well, it’s the end of november and we’ve celebrated thanksgiving – that cozy all-american holiday. lots of planning, lots of waiting, lots of cooking, a little stress thrown in, & lots of food. yes, today, we had thanksgiving here in our little apartment in sweden with some of lina’s family. it was a cozy, relaxed evening together & it was super fun to see swedes try out some typical american thanksgiving food (that’s right. i cooked. a crapload of food!). some of our dishes were completely new to our guests (green bean casserole – which i now declare the favorite thanksgiving dish of all swedes), and some guests were doing thanksgiving with us for the 2nd time. in any case, it was good fun & we definitely all had the required food coma afterwards! i am so grateful that all the guests were willing to come & celebrate with us… feels like i had a real thanksgiving & that means so much to me!
but, directly after the guests left, it was time… time to put out all of our advent/christmas decorations! well, no tree. following swedish tradition (and because it’s more logical too), we will get our real swedish tree during the week before christmas. still, we’ve got candles galore (but, you all know by now that candles are a must in this household) and beautiful lights in our windows… another swedish tradition. i know that in the states, some people put a single candle (plug in, of course) in the window, but here it’s multiple candles or big stars. we’ve got some of both! let me just say here that being an international couple has it’s perks… it is so much fun to blend our traditions, create new ones, and celebrate holidays from both countries. how freaking lucky am i?!
ok. here are some pictures… check ’em out!
the big christmas tree is up in the city hall square… waiting for lights.
sweet potato pie comin’ up!
green bean casserole. a favorite of everyone!
the table is set.
the food is ready!
and we’re ready to sit down!
i noticed that the big tree is now lit! so, it’s time to get busy decorating!
other buildings are in the christmas lighting spirit too. i love it!
dinner is over, the guests have gone, and now it’s time for us to bring the christmas cheer home!
typical window decorations, with some indian-inspired candles also. oh! and a christmas tree lit up outside (in the little apartment square/park below us).
an amazing star in the window (and another shot of the tree outside our apartment). i looove this pic (by lina).
and of course, christmas candles.
so, we’re all ready to begin our advent journey and officially begin the christmas season! it’s here! it’s finally here!
hope you are having a beautiful, beginning of the holiday season weekend! peace & love.
Vilka fina adventsstakar. ser ut som svart smide. Är det det, eller ser det bara ut så?
Du hade rätt… de är smide. Tack!
What gorgeous pics! It’s almost December – crazy…
i know, right. it’s crazy how quickly times flies (and how much can change in a short amount of time, as you well know right now). still thinking of you & wishing you the best during this time. xx
Hey! I would love it if u could ever find the time to post your green bean casserole recipe/how to? I know I could just look it up, but recipes from friends are just so much nicer! If you can do that, I promise to blog my attempt at it! 🙂
Happy thanksgiving!
hey mel, that is so cool that you want to try it out! i will work on a post! thanks! 🙂
Where did you find pumpkin and cranberries? I want to make Thanksgiving dinner for my extended family here in Norrköping. Thanks in advance.
I made a sweet potato pie instead of pumpkin. Using all do the same spices, it tastes pretty much the same! Cranberries were something that I missed. I’m not sure that they exist anywhere. I live in Uppsala now, and we have an American store here, so I snagged a can of cranberry sauce for this year. Good luck to you! And Happy Thanksgiving!