Christmastown

Sweden gets a lot of press about how dark it is in the winter. Personally, I like it. True, it starts getting dark about 3pm, but that just means it's time to turn on all the Christmas stars in the windows and light the candles I have all over the flat. The best part is erranding because it's dark by 4:30 but the stores are still open and with the decorations and the snow, it's enchanting: snow everywhere, lights, happy people, Christmas music in the shops. It really feels like Christmas.

Göteborg is known as julstad (Christmastown) and last night Elizabeth and I found out why. We were on our way to the Avenue when we noticed a crowd of people at Götaplatsen, the square at the top of the Avenue, in front of the art museum (Konstmuseet). The mayor was up on the balcony, making a speech about the official opening of Julstad. He set off a confetti cannon and all the lights along the 3km length of the Avenue lit up. Next it was announced that we were all about to see the official premiere of this year's Christmasfilm, which is shown several times each evening on the facade of the Konstmuseet between now and New Year's Eve. The film was a little strange - an odd combination of good vs evil mixed up with references to fairy tales. There was a fairy trying to control the good things and a tomten or troll and a witch switching over to bad things. Good won out in the end of course.

The Julmarknad is another part of the julstad. Essentially, it's a fancy craft fair. Currently, there's one at the bottom of the Avenue in the mall, another one at the square in front of the botanical garden (Trädgårten), and this morning, Andrew, Peter and I wandered through the crowds looking at the stalls in Haga. Last Saturday evening, we were at Liseberg amusement park to experience its julmarknad, lights, and festivities. Some of the rides were operating in spite of the cold and the snow, so Andrew did the Chinese swings just so he could say that he had. Most of the stalls at Liseberg were glögg and food stands, but they had changed the prizes for the games of chance to Christmas treats.

Food-wise, there's "glögg" (mulled wine) which is available alcoholic or not, Christmas beer, Christmas cheese, Christmas bread and ljuskatten (saffron buns in the shape of sleeping cats), lots of Christmas ham, Christmas candy (I kid you not - it's called skum. It's like marshmallow but not as nice. Skum in swedish means foam if that helps at all), and special Christmas Coke called Julmus. The Coca-Cola people have tried to buy the rights to it several times with no success. It also comes out at Easter and it truly is uniquely Swedish.

We brought our julgran home from the lot this morning - carried it the 3 blocks from the square at Hagakyrchan to the flat. Peter thinks it's about 10 feet tall.

We are confident ours will be a white Christmas. Here's hoping yours is too. And if you're having trouble finding the magic in the season, have some gingerbread. In Sweden, gingerbread makes you nice.

Pepparkakor går dig snälla.