Christmas

I am not, nor have I ever been, a big Christmas fan. There is something about the holidays that makes my stress level rise and I always feel that I just want it done and over with. Sure, the food is great, I love seeing my family but all the expectations and the buzz around it usually makes me wanna crawl under a stone. Since leaving Sweden, this has started to change a little bit. I guess that traditions might become a bit more important when you're away from home. When we lived in Berlin, we used to take our friends to the Swedish Christmas market to stock up on Glögg (mulled wine - what we drink all through December), pick-and-choose sweets, saffron buns and other typical Christmas treats. Yesterday, when driving home from Andrea's parents, we stopped by IKEA in Milan to to get some small stuff for the house and to get some delicacies from their food shop. Now, to call what IKEA has in their shop delicacies might be to be a bit too kind - they recently stopped selling Swedish brands and launched their own IKEA line of products - but it is, nonetheless, a great place to get the most necessary stuff. I went home with some cheese, ginger bread cookies, Glögg and a mix of almonds/raisins. I also got the Advent star for our small kitchen window. I thought that this was a universal Christmas decoration, but I have yet to see it in Italy or Germany. Back home, you would see these stars in practically every window, and they make a cosy, warm light. 

Anyways. This year, I'm looking forward to Christmas. We will be in London with my mum, my brothers with girlfriends and the most important people ever: my niece and nephew. The last two Christmases I've spent without my little monkeys, so I'm so happy that I get to be with them this time. I will also get to celebrate St. Lucia! Apparently, a restaurant here in Bergamo will be hosting a Swedish Lucia celebration and only disease or death will keep me away from that. December might not be so bad after all. 

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