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
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment