December 13th Saint Lucia

White gowns, stars and lots of candles it was all so beautiful tonight.

Here are some pictures of our first Lucia tradition in Sweden:

                Brendan, Joachim, Me, and Jenny waiting for the Lucia to start

                       Wearing tinsel in our hair to participate in St. Lucia

                                               Singing Swedish songs

                                                              Lucia

Glögg and gingerbread cookies were served after, It was fun to celebrate the Swedish tradition!

Glögg

After the hockey game tonight I experienced Glögg for the first time with some of the girls. You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about….well; Glögg is an authentic Swedish spiced warm wine, generally served with raisins, almonds, and Ginger biscuits with blue cheese. Glögg is a popular hot drink during the Christmas season and it’s yummy!

You can buy ready to heat and serve Glögg at the Systembolaget (liquor stores) here in Sweden, also it’s easy to find non-alcoholic Glögg at almost any stores this time of year, including Ikea!

Here’s a recipe I found online if you’re interested in adding a little Swedish tradition to your Christmas: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/swedish-glogg/detail.aspx

Swedish Glögg might even be sold at Ikea in CanadaJ

                                         My first Swedish Glögg experience

                                         Glögg being heated by a candle