make these months cosier is to get some affordable decorations for your room. I especially love putting up fairy lights when it gets dark earlier again to bring some light into the room. I prefer to buy my fairy lights from IKEA or Flying Tiger where they are quite cheap and last a long time. If you want even more decorative items, you should also check out second-hand shops so you can enjoy the festive season without breaking the bank. You will be surprised how much easier it is to brave the dark when you can feel comfortable and warm in your room.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE: Another thing that has fuelled my festive mood is building a gingerbread house with friends. Last Tuesday evening we headed to ICA Maxi to get a gingerbread house building kit, sweets, icing and of course glögg (mulled wine) to enjoy the evening. At home, we put on some Christmas music, heated up the sugar and glögg and set about building the gingerbread house. It was so much fun, I want to make this a new annual tradition with friends. While catching each other up  on our our week, we built the most beautiful pink gingerbread house I’ve ever seen, and I’ve never enjoyed getting into the Christmas spirit so much in November. The gingerbread kit isn’t too expensive if you split the cost between friends, and it really makes for a fun activity with friends and a lovely decoration for one of you! I noticed they also sell it at hemköp, it’s a bit more expensive there, so if you want to save some money, buy it at ICA Maxi or if you have the time and skills, maybe even bake the pieces yourself!

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING: The practical thing about Linköping is that it is well connected by train and bus. So on Friday, some of my friends and I spontaneously decided to take a day trip to Stockholm to do some Christmas shopping for family and friends.  I love the hustle and bustle of bigger cities and the way they decorate for the Christmas season. Going to Stockholm for Christmas shopping was a great way to experience the festive spirit better than buying Christmas gifts online like I normally would, and also gave us the opportunity to explore another new café and restaurant for dinner and admire the city’s stunning Christmas lights. And Stockholm being Stockholm, there is a great selection of different shops where you are guaranteed to find something unique for all members of the family. This activity is of course a bit more expensive, but if you want to do a day trip like this, I recommend searching for train tickets a day in advance on the SJ app, the Omio app and the bus apps Flixbus and Bus4you. In the past I have got quite cheap tickets this way, and sometimes I have taken a train to Stockholm and a bus back to Linköping to take advantage of the cheapest tickets, and it was always a great time.

Waffles and Walks: Gamla Linköping is also particularly beautiful at this time of year. The old town has beautiful houses, shops, decorations and charming cafés. Soon the Christmas market will open again in Gamla Linköping, which you should definitely visit. In the meantime, it’s worth taking a stroll, and if you want to warm up, you can grab a hot coffee and steaming waffles at one of the cafés to sweeten the day.

Movies and Hot Chocolate: A budget-friendly activity for every day :). Sit down with a few friends and maybe decide on one night a week to watch a movie or play games. In winter, when it’s dark and you have to brave the cold, it can sometimes be hard to get out of the house, but it will feel great when you do get up and do it – and a movie and hot chocolate are really worth going out for. Last year, my friends and I watched a Harry Potter movie every week. This year we’ve opted for Christmas movies. Everyone brings some snacks and then we have a cosy evening, talking and sipping hot chocolate.

Even little things like this or visiting Gamla Linköping and switching on the fairy lights at the end of the day can make this time of year more exciting and make you forget a little bit about the early darkness and biting cold, which are not always easy to cope with alongside the hectic study schedule. I find that taking some time during the week evenings for fun activities or movie nights keeps me cheerful and motivated for my studies – and don’t forget your vitamin D to compensate for the lack of sun 😀 Hope you all are enjoying this december and are excited about the first snow! I will talk to you again soon, in the meantime, stay healthy, //M.

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