It was a case of ho, ho, ho-ld on a second at the Myer department store in Melbourne early last week when they unveiled the annual Christmas window display.




I wondered if the designers of the Christmas window were getting advice from the animators responsible for The Lion King? Or was it perhaps a malfunction, as is claimed in the linked story?

What can I say but "Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!"

One of the things I loved most about christmas as a kid were the Myer Christmas windows. There are Myer stores in several Australian cities and back in the dark ages when I was growing up in Adelaide and Rundle Mall was still Rundle Street and the Myer Centre was still Myer Emporium in their old, spooky building, going to see the windows was a Christmas highlight. All of the windows facing Rundle Street were decorated then unveiled to the public in early November. They used a different theme every year, with the stories being familiar childhood favourites (The Twelve Days of Christmas, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland among many others) and each window was so intricate and detailed that you could stand for over an hour in front of a single window, attempting to take it all in.




The windows were truly magical and their spell drew in people from the oldest to the youngest throughout the days and nights leading up to Christmas Eve. Even if you walked past in the middle of the night there would still be people there, taking it all in: pyjama clad children, tucked tightly into Mum or Dad’s shoulder, peering through sleepy eyes at the wonders before them; party-goers taking time out to revisit a tradition from their past, before hitting the next bar; shift workers on their way home or on their way to work. Johnnies may have had their big pageant (now the Credit Union Pageant, I see) and the brewery may have had their Christmas Riverbank Display on the banks of the Torrens, but there was this Myer display was always very special. Sadly, once they tizzied up the old building in the 1980s, they stopped having the fabulous windows, though it continues in Melbourne.

One of the big Stockholm department stores has a similar tradition and I've shown you their windows in 2004 and 2005. I'll be popping in to record this year's display in December sometime. Lars-Göran has only agreed to accompany me if I stop elbowing kids out of the way and asking if he can take me to The Magic Cave (oops, that's Adelaide, not Stockholm, isn't it?).

Swedish Posten released their Christmas stamps this week and I think they are rather good again. I'm looking forward to getting lots of cards, even though I know what Brucie will be doing to them!




They never use nativity scenes in their Christmas stamps and it can even be hard to find a card with a nativity scene, an angel, a wise man or a shepherd on it. This year's stamps were designed by Ingela Peterson Arrhenius, with the theme being beautiful Christmas windows. I like them!

The curtain on each stamp have tiny Christmas goats, a perennial favourite here at Christmas. Apparently before Tomte came to Sweden, presents used to be given out by a goat. Why, I have no idea!) Then we have a bronze star on the first stamp, the next one has a gingerbread heart with Merry Christmas in Swedish on it, along with an orange pomander. This last one is a bit of a puzzle as I know that many countries use the orange pomander, with whole cloves imbedded in it, strung up with red ribbon, but I confess that I've never seen one here, nor has anyone I've spoken to about it.

The last two stamps have an Adventsljusstake (Advent candlestick with seven candles representing the seven Sundays of the Swedish Christmas season) and one with a Christmas pointsettia and a little bird pecking at a ball shaped seed feeder known as talgbollar.



The bird is a domherre, a type of bullfinch. I have always loved these little birds, they are so cheerful and enduring, staying around all winter.

Speaking of bird feeder, may I present the newest addition to our balcony:




Birdfeeders are better than tv! Working at home has its benefits, the best of which is sitting at the window at the precise moment a new bird visits the feeder. I have changed my stance on feeding birds since I came to live in Sweden. I somewhat disapproved of it during the first winter, thinking that the birds were becoming dependant on these "handouts". But now I've experienced the full force of a northern European chill, I see how valuable and life saving it can be. As winter is approaching, there’s less and less natural food available, and the birds which remain in Sweden throughout the snow come to appreciate a bit of a helping hand.

If you live in Sweden, there are a huge variety of feeders you can buy. If you are planning on feeding wild birds this winter, here's a few tips you'll want to keep in mind. The main one being, that if you do start feeding wild birds in your backyard or from your balcony, don't stop until Spring arrives. It wouldn't be nice if we travelled many hungry kilometres for a good meal at our favourite restaurant only to find out that there was no food available to eat when we got there. Always have plenty of seed and water available for the birds.

I read about what seeds are best for them, so in addition to the general wild bird mix, I bought a big bag of sunflower seeds as all birds love them and they are really rich in fats that will help the little sweeties to keep warm all winter. Lars-Göran couldn't help but wonder about his position on the house pecking order. The dog gets exclusive, expensive breed specific dog food, our two cockatiels have only the best blends of seeds and I am very fussy about quality when I buy seed. Now I am supplementing the seed mix to provide a gourmet meal for the wild birds. All this while he continues to be served the cheapest brand of icecream! Boy did he grumble like a two year old.

But what can you do - they are pets and need to be spoiled. As I told him it's like the difference you feel when you hear a snore in the middle of the night. If it is him who is snoring I want to put a pillow over his face, but when the dog does it, I just smile and think it's cute. For some funny reason, that did not comfort him....