Lucia ---- check

I'm not calling it a bucket list, but rather a wish list and this past weekend, I have checked off another item -- Lucia celebrations.  There was a St. Lucy in the fourth century who was martyred, but that has very little to do with the young people in white clothes carrying candles and the one Lucia girl who wears the candles on her head.  Her attendants are a great choir and perform a large volume of music all by memory, much of it a capella.  Celebrations happen in churches, in classrooms, outside on playgrounds and everyone gets involved from the young kids at daycare to the university crowd.

The song performed in the above link is our favourite Swedish Christmas song which lovely close treble harmony.  We were delighted that it was performed on Friday evening.

Today, we celebrated early Christmas with our family here.  There were presents opened and squealed over.  We had a fabulous Christmas dinner -- Julbord -- at a popular country lodge.  I did not try all 7 courses, (herring, smoked fish, cold meats and salads, hot food, cod, cheese, dessert), but 5 out of 7 is pretty good.  Amazing flavours and all made at the lodge which is currently expanding their onsite greenhouses to produce their own veggies.  Here we are enjoying Glogg in a tent before going in to the Julbord.

We baked cookies.  What more could you want?