Sheila, our female cockatiel, has been feeling quite peeved lately as her mate, Bruce got to grace the opening pages of Australians Abroad, albeit as Bruce the Budgie (the temptation of alliteration winning out over fact). So just to show you that she, too, is a star, I said she could have her picture on this blog, wearing a tomte hat. Anything for peace.





So Christmas is done and dusted for another year. Just think, all of those weeks of preparation and then gone in the blink of an eye. As yesterday was Christmas Eve, we were allowed to put up the Christmas tree. And of course, Bruce and Sheila have their own minature tree on the desk near their cage. If you peer carefully at this photo, you can see them wandering over on a "chew and destroy" mission. I like the way Bruce is checking over his shoulder to see if we are looking.




You may think that this photo was taken in the middle of the night, but it was actually just before eight in the morning. Dawn does not appear until around 8.45am at the moment, so I can literally say that I'm up before the crack of dawn. There are a few weeks straddling December and January where it is dark when you leave for work and dark when you get out of work and it feels like you are living in a cave. That is one of the reasons we love lights and candles for advent and Christmas.

Our Christmas with the family was lovely. As the trains have proved to be less than reliable this year, we rented a car from the local service station and drove to Stockholm. I think we'll do this every year from now onwards as it was fast, easy, we could load up with food, wine, gifts and could bring the dog's basket. We arrived at my brother-in-law's home just after lunch, to find him still in the throes of setting up the tree. He makes me laugh every year with his last minute running around looking for cables, light globes, wrapping gifts literally as tomte is about to walk in the door. My sister-in-law though was well organised and ready for the day, with the table set up in their beautiful glassed-in atrium.




Mille and I set about in the kitchen for a short time and we sat down with the family to watch Kalle Anka at exactly 3pm along with almost every other family in Sweden. It's simply amazing how eeerily quiet Sweden becomes at 3pm on julafton (Christmas Eve).




This always brings on quite a bit of nostalgic feelings for me, as it is essentially the same program that I watched many times when I was growing up and tv was still something new and exciting in Australia. Walt Disney was a weekly event in our household and this reminds me of those cosy family Sunday evenings shared in front of the telly, except that now it is in a foreign language.

As you have no doubt guessed, Kalle Anka is Donald Duck in Swedish and what this julafton program contains is the Disney From All of Us to All of You film, first aired in 1958 and little changed since that time. This Swedish version is considered absolutely sacred and the only change tolerated is that something from the latest Disney cartoon is featured briefly towards the end of the one hour program. No other change is permitted or there would be a public outcry.

It kicks off with Santa’s Workshop, a cartoon made in the early 1930's. Then it proceeds with other favourite excerpts from carttons like Mickey, Goofy and Donald on a caravan holiday, Snow White, The Lady and The Tramp, The Jungle Book, Chip'n Dale "sharing" Mickey’s Christmas tree and my favourite, the 1938 cartoon Ferdinand the bull, who just wants to be left alone to quietly smell the flowers. I'm so with you, Ferdinand!

It was also so nice to see Jiminy Cricket again wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and singing the timeless classic 'When you wish upon a star'. *wipes a tear from my eye*




It was four in the afternoon by now and quite dark, so we headed over to the local cemetery to lay a wreath and candle on Lars-Göran's dad's grave. It is always a quiet, moving experience to be here at Christmas time with the graves arranged in a natural woodland setting and lights glittering over the whole forest. Nearly every grave had a visitor and I think it's touching that absent family can be included in this day.




We then returned to my brother-in-law's home and started to set out the food, which looked fabulous and so inviting arrayed on the serving table. I think that two thirds of the selection was vegetarian which reflects the changing tastes of the younger generation. In addition to the food I brought, Mille had made a vegetarian pie and there were also potatoes, salad vegetables, beetroot salad, boiled eggs etc to keep them all happy. For those who like traditional foods, she also served several varities of herring, thinly sliced smoked salmon, caviar, julskinka (Swedish baked Christmas ham with a mustard crust), Swedish meatballs, prinskorv (tiny cocktail sausages), paper thin slices of tjälknöl (like the chilblain beef my gran used to make), Janssons frestelse (a potato gratin with anchovies). Wow - what to choose?




We loaded up our plates and retired to the dining table in the atrium where we toasted Christmas with chilled snaps (and the inevitable drinking songs) and feasted on this marvellous food until we all resembled that giant python which swallowed a sheep whole earlier this year. Trust me, you don't want to see the picture.

Our jaws were not only being exercised by eating, but also there was a lot of laughter, chatting and joy around the Christmas table. I have to say that I love spending Christmas with the family as there is always a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere. We have all of the Christmas trimmings, but it isn't a stressful attempt to have "the perfect Christmas", but simply a time to enjoy being together.

Not long after the meal was cleared away, tomte came to visit. Again looking uncannily like my brother-in-law, who just a few minutes before had to duck out for a litre of milk from the all-night service station.....




This idea of Santa arriving in person was something wholly new for me when I first came to Sweden. In Australia, Santa comes sometime in the night while we are asleep, but here the lucky Swedish kids get to meet him in real life as he comes to each house to give out the gifts on Christmas Eve. No one really can explain to me exactly why Sweden alone is graced with his real presence. One theory is that Sweden is the first stop on his route down from the North Pole on his way to deliver gifts to the rest of the world and that he doesn't want to start his one annual working day with the whole chimney climbing thing, so he eases into it by trying out using the doors first.

Whatever the reason, the whole day of julafton is one where the excited Swedish kids wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait some more until FINALLY someone hears that knock on the door and a male voice enquiring if there are any good children inside. In many households, this usually co-incides with the time when all of the Swedish dads simultaneously have to dash out on an urgent errand. You really do wonder where all of the dads go while Tomte is visiting - perhaps hanging out together in the nearby pub, drinking Christmas Ale?

After chatting, opening gifts, laughing and letting poor Christer know that he had yet again missed tomte (and strangely enough he had even forgotten to get the milk!), we finally arrived home happy and a little tired at 3 a.m. on Christmas Day!




I thought that this very springlike folk art snowman was an appropriate Christmas greeting considering the springlike weather that we're having this Christmas.

May you all have the happiest of days!