Show & Tell: No Christmas Eve Without...

I thought I'd tackle Erica's Christmas theme with the help of Annika's Christmas questionnaire!

No Christmas without...

GLÖGG - with or without alcohol? What do you put in your glögg?
Normally with alcohol but this Christmas I will take it easy with the alcohol naturally… I like both almonds (or hazelnuts) or raisins in my glögg.

FOOD - what could you not live without food-wise on Christmas? What do you have for breakfast at Christmas? Cooked or oven-baked ham?
Herring, oven-baked ham, meatballs, my mum’s beetroot & feta cheese salad. For breakfast I would like rice porridge (risgrynsgröt) at some point. I don't like Ris à la Malta though.

FAMILY - do you celebrate at home or somewhere else?
At our parents’ house, splitting our time between Peter’s and mine. Last year was the first year we celebrated together properly; previously we went to our respective parents. This year we will start with lunch at Peter’s parents together with his godfather (annual tradition that I haven’t joined before). After that we will go to my parents in Södertälje and spend the rest of Christmas Eve there and also sleep over. Christmas Day we will visit my grandfather (who usually comes to my parents’ house but since he’s been poorly, he doesn’t feel up for it) and then head back to Stockholm in time for dinner at Peter’s parents. Usually his grandmother comes (but she’s also too poorly now) and his uncle and three cousins but they are travelling / celebrating elsewhere this year so instead Peter’s sister’s in-laws will come (and Peter's sister and her husband of course).

FOOD - eat first and then gifts, or gifts first and then food?
I prefer eating first but this year we may do gifts first since we will have had a big lunch, but we’ll see. Or we may eat a little bit less than normal and still do gifts afterwards.

SWEETS AND OTHER GOODIES - do you want home-made or bought Christmas goodies and sweets? Knäck with or without almonds?
Either! Both! This year we have a mix of bought chocolates and sweets and home-made toffee and fudge. Like knäck both with and without almonds. My grandmother used to make the best knäck. In the last few years I have made fudge instead as it’s both easier and better tasting. But I still like knäck. Don’t like ischoklad anymore though, too sweet.

TREE - what must hang in the Christmas tree? Do you have a colour theme? When do you bring in the tree, on the 23rd or earlier?
Lights, a moderate amount of ornaments, mainly in red, green, white, gold and silver colour. No specific colour theme more than that. Sometimes tinsel but we skipped it in ours this year (when I do use tinsel I vary from year to year, sometimes horizontal and sometimes vertical). And I prefer a REAL tree!

When I was growing up it felt wrong to bring it in before the 23rd but now I feel like a week before Christmas or so is okay, otherwise it’s such a short period. Last year our tree lasted to 13 January but I’m doubtful about this year’s version…

JULMUST - do you drink julmust, coca cola or mumma?
Have hardly ever tried mumma… Love must! No coca cola on Christmas!

TELEVISION - do you watch (the hour of cartoons with) Donald Duck (et al) every year? Have you seen "Karl-Bertil Jonsson julafton"?
Yes, it’s a tradition, though this year I will probably miss Kalle Anka as we will be in a car between Stockholm and Södertälje. Don't want Karl-Bertil every year, at least not all of it, but have certainly seen it MANY times!

GINGER COOKIES (pepparkakor) - home-made or bought cookie dough?
Haven’t baked any for years but last time made some from store-bought dough. But I don’t think it’s that difficult to make your own, or..?

SAFFRON BUNS - what do you prefer, saffron buns or ginger cookies? Saffron buns with or without raisins?
Saffron buns definitely! With raisins, but only two raisins. And I don’t like saffron buns with almond paste, yuck!

PRESENTS - Santa brings presents or presents are under the tree? Rhymes on the gifts or just plain address stickers? Do you buy gifts to many people? Presents for all or just for the children? Do you wrap the presents yourself and what sort of wrapping paper do you use?
Santa used to come in person when I was growing up, and the rest of the presents came from family, I think I always knew that. Now we don’t get a visit by Santa but maybe next year or the year after rather! I use just stickers but I would love to be good at rhyming! But we have never really done it in my family but my aunt and uncle always do, as do Peter’s parents. I buy for Peter, my parents, my brother, my grandfather and a few friends, and then we also buy for Peter's family too of course. Presents for ALL, not just for the children! I wrap those the shops don't wrap for me, which are usually most. I like wrapping and varying paper and ribbon. I think it's boring when presents only come in the box with a ribbon - I wrap it too usually!

MUSIC - Carola’s or Mariah Carey’s Christmas tunes? What is your favourite Christmas album?
I like most Christmas music, including Carola and Mariah, so no favourite as such. There are some very silly Swedish songs I don't like.

GAMES - Do you usually do some sort of activity on Christmas Eve, e.g. take a walk, play a boardgame?
Both features, it depends on the weather and timing of food and gifts. But usually we play at least a game of Trivial Pursuit or similar.

FRUIT - Is there any fruit you just have to have at Christmas?
Clementines but also other fruit so we can make fruit salad.


Further questions...

Advent star or candlestick in the window?
Depends on the room but we have more candlestick than stars

Do you want Christmas cards by post or by e-mail?
By post! I always send a lot myself!

When do you decorate for Christmas?
Usually a week or so before Christmas, when we take the tree inside. But the Advent stuff goes up for First of Advent of course!

What would be the ultimate Christmas present to you this year?
An iPad or even better, an eReader. I prefer still buying real books though but I’m a gadget fan at the same time…

Dipping bread in the grease from the ham (dopp i grytan), or not?
Not. My grandparents used to do it though, at least as long as my grandfather was alive, don’t think my grandmother was as keen.

Would you consider working on Christmas Eve?
Sure, if I had a job that required it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! GOD JUL!