when you have two countries represented in your marriage, then you have the joy of living with two cultures. lina + i absolutely love having the opportunity to celebrate holidays by combining our two traditions: american + swedish. this year, as many of your know, we are celebrating the christmas holidays with a little extra excitement because we have all four of our parents gathered in the same place, and actually even under the same roof for christmas eve + christmas day!
yesterday i shared with you our swedish celebrations of christmas eve (you can read that post –> here). today, we continue our christmas day celebration, complete with the american tradition of waking to presents + a cozy, lazy christmas morning + more yummy food.
our american christmas day
good morning from the mountains!
santa came!!
let the fun unwrapping + gift-giving begin!!
and now… time to explore the gifts, play with the gifts, and make some breakfast (thanks, mom!)
dressed + ready to prepare lunch: my mom, brother, and me worked together to get everything ready!
the american christmas day meal is set (it’s a lot like thanksgiving food in my family – because we love it so much. hehe. | sweet potatoes with marshmallows, corn pudding, green bean casserole, two kinds of stuffing, turkey, ham, rolls, two kinds of cranberry sauce. | a super souther meal, i’d say. 
after stuffing ourselves full, we pulled out computers (yep. we are that family) and looked at houses for sale in ohio (where my brother is moving to in february) and uppsala, sweden (where we are moving to in january). we are weird, but we had fun!
as the sun began to set we said goodbye to my brother (who left just before us) and my parents, thanking them for such a cozy and wonderful christmas day celebration. 
after a 30 minute drive back home, we were nestled in our apartment. lina and her parents in the living room, chatting and relaxing. me, snuggled under the covers in the bedroom. then it hit me. christmas is over and it’s now time to look forward. a great sadness fell over me, knowing that i am moving from these mountains and my family. the close of the day found me focusing on the goodbyes that loom in my near future. and yet, at the same time, snuggled in my bed, i also felt such great, wonderful gratitude for this holiday season. and it is only because of this great gratitude and love that i feel such pain in my heart as well.
it has truly been an incredible, amazing, time. my heart is full. my cup is overflowing with abundance + love. the beauty of this season has shone bright. and i am counting my blessings over + over again… as i fall asleep feeling loved and grateful. i could not have wished for anything more.
my wish is that your holiday time has been exactly what you have wanted + needed, that you have felt moments of peace + joy in the midst of this season.
Hi Liz,
As I sit here in my living room on the last day of the year, I feel happy for you that you have such a wonderful family. Surely, without their love and support, you would not have so much of “you” to give to the world. I also feel a twinge of sadness for the family losses that breaks my heart. I long for the love of my own brother and the closeness my family used to share. This is the life that I have now and for that, I should be grateful. Is it selfish to want what used to be or detrimental to my current life? These are questions that I am not prepared to ask right now. I know you will miss NC and Asheville, of course. You seem to know how to bloom where you’re planted and that is a great life skill. I wish you and Lina the best this upcoming year.
Gretchen, what a beautiful comment. Thank you so much for sharing. I try really hard to be constantly aware of how blessed I am in this life. And, I wish only the same for you and for everyone. Sending you many extra blessings of fulfillment and peace as you begin this year. May you find a sense of whole ness + completeness. Love and light. xoxo