Hello everyone – hej allihopa!

Christmas is a special time in Sweden. Whether you celebrate the day itself or not, festive feeling is in the air and it is contagious! Leading up to December 24th, towns get decorated with lights, weekly markets serve warm drinks and roasted nuts, people bustle around through the stores and giftshops, trying to finish up everything on time and enjoy the calmness of the holiday.

You might have noticed that I said “December 24th” earlier. It’s not a mistake – Swedes in fact celebrate Christmas Eve more than the Christmas day itself. It varies between families, but most of my friends spend the evening of the 24th together, opening gifts, having a feast of a dinner, and on the day of 25th will continue with playing board-games, taking long walks and watching the annual Julkalendern cartoons.

As someone who is neither a Swede nor celebrates Christmas in December, I take great pleasure in enjoying the perks of the festivities without a stress of the holiday itself. Here are my favorite things about Swedish Christmas:

1.Lights, Lights, and more Lights

December is the darkest time in the North. Christmas falls right after the winter solstice and the longest night of the year. But this is not a worry, as the streets and houses are full of cozy lights. From Christmas stars to candles to light festivals, Sweden goes all out this time of the year. It is a shared feeling that things slow down and people make space for more indoor activities. This is time for good books, warm glögg, sweet pastries and lots of games. Similarly, I got myself some lights last year right as the dark rolled around and I have been enjoying the coziness this year too.

2. Tomte, Nisse, or Santa Claus

Right as the festive season rolls around, small men figurines, dressed in old clothes and a big red hat appear all over the places,

like little winter mushrooms. This is Tomte, or also known as Nisse. Tomte comes from old Scandinavian folklore and was originally thought to be a mythical creature that rather unwillingly helped farmers get good crops and mind the land. Over the years, the meaning of Santa Claus and Tomte slowly merged together and nowadays Tomte is often used as a subtitute for the Santa. I personally love the lore of Tomte or Nisse and think it makes the culture richer. Over the last year, I managed to find several Tomte figurines that now live in my room and (hopefully) make sure that my plants make it through the winter. In general, Tomte figurines can be quite expensive, especially if you look for something bigger and durable. I only look for them in second-hand stores and until today, I had not paid more than several kroners for them.

3. Saffron Pastries or Lussekatt

 I personally come from a country that loves bread and pastries. Anyone who visits Georgia always mentions good food and good bread. Still, the festive pastries that Swedes have to offer are my all-time favorites. You might already know that fika or a small coffee break is a big part of local culture and for each holiday season, stores roll out different pastries or bullar. Christmas season is heavy on saffron spice and the most famous of all pastries is saffron rolls or lussekatt. They are traditionally made in a shape of a swirl and usually include some raisins (beware if you are not a raisin person). Nowadays you will find all sorts of lussekatt, some with crème, others with mix of spices and nuts. This year I braved and made my own rolls with vanilla crème. They turned out absolutely delicious and were a big success of the holiday feast. If you would like to try the same recipe, here is a link. All you will really need is lots and lots of saffron!

I hope you are having a lovely holiday season wherever you are, and I hope this list will serve as an inspiration for things to try once you move to Sweden!

Happy holidays and happy New Year!

Until next time – Gvantsa

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