tjugotre -- traditions

We have learned a lot of new traditions over the last year and a half. But we have not forgotten the ones we grew up on either.

Today was my last day of work. And after work I decided I needed to do one last bit of baking - a tradition from my history: a loaf we would often have Christmas morning to go alongside clementines and classical music and time round the Christmas tree with my family before setting out for a snowy walk. 

So I thought of you, my Nicholls family, as I rose the dough and rolled it out and the smell filled the house. Not sure it turned out quite as sweet as mum's (we might have sneaked a little taste tonight), but it was certainly a sufficiently good replica for me!

Mum's Christmas morning loaf

Another  tradition I grew up with was the annual Christmas ornament. Even better - the 'annual ornament book' mum kept for us over the first ten or so years of Duncan's and my lives. These little red and green construction paper bound books have stories from our first ten years, and an explanation of why each ornament was selected. The books are stored with the ornaments and a card containing tinsel for the tree - the same tinsel mum and dad have been using for 44 years - in old cardboard boxes in the basement. I have missed flipping through those books these last few years, but it is fun to think back on all the ornaments mum has picked out for us. I also must confess I prefer a real tree to the artificial kind, but I am remarkably content with our strange Christmas tree substitutions and single box of assorted red ornaments this year!

Somewhere in the middle of this advent calendar blogging extravaganza we asked for you to share some Christmas memories with us. Since it seems we have strong food and ornament kind, it seemed fitting to ask you for the food and the ornament kind of memories - and it was great to read your notes! Thanks. In the same way some of you have commented that you feel closer to us for hearing about the events of the last month, so have we been transported closer to you. 

So, here's what you had to say was best on the tree: 
-  The lights

-  Röda glaskulor (red glass balls)

-  I love them all! We try and buy at least one special one per year. Last year's - a Christmas pickle!

-  The favourite this year may be the tiny Mora horse, reminding us of a fun weekend with you in 2010.

-  Handmade ones that Graham's mom makes. They hold candy!

-  My first ornament, which is one of those engraved 'baby's first christmas' ornaments.

-  Hand made glass icicles, other glass icicles and real tinsel
-  Not the favourite, but the most memorable is the one that has a horrible picture of me in grade 6 on it, that my family insists on placing front and center on our tree (high enough that i can't reach it, but is still very visible)

I love the range of things that adorn your trees, friends! I also appreciate that there were lots of good stories to go with your choices. Nice to know I am not the only sentimental one out there ;) 

This resonated through many of the favourite food choices too -- guess mummies the world over are good at imprinting their culinary talents on their offsprings' tummies! 

 -  my mom's panneforte

-  Vin d'orange

-  Julskinka och lutfisk (Christmas ham and rehydrated salted fish in a white sauce)

-  My mom's candied almonds. My dad's homemade eggnog is a close second. I also quite enjoy almond snowball cookies

-  Almond paste icing,on anything, or just on a spoon

-  Christmas cake

-  mandarin oranges

-  Baked brie and other fun party finger food

-  Pretty much anything homemade and chocolate 

I had to think a long time before I could come up with my answers to the questions. in the end, I decided that I most liked the blue lights on the tree. I am open to white lights, or even a mix of the two (when push comes to shove), but I love the shadows from pine needles in front of tiny bulbs, and I love the hue of the blue lights illuminating a room. As a Swedish alternative, I love the lights in the windows - especially the advent specific ones - and how they light up the streets through the dark winter days and nights.

adventsljusstakar

As for my favourite thing to eat ... I finally decided that mum's Christmas cake was my real 'must-have' item. Not only do we eat this at Christmas, but we also had it for our wedding cake, as did my parents. A big thanks to my parents who baked Christmas cake in July so we could bring one back with us this summer!

I am also really fond of Christmas ham. And I especially love Swedish Christmas ham! I tried my hand at it last year, and it was the best ham either of us had ever eaten (thanks to the fine cooking lesson I had from Camilla, who was out cross country skiing when I rang her slightly perplexed over what to do with the massive thing). Yesterday Richard did the first stage (a long simmer) and then we finished it together. Yet again, we ended up with one yummy ham.

Since we are heading to France in the wee hours of the 25th, we bumped our Christmas dinner to last night so we could enjoy the left overs today and tomorrow. Works for us! We had some definite blending of traditions for the dinner, pairing the Swedish julskinka (Christmas ham) with squash (much more a Canadian item - not too many veggies to the julbord here), several other veggies (again, a Canadian thing, all those veggies), fresh bread, and then an Israeli couscous warm salad with squashes and lemons (definitely not a traditional item for any Christmas celebrating country, I'd hazard a guess). All the same, a delicious plate to celebrate with!

Well, this is becoming quite a tome. Guess that is what happens after hardly being able to speak for a week!

 
So, now on with the second to last door from the advent calendar (yes, Tim - that is what all the crazy product shots are from!).


Here is Richard getting ready to open today's door ... (and complaining about how light the calendar has become!)



And here is Richard modeling the miraculous effects of the 'Deep Sleep' mist spray. Wouldn't that be great if it delivered as much!!

One more door tomorrow, and one more blog entry.  We will be celebrating Christmas on the 24th as per Swedish tradition (that means gift opening tomorrow morning!) and are looking forward to talking with many of you tomorrow round your respective Christmas trees tomorrow (three cheers for wifi and portable electronic devices and Skype!).We will keep logged into Skype for most of the day, so feel free to give us a shout if you want to chat or show off your tree :)