My Swedish Xmas...
By Wendy789
@Drosophila (16571)
Ireland
January 1, 2017 11:55am CST
This year I went to Sweden for Xmas, I have a whole bunch of relatives there..
Well to be exact some 11 or so people, plus or minus a kid or two!
It's been quite a few years since I did Xmas there. So it was great to see everyone.
The picture is what our Xmas dinner was. Also, here's some Xmas tradition in Sweden.
1) We celebrate Xmas on 24th. We all start with a small drink of Glögg - mulled wine.
2) Traditional Xmas dishes are, Jansson's Temptation, cocktail sausages, meatballs, Gravlax, smoked salmon, Xmas ham, Rödkål, herring in mustard, and a variety of cheese. (from bottom to top in my picture)
2) After the Xmas meal is finished around 3:00pm, the whole family sits down and watch Disney's cartoon for a couple of hours.
3) Coffee and sweet cakes are served after cartoon followed by the presents being opened.
4) More drinking and merry-making continues usually involve a lot of silly games like scrabble and so on.
5) At midnight some families would go to Church.
In comparison, 25th is not really a big deal, though most stay in and continue their feasting.
Hope you had a good Xmas. What are your Xmas traditions?
12 people like this
10 responses
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
1 Jan 17
pretty much the same.. drinks, house parties, dinner parties, fireworks. so on
though less drinking than Ireland.. I think
1 person likes this
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
1 Jan 17
@Drosophila That is interesting now... Mind you, 14quid for a vodka and mixer and a pint of Guinness before Christmas up here...
2 people like this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
2 Jan 17
@pgntwo I always find Dublin to be extortionate when it comes to drinks.
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
1 Jan 17
no no! I am not Swedish, I am British. This is my extended family, they have lived in Sweden since 1950s, so they're pretty much following the local customs. Although, some of my cousins still observe 25th with a roast and all, but it's far less prominent.
There's something about 24th, the entire country almost has similar routine it's funny, the Disney cartoon was shown on SVT (swedish BBC) at 3:00pm on the dot. Everyone just stops what they do and watch it.
About the hot meal, other than the ham, fish, and cheese were not hot, everything else was. I think it's difficult to serve the ham hot, as it's a type you bake, leave out, let the flavor soak in and eat kinda ham.
Turkey roast is eaten by the younger generations on 25th, but ya for a regular Swedish person, a Xmas without Xmas ham.. it's not a Xmas.
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
1 Jan 17
@Drosophila Thanks for the explanation. I did a ham too, and we ate that in the evening.
3 people like this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
2 Jan 17
@jaboUK ah very nice! was it roasted or baked
2 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
2 Jan 17
@Drosophila I also try to spend some time away during winter.
2 people like this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
2 Jan 17
Well since my parents have retired, they are rarely home in cold, grey, England during winter, so I've started to do Xmas in different places.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121548)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jan 17
Since we have a lot of scattered family, our Christmas celebrations change from year to year. The only one tradition that is constant in our family is that we all go to Disney World for a week between Christmas and New Years Day.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121548)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Jan 17
@Drosophila It's an epic tradition, but also a very expensive one! I don't know how anyone can afford to go to Disney World these days with the prices they charge for everything!
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
2 Jan 17
the lox was heavenly! and the meatballs were great too! Ya most of these guys are in Gothenburg, there's a cousin or two ventured to Stockholm but still returns to the fold for Xmas
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
2 Jan 17
@DianneN Stockholm is great! and sooo many good restaurants! I think you will love it
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247186)
• United States
2 Jan 17
@Drosophila I haven't been to Stockholm. Must see it. I'm happy the food was heavenly. I know how much you love good food!
1 person likes this
@just4him (317040)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
1 Jan 17
Christmas has always been observed in my family on Christmas Day, not before. Traditionally we get together at someone's home for dinner. We used to have gift exchanges, but that hasn't happened in a couple years. Now that both my parents are gone, it was more difficult to get together, so I started a new tradition of Christmas with my children. We opened presents after dinner and had a great time.
2 people like this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
2 Jan 17
that sounds like a great tradition, what did you have for Xmas? turkey roast?
1 person likes this
@just4him (317040)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
2 Jan 17
@Drosophila For Christmas we had boneless beef ribs, mashed potatoes with sour cream, and French style green beans. It was very good. I also made some applesauce raisin bread that turned out very good and came close to my mother's recipe. I'm going to be working with it to see if I can find the right combination of ingredients for it.
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
3 Jan 17
@just4him beef ribs sounds amazing! I should check it out
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160626)
• United States
1 Jan 17
I do not have any really strong traditions. We eat well, play games with family, and go to church on Christmas eve.Hubby makes Janssen's Temptation but not at Christmas usually. However, you mentioning it made me hungry.
1 person likes this
@kevin1877uk (36988)
•
4 Jan 17
Can't see snow through the window lol
Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas.
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
4 Jan 17
yes, it was rather mild this Xmas, around 6C or so
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
3 Jan 17
@CRK109 indeed, I do hope she get use to your apartment. I did have a cat that purposely came to my bed just to take a dump, as I was a guest. Think that's just out of malice
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
2 Jan 17
aww, at least I hope you had a relaxed holiday, and your cat is feeling happier
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
3 Jan 17
@Drosophila I now have a very large drop cloth covering my bed and my cat isn't sure what to make of it. I did catch her sleeping on it earlier today, so she's definitely not unhappy, which is good. Now we'll just see if she stops leaving me little "presents" on the bed! lol My New Year's Eve was definitely relaxed and probably the best solo holiday I've had to date. That's always a good sign. xoxo
1 person likes this
@reskyyandi (3608)
• Indonesia
1 Jan 17
That's really really exciting. Get a dinner with your families in Sweden. Enjoy your dinner !!
1 person likes this
