Santa Comes To Stockholm

Santa Arrives- no chimney, enters thru electrical outlet

The Christmas Feast-yes that's turkey( OK,what would you cook it on? The range is 50-250. Betty Crocker says 325)

For You Chad, a real tree all handmade Swedish ornaments

The girls debating over kitchen clean up. Dad is downstairs doing it!

Dad greeted us at the airport on Dec. 22nd. It had been a wonderful trip, but both of us were looking forward to Christmas with Dad in Stockholm. It was extremely cold -15, and blanketed in snow. We knew Santa would have no problems getting through. We were a little concerned about his team;  reindeer blankets, mittens, hats, and even pate' covers the shelves of many of Stockholm's best retailers. But we knew at least Rudolph would make it. Nobody would be so cruel as to take down that buck with the red nose. And with Santa starting his journey in Finland around the Artic Circle, even with just one reindeer, we figured he could make it this far.

In Sweden, the big day of celebration is Dec. 24th. Everything closes early, and people go home to churches, feasts, and present opening. There is a special drink called glogg, which is served during the holidays. It is a blend of two bottles of red wine, two cups of vodka, and wonderful spices and cinnamon. It takes away the Swedish chill. For Tom, Marin, and  I, the 24th brought a banquet of turkey, stuffing, homemade pickles, olives, potatoes, cauliflower, and artichokes. The feast was followed by the IPAD Game of Life (Mom won), Wizzard (Mom won), Careers (Mom won), do we see a pattern here? Frustrated, a few want to bed early. But, on the 25th, Marin came back strong to mash Mom and Dad in the game of hearts. Chad, I was really missing you buddy, the level of competition dropped sorely this year!

We all slept in on the 25th. Fresh cinnamon buns, coffee, and Santa's surprises awaited us. Marin was a little worried heading off to bed , Christmas Eve. She didn't know how Santa would get in. Few apartments in Stockholm have chimneys. Tom assured her "he always finds a way". (Pictured above). She was pleasantly surprised Christmas morning. She was kind enough to organize a Christmas outing. But when we arrived, we found the movie had started an hour earlier and was in Swedish. Later that day, we were lucky enough to catch, Megamind-3D. It was even in English, with Swedish subtitles, of course. On our return home, we caught up by phone with family members and friends.

It was a very special Christmas in Stockholm, and as this year comes to a close,  I would like to wish all eight of my readers, a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

So We Go A Travelin

Marin's arrival on December 12th quickly moved the household into seasonal celebration. In Sweden we celebrate St. Lucia Day (Dec. 13th), children dress in white frocks and headdresses and deliver sweet treats (cinnamon buns),early in the morning. It is to congratulate and celebrate getting through the shortest day of the year. (Slight discrepancy there, haven't figured that out yet).With her jet lag, we delivered her buns and strong coffee to her bed, and our first St. Lucia day began. Our next door neighbors were kind enough to invite us to a St Lucia concert their son was singing in. The concert was held in a beautiful church downtown and the costumes and music were lovely! Later we all came back to our apartment for wine and hor'douvers.

December 14th was our day for travel. Around noon we headed for our bus to the airport, and then on to Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona is a magnificent city! It rivals New York in size and has no shortage of things to do. Marin and I always start our city explorations with Chad's favorite, the "On and Off" bus. After getting a feel for what there is to explore, we hone in on our interests. This trip we agreed should be centered on architecture and with that we discovered  Gaudi! We hit most of  his works in Barcelona, but we made a deal. We are planning to return to the city in twenty five years when the Sagrada Familia is complete, and see the rest of his works outside the city. Any joiners?

We sat on pins and needles as one flight after another was canceled to Lisbon, Portugal. The blizzard had hit London, and planes were getting caught in Northern Europe. Just as we were about to give up for the night, and find a place to nap. One plane made it through, and the second leg of our trip was on- Lisbon, Portugal.

Lisbon does not rival Barcelona except for it's aquarium.(Certainly we could never miss checking them out in the cities we explore). The economy in Portugal is really struggling. What better place to Christmas shop? Marin quickly learned that by trying to convince me not to buy something, the prices immediately fell by 30%. It was like magic! We returned home with four leather purses, three knit sweaters, two silver earrings and a parrot in a magnolia tree.. All made in Portugal! We had done our part to help out.

Portugal is a beautiful country once you are out of Lisbon. It has a hilly countryside, totally green as we toured it. We were lucky and hit it during the rainy season, which made the landscape colors vibrant and rich. At 65 degrees, you don't care if a few raindrops fall. It was a stark contrast to our white Stockholm at -8. But as Marin reminded me, it just didn't feel like Christmas. So with Christmas gifts in hand, we happily headed back to the best Christmas land of all, Stockholm Sweden! 

Lisbon, Portugal A peak at the downtown area

       My travel buddy at her best

Gaudi's Park Guell Barcelona, Spain

The Washer Women, an arcade column

Santa Maria Del Mar, attended Messiah

Obidos, Portugal,our final adventure

Winter Comes

While the timing of Chad's arrival was perfect for Tom's  and my outlook, our weather changed dramatically with his visit. Poor guy! The temperatures dropped by 10 degrees, and everyday he was here at least a little snow fell. By the time he left, I shoveled off 6-8 inches of snow from our balconies. Since then, our ground has been white and our temperatures consistently below freezing. I have learned it is never too cold to go outside. It is just a matter of dressing properly. Today was an example, temperatures were well below freezing, and snow fell heavily at times. But my jog around the park was wonderful, because I have mastered how many layers to put on. I love running in the snow, as it pads your step. My knees never hurt afterwards. As it is coming down, it is beautiful and you even get a better workout, as your shoes slip in the snow, traction is difficult.

So winter has arrived. You can feel it coming. First the winter coats come out. And you know they are here until spring. Then you make a note to self, "Don't leave the house without gloves on". Next, unlike Connecticut, you need a hat! The final step to winter, is the scarf. To avoid pain, you have to cover your face. I believed our temperatures here would be like Ridgefield. Not so, more snow, much colder temperatures!

The snow is wonderful  because it brightens everything up. All my plants are lined up against a window, competing for as much sunshine as they can get, each day brings less. Yesterday, I left a Christmas lunch at 3:30pm, and it was dark. Both Tom and I get up in the dark, about 8:30am, it starts to get light. So we are still getting about seven hours of light. It doesn't seem to bad to me, I enjoy the Christmas lights more in the dark. And as soon as I get home, I turn on our lights. As I decorated, I picked out some fun lighting. They have the most unique lights here. Nothing like them in the states. I have one light that looks like a bird cage, even has little tweeties in it. (Thought it would keep Gunnar amused). Another looks like a big blossom opening to bloom. The others defy description. You will have to come see.

Maybe not right now, but in the spring. Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and the Christmas season brings special joys.