Daylight Fading

And one more thing...

The sun has just set. It is 3:40pm. That is another reason why lights are such an important part of the holiday season in Sweden; they help chase away the darkness of Winter. Most store fronts also now have candles burning outside on either side of the entrance. Inviting.

Back to the fading daylight. In December, the sun sets around 3:30pm for nearly the entire month. At the beginning of the month, the sun rises at 8:30am; later in the month this tops out at 8:54am. On December 21st, the shortest day of the year, the times are as follows:

Sunrise: 8:52 AM
Sunset: 3:25 PM

Daylight: 6 hours 33 minutes

Good times!

So as not to succumb to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), I have a six-month supply of St. John's Wort. Hopefully, I won't have to resort to a lightbox. But, just picture it: me and the dogs sitting in front of a lightbox every day.

To Market, To Market

Ooops. Forgot to mention that we are heading to Germany this weekend to experience the Chrismas market (Weihnachtsmärkte, in German). Several people strongly recommended that we visit the Christmas markets.

Although there are markets in both Göteborg and Stockholm, the ones in Germany are supposed to be the best. The absolute best is in Nuremberg. But, that a bit too far to drive, so we are heading Lubeck in Northern Germany. The Christmas markets in Lubeck should be fun.

Will have a full report when we return. Including what we bought.

God Jul, Already?

Here in Sweden, there is no major holiday, such as Thanksgiving, to prevent the start of Christmas season. Although I finally found a whole turkey at ICA Maxi, we are foregoing the traditional meal this year. No turkey. And, at over $3.25/lb., I can't say I'm too sad. Of course, not having pumpkin and apple-cranberry pies (freshly baked by yours truly) or my special corn bread and cranberry stuffing is a bit sad. We are going out that evening and depart the next day for a weekend trip.

So, some Christmas decorations went up around the city a few weeks ago. Large stars and snowflake with lights that stretch across narrow roads around city center. The bulk of the decorations will go up around the city on December 1st, or so we have been told. Including some hideous shapes with blue lights on the Aveny that I saw last year.

The stores have been pushing Christmas odds and ends since October. TJ has been in the holiday spirit and a diligent shopper. For my part, I bought some cookie cutters for the annual Christmas cookie bake-off and decorating event. And so it begins.

TJ has already decked our halls and walls with shiny red and silver ornaments. Cinnamon-scented candles liven the air. And this:

This is a tomte candle that you burn starting at the beginning of December to count down to Christmas Day. The tomte originally started off as a more pagan creature, but has now been folded into the traditional Christmas story involving St. Nick - the Christmas tomte. There are many variations of a tomte. I like the ones that look like gnomes. Like this one (clicking on image will take you to my Flickr photostream):

I plan on buying an antique, traditional looking tomte in the next few weeks. Expect a photo.

We attended our first holiday party - a glögg mingle. We met old faces and new in the most spacious, wonderfully decorated apartment just off the Aveny. Glögg is the Swedish version of mulled wine. Sweet, warm and tasty. A recipe if you are so inclined.

Unfortunately, we are missing a Lucia party this weekend. What fun that would have been. The actual date of the Lucia celebration is December 13th. It involves a young girl dressed in white with a crown of burning candles on her head. Glögg and lussekatter (St Lucy buns) are consumed. The buns, which I will have to try, are made with saffron. And, there is a Lucia song. More here. And here.

Halloween Party Post-Mortem

Well, the scariest day of the year is over. And, I am not talking about election day. No, the aftermath of our Halloween party has been cleaned up and put away for next year. Yes, there will be a next year. Click on the image above or here to see photos from the party.

Special thanks to David and Simon for providing me with supplemental photos (and video) from the party. Still, between the three of us, no one had a picture of TJ in full costume as Ghostface from the Scream movies; he discarded his mask and knife quite early. TJ is sneaky that way.

A note about the photos. Many people in the photos have red eye. I decided not to correct them. Mainly, because it was too time-consuming. But also, because the red eyes fit with the demonic theme of the party. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

So, the next day was recovery day. Now I remember why I don't drink a lot of tequila. Two words: massive headache. And TJ? Well, they say that happiness is a warm puppy. But, I think a couple of Advil would have helped more.

Feeling Good

The fog lifted overnight here in Göteborg. I awoke to a crisp, clear morning.

sun in the sky, you know how I feel...

it's a new dawn
it's a new day...
and I'm feeling good

'cause this old world is a new world
and a bold world
for you and me

Bump in the Night

There is nothing scarier than a good Halloween pumpkin (mine was good, not great).

Except, of course, waiting for election results. So, I'm hoping there is no bump in the middle of the night. No strange new dawn of uncertainty.

No, I would like to think the real nightmare is over. That suspense will be minimal. The joy, overwhelming. The healing? Well, we can always hope.