Well, love it or loathe it, there’s no denying that Christmas is about to descend upon us in all its glittering, joyful splendour.
For weeks now, many of us have been enduring hours of list-writing, gift-buying, food-prepping, home-decorating, present-wrapping, and movie-planning. Others have been trying ever so hard to ignore the cheer and jolliness of Wham singing about ‘Last Christmas’ all the time burying their heads firmly in the sand; or should I say snow?
It is a time of year that stirs up many emotions and expectations for newcomers. Add to that being away from your home, and many of your loved ones, and this season can be tricky to navigate.
Do you celebrate on Christmas Eve as the Swedes do, or, if you’re a Brit, stick to your guns and go with the 25th? Then there is the matter of learning about a whole new culture and its traditions.
For many of us, it can all become too much, and by the time the big day arrives, we’re left feeling frazzled and overstuffed on chocolate and saffron buns!
When we arrived in Sweden in December 2020—a year when the snow was disappointingly lacking—we found ourselves racing against time to fill our home, cupboards, fridge, and hearts with festive cheer. We had no idea which shops sold the computer game or the snow gear we needed.
We didn’t know where to buy a turkey (as is traditional fare for Brits), let alone what would suffice as a good sausage for Christmas breakfast, and we felt very strange about it being just the four of us as opposed to the 14 people or more who used to attend the Christmas celebrations we had back home.
It became so easy to become stressed with everything we didn’t know about Christmas that we almost forgot the things we do know.
While all the trimmings are wonderful, they are just that—add-ons, distractions, and frills!
The real gift is being loved and loving, being kind and cared for, being generous and accepting, being joyful and also restful. To remember those who mean so much to us and raise a glass to a year hopefully well spent and a future promising hope and opportunity.
So, whether you end up watching Kalle Anka or the king’s speech, enjoying a julbord feast or a roast dinner, I wish you and your loved ones a heart-warming, very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
This is a column and the views are the author's own.