Swedish christmas food

Advent – the countdown to Christmas

About four weeks before Christmas, the first Sunday of Advent kicks off the countdown to Christmas. That’s when people light the first candle in the Advent candlestick, a custom going back to the 1890s.

This is always a special event, eagerly awaited.

Each Sunday until Christmas, Swedes light a candle (and blow it out after a while), until all four candles are alight. And on each of these Sundays, many Swedes enjoy glögg – a hot, spicy mulled wine with blanched almonds and raisins – and pepparkakor (gingerbread biscuits).

With every Sunday of Advent, the children’s expectations grow.

Swedish christmas decorations

On the telly, there is a special Christmas calendar show for the young with 24 episodes that runs from 1 to 24 December. It, too, serves as a countdown to the big day.

The perfect Christmas tree?

A few days before Christmas Eve, Swedes venture forth to look for the perfect Christmas tree.

This is a serious matter − the tree is the very symbol of Christmas, and it must be densely and evenly branched, and straight. If you live in a city or town, yo

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