Chez Larsson

Christmas Eve Recap

Later today I’m off to spend a couple of days with my mom down south but before I leave I thought I’d share a few photos from last night.

Martin came over for lunch and we exchanged gifts. This year was tricky in terms of gift giving for Wille because the only thing he could think of that he wanted were a pair of jeans and some PJ bottoms. Yeah, I know, all grown up! At the same time I enjoyed the challenge and came up with some additiional things I knew he would enjoy like these Old Fashioned glasses, this, this and this book, binoculars, a James Bond DVD and the piece de resistance, a banjo which came as a complete surprise to him which was great.

 

We had a mini version of traditional Christmas smörgåsbord with stuff like pickled herring (remember the one I got at Skansen?), smoked salmon, ham, smoked lamb shank, sausages and cheeses.

 

We also had some home made Rocky Road and the Åre chocolates I got from Anne. Btw Åre’s a ski resort in the north and I used to go there quite often when I worked at my former job. When I used to go there it was early days chocolate making. Now they’re famous. Gotta love a success story!

Mini and Bonus also got gifts in the shape of Yeowwws but of course the most interesting of all were the boxes, wrapping paper and string.  If you have cats and aren’t familiar with Yeowwws btw, check them out, Mini and Bonus LOVE them and they’re really finicky when it comes to catnip toys.

I hope you guys had/have a great Christmas too!

Merry Christmas

 

Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten! Joyeux Nöel! God Jul! Geseënde Kersfees! Rehus-Beal-Ledeats! Gezur Krislinjden! Milad Majid! Feliz Navidad! Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun! Selamat Hari Natal Zorionak eta Urte Berri On! Shuvo Naba Barsha!Vesele Vanoce! Cestit Bozic! Feliz Natal! Nedeleg laouen! Tchestita Koleda! Bon Nadal! Feliz Navidad! Gun Tso Sun! Sheng Dan Kuai Le! Nadelik looan! Pace e salute! Rot Yikji Dol La Roo! Mitho Makosi Kesikansi! Sretan Bozic! Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce! Glædelig Jul! Vrolijk Kerstfeest! Gajan Kristnaskon! Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi! Melkin Yelidet Beaal! Gledhilig jol! Hyvää joulua! Zalig Kerstfeest! Noflike Krystdagen! Bo Nada! Nollaig chridheil! Kala Christouyenna! Jwaye Nowel! Mele Kalikimaka! Mo'adim Lesimkha! Boldog Karácsonyt! Gledileg Jol! Selamat Hari Natal! Nodlaig mhaith chugnat! Buone Feste Natalizie! Shinnen omedeto! Sung Tan Chuk Ha! Natale hilare!Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus! Wjesole hody! Priecigus Ziemassvetkus! Linksmu Kaledu! Heughliche Winachten! Schèine Chreschtdaag! Sreken Bozhik! IL-Milied It-tajjeb! Nollick ghennal! Meri Kirihimete! Merry Keshmish! Gledelig Jul! Pulit nadal! En frehlicher Grischtdaag! Maligayang Pasko! Wesolych Swia! Feliz Natal! Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi! Bellas festas da nadal!Regleivlas fiastas da Nadal! Sarbatori vesele! Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva! Buorrit Juovllat! La Maunia Le Kilisimasi! Bonu nadale! Nollaig Chridheil dhuibh! Hristos se rodi! Subha nath thalak Vewa! Vesele Vianoce! Vesele Bozicne Praznike! Schöni Wienachte! Maligayamg Pasko! Sawadee Pee Mai! Z Rizdvom Khrystovym!  Chuc Mung Giang Sinh! Nadolig Llawen!Een Plesierige Kerfees!

Best wishes from Benita, Wille, Mini and Bonus

Skansen Part II

Going to Skansen on Saturday was to get Sanna and I into Christmas mode. It’s hard be belive it’s Christmas in less than two weeks. We do have snow now and it’s been freezing but I for one hadn’t really gotten into Christmas mode until the Christmas market.

 

It’s so pretty at Skansen. It’s obviously aimed at both locals and tourists but it’s not touristy if you know what I mean it’s done so tastefully and beautifully.

 

Here’s the stall where I bought the can of pickled herring in the top photo. How can you not buy from there?

 

 

And speaking of fish, this was lunch. “Sotare”, herring smoked over the open fire on a piece of crisp bread. Mmmmm.

 

Aside from the market, Skansen also has a shop outside the actual attraction so you can visit it without paying the entrance fee. It’s beautiful! They sell Swedish Crafts, design and traditional food items. This shop is open all year around btw.

Anyway, that’s all from Skansen. I’m now fully in Christmas mode and will be wrapping gifts later tonight, watching the Holiday, a Christmust.

Skansen Part I

 

 

If you ever visit Stockholm on one of the weekends in December I would totally recommend that you visit Skansen for the Christmas market. I’ve been wanting to go there again for ages but haven’t gotten around to it until this past weekend.

 

 

Skansen is our open air museum and zoo and it’s a beautiful spot to visit any time of the year but it’s particularly nice during the Christmas season. I do advise you to be there early when they open at 10 AM because by lunchtime the place is packed.

 

 

Skansen is quite a big attraction and you can easily spend a whole day there but Sanna and I  skipped the zoo part and turned our attention to the market and the town block. The town block is where there are genuine salvaged houses that have been moved to Skansen from different parts of Sweden and they form like a little town quarter with cobbled streets between them. You can go inside and there are re-enactors  who play the parts of the people either living in the houses or working in them.

 

 

It was pretty cold and windy the day we went, –5 C, so it was wonderful to enter the houses where it was nice and warm with real fires in the fireplaces. Where possible things are authentic at Skansen so the smell of the fires in the work shops, the aromas of the spices in the pharmacy, the baked goods in the bakery, the tarred  string in the hardware store etc were so cozy and inviting and so Christmassy. I wish this were smellavision so you could experience the houses we visited like we did.

 

My favorite store in te town quarter is the grocery store as you can imagine. The white exterior with green accents, the simple but Christmassy window display, the white tiles. Love it.

 

The little post office with living quarters attached really got me into Christmas mode. More on Skansen and the Christmas market itself in a couple of days!

Advent

So we had Advent first on Sunday. It marks the start of holiday décor over here and it’s lovely seeing all the lights, paper stars and decorations go up in the neighborhood. I’m keeping it super simple this year too. I bought this candle holder a few years ago through work but haven’t gotten around to using it but this year it holds the advent candles. Also present in this year’s décor are some huge pine cones and of course the Amaryllis.

 

Lussebullar are a given and this year I made them with almond paste filling. They are not the prettiest things you ever saw but do taste so good.

 

In the kitchen I have this little arrangement going on, hyacinths and a mini juniper with some moss around.

Like I said, keeping it simple.