My first ever real Christmas tree

While apparently it is most traditional to put up Christmas trees at home on Christmas Eve here in Germany, we went ahead and put up the Christmas tree more than a week ago as we will be in Sweden over Christmas. It is the first time for me to buy a real tree and decorate it all by ourselves, so it feels extra special in addition to the lovely ornaments we picked from stall to stall in Nuremberg.

Nuremberg Christmas market

Nuremberg was honestly a very exciting Christmas shopping place indeed, albeit the minus 5-degree weather! The stores are filled with German made candies and decorations (hopefully all or most of what we got!), which are hanging very nicely from our Christmas tree right now. I especially loved the cookie decoration which apparently you cannot eat, and will last for 3 to 4 years.

Christmas feast

It is really special when we can get together with family to make good food and spend time over Christmas. The fun starts from making the food. This year we added gravlax, a cured salmon dish with beet roots and horse radish.

 

    

 

God Jul!

Christmas in Frankfurt

In front of the old opera in Frankfurt. Funny that the Christmas decoration was highlighted with equally festive signs of those who sponsored, the banks and legal offices around West End. Below was the most crowded Christmas market in all of Europe (my personal opinion), in the manner of Shibuya crossing.

Swedish Santa Lucia in Frankfurt

At a beautiful Swedish Santa Lucia concert in Frankfurt. The concert was followed by a nice glögg (mulled wine) and pepparkakor (gingerbread cookies) outside the church... mmm. I have never seen so many Swedes outside of Sweden.

 

 

Christmas is all around in Stockholm

Christmas was in full swing in Stockholm. There were many Christmas markets in different parts of the city.

 

 

Christmas dinner in a ski cabin

This year's Christmas was at a ski cabin, high up in the mountains. We respectively prepared the nice Swedish Christmas dishes for the feast. As snack between breakfast and dinner, I munched on as many cinnamon bunns as I could. Yummmm.

Christmas food and fire

Another successful year of Christmas sausage making!  The Swedish kind had Christmas spices and the Italian kind had traditional herbs. Mmmmmm...

White Christmas in Gothenburg

I was very lucky to have a white Christmas in Gothenburg.  Very nice to walk in the snow outside.. in contrast to  the warm food on the table and a nice fire by the Christmas tree inside.

Christmas eve

In Sweden, Christmas eve is the main event for everyone. The family starts the day by eating cinnamon porridge for breakfast. Then there is the main lunch with cold and warm food, and then finally a dinner when it feels like past midnight but it's only 6 or 7pm. I helped mainly with the warm food, including meatballs, sausages, bread and a chocolate cake. Sausage making was the highlight... crazy fun(ny). Merry Christmas!