Christmas in Sweden is a bit different from the US. We divide up the season into different subseasons… traditionally!
In the US you usually start Christmas with decorating around Thanksgiving at the end of November. In the Nordic we start with Advent. Four Sundays before Christmas day. During this time we wait for our Saviors birth. Noting every Sunday by lighting one candle in a four-candle holder. When all four candles are lit, Christmas has begun. The light of the world has arrived. It carries significant meaning to us as we experience such darkness. It’s dark until 9 am and the sunlight is gone before 4pm. Further north of us the sun never rises. It’s not strange that the church picked this time of year to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. The light has arrived, physically and spiritually. Christmas starts on Christmas Eve and continues during the 12 days of Christmas when according to tradition the Magi or Wise Men visited Jesus.
My sister and her son came to visit us. We made some gingerbread cookies and decorated them. We only had Pippi Longstocking cookie cutters.


We bought our Christmas tree at the town square four weeks before Christmas. Usually people wait until just days before Christmas Eve.

The tree is supposed to last half way through January. Ours got tossed out on the 26th for obvious reasons. We were all excited about picking the tree. Noah was scared of it at first, keeping his distance. But soon enough he got into decorating.


Sam had to work on Christmas Eve (the day we celebrate with a big feast and gifts). We decided to celebrate a day early. We had such a great day. Playing, relaxing and doing what ever the kids wanted. We were reminded of how fortunate we are. How loved we are. We had gifts from so many of our US family. It is so very special. You became part of our Christmas celebration without being here. We talked about you with Noah and he said thank you to all of you! Thank you for showing your love in so many ways.



On Christmas Eve I brought the kids to a neighboring town where my sister lives. We spent the day and night with several members of my family. My mom had made a time-table of how the day was planned. Including the very important Disney Christmas Special shown every Christmas eve at 3pm.



This was Livia’s first Christmas. We are thankful to have her with us and we keep thinking of Rach and Craig who are still waiting to be able to bring home their son from Ethiopia. The story of Christmas shows yet another perspective. We are all adopted into God’s family. Jesus knows what it’s like to be adopted and God knows what it’s like to give away His son. It’s all joy and sorrow, grace and grief, love and pain mixed together. Just how Christmas is for most.


The Christmas season is now over and we are starting up a new year. Turning a page. Starting up a new chapter.
