According to the Guardian, in a article about Swedish Christmas celebrations, the hunger for Scandinavian Christmas traditions is on trend… as a small Scandinavian shop we can tell as well. Our Swedish and Danish candles and Christmas decorations are almost all gone and it is only early December.

Today is an excellent opportunity to take part in the Swedish traditional Lucia celebration at Wardie Parish Church, click here for more details. I know it will be a lovely ceremony and afterwards traditional “Lussekatter” Saffron buns and coffee.

So today since it is 1st of Advent and we will light up our Advent stars and candle-bridges and the first candle in my advent candle holder. My dad and his wife is over from Sweden, they brought gingerbread dough (I know you can buy some from IKEA but it is not the same, and making my own…hmmm time is running low) we will bake our snaps and have a glass of mulled wine. The smells and tastes will be the proper start for our Christmas and am excited to make the shop look more like Christmas as well. Richard’s parents are in town as well so I think it might be a little visit to the markets in town today as well.

Dad brought lots of yummy food with them for us. Now these days after opening up the shop we stay in Scotland for the holidays and have started to create our own traditions. I am not ready to give up any kind of Swedish celebrations and replace them with a UK one…no no! So on Christmas Eve, after we close the shop I head home and we have our Swedish Christmas, including the lovely Jansson’s temptation, herring (sill) and this year even lovely traditional Christmas Ham and dad brought “Vortbrod” a special Christmas bread. I felt true happiness when I saw what they had brought.  Amazing what food and memories can do:) Then on Christmas Day morning we head over to Glasgow this year and will celebrate with Richard’s family. So a turkey dinner is to expect which is great as well. But I am afraid to say it wont beat a Swedish Christmas Buffet table so called “julbord”.

Have a great 1st Advent, I am so pleased it is such a beautiful day.

Charlotte x