Happy New Year

It's hard to believe that another year has gone by. To celebrate the New Year, we hosted a dinner party. 

We were joined by Mike and Allison, their friends Jo and Courtney who were visiting, Mike and Natalie and their friend Chip, also visiting, all joined us for the celebration. I cooked lasagna, Mike A. made champagne cocktails and we finished the evening with ice cream sundaes. 

We quickly came to realize that in Sweden, New Year's Eve means lots of fireworks. It sounded like our 4th of July as everyone was out in the streets setting off their own private firework display. 

At midnight, the city of Stockholm lights off a firework display. It was a cold night and Belle was sleeping, so we opted to stay at home and watch the festivities that were being broadcast from Skansen on television, while the rest of the group left to watch the display in town. It's a Swedish tradition to read the Tennyson's poem "Ring out‚ wild bells" at midnight. This year, it was read by Swedish artist Loa Falkman. 

As I reminisced about 2014, it was a year filled with new friends, travel and adventure. I can only hope that 2015 will be as fun.

God Jul: Merry Christmas from Sweden

God Jul from Sweden

We were very un-Swedish as we celebrated Christmas the day of rather than Christmas Eve, like the Swedes. In Sweden, families gather Christmas Eve to exchange gifts and Santa usually makes an appearance to visit with the children and deliver their gifts. While we may have broken Swedish tradition, we still embraced a few customs such as beginning our morning with Kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) and coffee as we opened our gifts.

Even though we celebrated on the wrong day, Santa was still able to find Belle. I think Grandpa and Grammy made sure Santa knew where she was living as the presents seem to triple once they arrived. We had to made other accommodations for the gifts as they wouldn't fit around our little tree. 

It was fun to watch Belle this year as she is old enough now to enjoy opening her presents (last year she slept/cried through Christmas ;)

Belle's Swedish book about a little girl named Belle and her stuffed bunny named Boo. We found the book at NK department store and had to get it for her!

Thanks Aunt CiCi and Uncle Nick for my mini Delilah

Grammy with her new cell phone/wallet cover. If you want to fit in in Sweden, you have one of these!

My Christmas gift from Cyle- Swedish Santa and Mrs. Claus. I love them and they are a perfect addition to my Santa collection!

Fa-Ra Ra Ra Ra -Don't worry, we were still able to watch a Christmas Story, although we had to purchase it through I-Tunes 

After opening our gifts, we had an American style breakfast including scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy. The biscuits tasted wonderful as Europe does not have biscuits. In fact, most people do not even know what they are! 

Belle especially loved the gravy

We then spent the afternoon watching Belle play with all of her new presents. Her favorite presents were the drum set and Minnie Mouse car my parents bought for her. Mom and Dad especially love it that she got a drum set! ;)

That evening, we ventured into Gamla Stan for a Christmas dinner at a local Italian restaurant, Agaton. We dressed Belle in her pudding pants, which were a gift from Olivia in England. Sean and Emma told us that it is an English tradition.

Belle couldn't come to Sweden and not get a Pippi Longstocking doll!

Allison and Mike joined us for the evening. The food was delicious and the company was even better. It was a memorable and enjoyable Christmas abroad. 

A Christmas Eve Boat Tour

We celebrated Christmas Eve by taking a winter boat tour that took us in and around parts of the archipelago. Before we left, Belle, my mom and I opened one of our Christmas gifts that I had bought for us. Everyone got Swedish mittens, which were very warm and useful for a cold Christmas Eve day. 

The hour and half long tour took us out to and around the island of Fjäderholmarna. During the cruise, we saw many of the popular sights while learning interesting facts and history about Stockholm by our tour guide. The ship is an ice breaking ship, but we it wasn't cold enough yet for the harbor to have frozen. 

While we could have enjoyed an open air tour on top, we chose to stay inside where it was warm and sip piping hot Glögg, instead. 

After the boat tour, we all went back to the apartment to partake in another Swedish tradition of watching Donald Duck. 

Every year on Dec. 24 at 3 p.m., half of Sweden sits down in front of the television for a family viewing of the 1958 Walt Disney Presents Christmas special, "From All of Us to All of You." Or as it is known in Swedish ,Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul: "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas." Kalle Ankahas been airing without commercial interruption at the same time on Sweden's main public-television channel, TV1, on Christmas Eve since 1959. The show consists of Jiminy Cricket presenting about a dozen Disney cartoons from the '30s, '40s, '50s, and '60s. We all enjoyed our Swedish Christmas Eve.

A visit to Junibacken

The Junibacken is a museum in which popular Swedish fairy tales, the majority of which were written by Astrid Lindgren, are brought to life.  (Astrid Lindgren is a famous and loved Swedish children's author.  In the U.S., she is best known for writing Pippi Longstocking.) 

The first thing that you come to upon entering Junibacken is Storybook Square. You are taken directly into a fantasy town, where children can explore the homes of the popular fairy tale characters.  You can, for example, call on Alfie Atkins, go into his house and see if he is at home. Try cooking in Moominmamma’s kitchen, or feel what it’s like to ride on Mulle Meck’s airplane.

Belle loved the slide

From the storybook village, one boards the storybook train to be transported back in time to meet many of the beloved fairytale characters.  Astrid Lindgren will guide you on a journey that takes you from Madicken’s home in Junibacken to Emil’s house in Lönneberga and then on to Mattisskogen and the other worlds of her popular books. 

I found the fairy tales to be very dark and depressing, and not appropriate for young children.  Most of the fairytale characters met tragic fates.  For example, in one story, a boy jumps out of a burning apartment building with his younger brother on his back in an attempt to save him, and dies in the process.  In another story, two brothers fight a dragon that is terrorizing the town.  In the process, one of the brother becomes paralyzed.  It ends by the healthy brother jumping off a cliff with the paralyzed brother to go to the land of light.  By the end of the storybook train,I was feeling rather depressed and sad and Belle was scared and clinging to us.  Definitely not the happy endings like American fairy tales!

After exiting the train, you find yourself at Pippi Longstocking's house.  Belle was a little too young to enjoy this area.

We had a great time at Junibacken, and it was fun to watch Belle explore the fairytale village.