Advent 1st

By the time December comes round, Sweden has very few hours of daylight. The sun drops out of sight in the afternoon. The first Sunday of Advent comes as an eagerly awaited sign that Christmas is approaching. This year Advent came early, the last weekend of November. On the first Advent Sunday, people light the first candle in the Advent candlestick. This is always a special event, eagerly awaited. Each Sunday until Christmas, a candle is lit (and blown out after a while), until all four candles are alight. The children’s expectations grow with every candle. On TV, there is a special Christmas calendar show for the young with 24 episodes, commencing December 1st. It, too, serves as a countdown to the big day. In towns and cities, Christmas fairs selling handicrafts and decorations are a common sight, while at home people start baking in preparation for the holiday. Which we of course did this weekend. We made gingerbread dough, lots of cookies and a gingerbread house as well as saffron buns. Shawn also attempted to make chocolate truffles, not bad!!

December is one of the most hectic months for Swedish families. The burden of work is always heavy at this time of year. There is much to be done in a short space of time before everyone can sit back and relax. Also, for me this year I'm training the girl that will be covering for me while I'm on maternity leave. For the children, meanwhile, December involves numerous end-of-term ceremonies, shows and activities. Next week, Noah's preschool will hold its annual Winter Concert which we know they have been practicing lots for - can't wait to watch it! The longed-for peace and quiet comes later, when all the preparations have been completed and Christmas can begin in earnest. On the first Sunday in Advent, many Swedes get together to drink glögg — I'm sure I've mentioned it before, a hot, spicy mulled wine with blanched almonds and raisins and ginger snaps to accompany it. This Sunday we got together with Annelie, Tony and little Elias. The kids were very proud of their hard work baking out the gingerbread cookies, however to be honest, I think they mostly ate the dough...