Christmas

The following articles have been tagged with "Christmas":

Swedish Eurovision fever cools

Society: 12 Mar 10
Is Sweden falling out of love with Eurovision? On the verge of this year's national final, new figures show that while the event still tops the ratings, media interest, viewing figures and public voting are all in decline. READ »

Bildt and Miliband chide EU foreign chief

Politics: 4 Mar 10
The foreign ministers of Sweden and Britain joined forces on Thursday in directing a sharp rebuke at Baroness Catherine Ashton over a lack of transparency in the recruitment process for EU diplomats. READ »

Sweden's top ten tasty buns

Lifestyle: 16 Feb 10
It’s Fettisdag, Fat Tuesday, the day known in English as Shrovetide, Pancake Tuesday and, er, Mardi Gras. In Sweden, the day is synonymous with the creamy semla, one of many fine buns that make this country great. READ »

Liberals push for more Afghanistan troops

National: 12 Feb 10
The Liberal Party has argued that the Swedish contingent in Afghanistan is understaffed and wants the force to be strengthened by a further 100 soldiers. READ »

Christmas shopping stop for Jacob Zuma in Swedish grocery store

Society: 5 Feb 10
The President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, became so enamoured with traditional Swedish advent candlesticks while attending the December climate summit that he took 15 of them home with him. READ »

Hospital morgue wrestles with rotting corpses

Society: 26 Jan 10
Corpses at the morgue of the Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, south of Stockholm, have started to rot due to a breakdown in procedures related to renovation of the facility. READ »

Pornstar cap 'no attire for nursery worker'

National: 23 Jan 10
Headgear emblazoned with the label 'Pornstar' has cost a nursery worker his job after parents caught sight of the man wearing it on a Facebook photo. READ »

Opera mood marred by sexual harassment case

Society: 11 Jan 10
Tensions are running high at the Royal Swedish Opera as ballet director Marc Ribaud is issued with an official warning after sexually harassing a female member of staff. READ »

US film giants appeal in file-sharing case

National: 6 Jan 10
In a corporate David and Goliath-style case, a Stockholm-based internet operator is fighting a file-sharing lawsuit against a collective of large US film companies. READ »

Mysterious giant ice balls discovered on Swedish coastline

Society: 5 Jan 10
Bird watchers on the Baltic island of Öland off Sweden’s southeastern coast were puzzled by an unusual natural phenomenon recently when they stumbled across dozens of football-sized balls of ice lying on the shore. READ »

January in Sweden: Week one, thirteenth day, thinking time

Lifestyle: 5 Jan 10
The Year in Sweden - January: Journalist Kim Loughran sketches a month by month account of the country he has called home ever since his accidental migration in 1966. READ »

Epiphany reignites Sweden's public holiday debate

Business & Money: 5 Jan 10
Workers in Sweden have only had two days to return to life on the job following their Christmas vacations before gearing up for yet another paid holiday on Wednesday. READ »

Rowdy prison service Christmas party prompts police response

Society: 5 Jan 10
Police were called to a Christmas party thrown by Swedish prison personnel in Härnösand in northeastern Sweden after the festivities spiraled out of control. READ »

Swede hit with 10 month jail sentence in Turkey

Society: 1 Jan 10
A Swedish citizen was sentenced to 10 month’s prison by a Turkish court on New Year’s Eve on charges of spreading Kurdish propaganda on behalf of a prohibited political party. READ »

What's On in Sweden: January 1st - 7th

Lifestyle: 30 Dec 09
What’s on in Sweden: Tango with Superheroes in Stockholm, tickle cockroaches in Gothenburg and Blame it on the Stones in Malmö. READ »

Donald scores landslide victory in Christmas 'duck' battle

Society: 29 Dec 09
Perennial TV ratings champion 'Kalle Anka och vänner' ('Donald Duck and Friends) squashed the outspoken wife of crooner Paul Anka in what was billed as Sweden's Christmas Eve battle of the ducks. READ »

Repairman's vacation keeps Swedish town off the internet

Society: 29 Dec 09
An internet technician’s holiday travels have left a remote mountain village in northern Sweden cut off from the internet, causing a dent in the town’s winter tourism bookings. READ »

Afghan teens left in the cold by train operator

National: 29 Dec 09
The five Afghan teens found wandering in the cold near Sävsjö in southern Sweden had not been left in the forest by smugglers, it emerged on Monday, but had instead been kicked off a Swedish passenger train. READ »

Swede in coma after Philippines attack

National: 28 Dec 09
A Swedish citizen is fighting for his life after being assaulted by two security guards at a nightclub in Angeles City in the Philippines. READ »

Afghan teens dumped in Swedish forest

National: 28 Dec 09
Five chilled and hungry Afghan teenagers stumbled into a southern Swedish town on Christmas Eve after being left by smugglers in a deserted stretch of forest days earlier, a priest who had taken them in said Sunday. READ »

Post-Christmas sales give much needed boost

National: 27 Dec 09
The post-Christmas shopping frenzy is in full swing, giving the Swedish economy a much needed boost. Consumer spending is also up compared to the same period last year. READ »

Swedes send 76 million Christmas text messages

Science & Technology: 26 Dec 09
Customers from the leading Swedish mobile providers Tele2, Telia, Telenor and 3 sent more than 76 million Christmas greetings via text message, creating a new Swedish record for SMS traffic on Christmas Eve. READ »

King and queen to launch new youth forum

Society: 26 Dec 09
In traditional Christmas speeches on December 25, Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Sylvia announced the launch of a new forum for children and youth in honour of the 20th anniversary of the United Nation's Convention of the Right's of the Child. READ »

Swedes rush to sell unwanted Christmas gifts

National: 26 Dec 09
As one of the busiest retail days of the year kicks off, one in every three Swedes will exchange their Christmas gifts this year, according to a survey. Many are also selling their unwanted presents online. READ »

Calm weather expected for Christmas Day

Science & Technology: 25 Dec 09
A yuletide calm has settled over Sweden for Christmas, both on the roads and in the skies. READ »

Christmas spirit moves robber to turn himself in

Society: 25 Dec 09
An 18-year-old robber caught an unusual case of the Christmas spirit on Wednesday night, turning himself in to the police shortly after holding up a kiosk in Västervik on Sweden’s east coast. READ »

Swimmers flock for Christmas dip

Society: 25 Dec 09
More than 100 people jumped into the freezing ocean near Halmstad on the southwest coast of Sweden on Wednesday morning for the traditional Christmas swim. READ »

Christmas chocolate thieves caught red handed

Society: 24 Dec 09
While many a Swedish Christmas office party end in hangovers and bad judgement, the holiday revelry of one company from Växjö in southern Sweden ended with a night in jail after a chocolate robbery gone wrong. READ »

What's On in Sweden: December 25th - 31st

Lifestyle: 23 Dec 09
What’s on in Sweden: Choral Christmas in Stockholm, a New Year's Eve run in Gothenburg and get your skates on in Malmö. READ »

Gävle goat succumbs to flames

National: 23 Dec 09
Yuletide arsonists have once again successfully set the famous Gävle goat ablaze. Police received a call around 3am on Wednesday that the Christmas goat in the eastern Swedish town was on fire. READ »

Barcelona Christmas gift for Zlatan's first club

Sport: 22 Dec 09
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's first club FBK Balkan have got an early Christmas present of 1.5 million kronor ($206,000) courtesy of FC Barcelona. READ »

Christmas shopping guide: Swedish design online

Lifestyle: 22 Dec 09
Waited till the last minute to pick up a gift for the design aficionado in your life? Here's help. We've dusted off The Local’s quintessential guide to the best of Swedish design online with some old, some new and some just plain odd. READ »

White Christmas in store for Sweden

National: 22 Dec 09
Those who have asked Santa for a white Christmas might see their wish come true on Christmas Eve. Sweden has remained covered in snow, although the snowfall is expected to let up in many parts of Sweden – with a chance of sun. READ »

Elin Nordegren to spend Christmas in Sweden

Society: 22 Dec 09
Former model Elin Nordegren will visit her family in Sweden over the holidays along with her two children, while husband Tiger Woods is retreating to the Bahamas on his private yacht named 'Privacy'. READ »

Hide-and-seek flash mob invades Swedish Ikea branch

National: 21 Dec 09
Some 150 kids infiltrated Ikea in Karlstad in western Sweden on Friday to play hide-and-seek following a call to arms on Facebook. READ »

Crime figures falling in Rosengård: police

Society: 18 Dec 09
An increased police presence has led to a distinct reduction in crime figures for flashpoint Malmö suburb Rosengård, according to local media reports. READ »

MP makes indecent Christmas party proposal

Politics: 18 Dec 09
Social Democrat member of parliament Per Svedberg awoke shamefaced this week after making lewd advances in a state of undress to a female colleague at a Riksdag Christmas bash. READ »

What's On in Sweden: December 18th - 24th

Lifestyle: 17 Dec 09
What’s on in Sweden: Eddie Izzard strips all over Sweden, Rave photos in Stockholm, Turkish puppetry in Gothenburg and a Synthfest in Malmö. READ »

Elin's split with Tiger '100 percent on': report

Society: 17 Dec 09
Elin Nordegren plans to divorce her husband Tiger Woods and spend Christmas away from the disgraced billionaire golf star following the infidelity scandal which has put his career on hold, according to several media reports. READ »

World's children ask Santa for video games and puppies

Society: 15 Dec 09
Boys and girls around the world have video games, Lego and pets at the top of their Christmas wish lists this year, according to the Swedish postal service, which has steamed open letters addressed to Santa Claus in Tomteboda. READ »

White Christmas likely as temperatures plunge

Science & Technology: 14 Dec 09
Blowing snow and frigid temperatures are expected to sweep down from northern Sweden on Wednesday, bringing the first taste of winter weather to much of the southern half of the country. READ »

The Lowdown: Lucia

Lifestyle: 11 Dec 09
It's one of the most enduring Swedish winter traditions. The tradition of Lucia brings some much needed light into Sweden's winter darkness, James Savage writes. READ »

What's On in Sweden: December 11th - 17th

Lifestyle: 10 Dec 09
What’s on in Sweden: Dubstep comes to Stockholm, Alice Cooper pays a visit to Gothenburg and Elvis has been spotted in Malmö. READ »

Five festive pointers for the perfect Swedish Christmas

Lifestyle: 8 Dec 09
It’s that time of year when people are starting to flippantly use the C-word. Or Jul as it is known in Sweden. But what are the secret ingredients to the perfect Swedish Christmas? Ben Kersley investigates. READ »

Anna Anka faces split with Hollywood husband after latest row

Society: 7 Dec 09
Singer-songwriter Paul Anka has filed for divorce from his Swedish wife Anna following a violent spat at the couple’s Hollywood home last week. READ »

How to survive the Christmas buffet without looking like an idiot

Analysis & Opinion: 3 Dec 09
Does the herring lead us into Jansson's temptation or is it the other way around? Elizabeth Dacey-Fondelius has the lowdown on how to prevent your office julbord from ending in yuletide tears. READ »

What's On in Sweden: December 4th - 10th

Lifestyle: 3 Dec 09
What’s on in Sweden: Backstreet Boys are back in Stockholm, The Gothia Barber Girls harmonise in Gothenburg and Pete Doherty serenades Malmö. READ »

Swedish Rail Destinations: Berlin

Travel: 1 Dec 09
Berlin’s turbulent history has made it one of the most fascinating and exciting cities in the world. And with night trains running from Sweden throughout the Christmas period, it's also very accessible. READ »

December in Sweden: From candle-head girls to jellied veal

Lifestyle: 1 Dec 09
The Year in Sweden - December: Journalist Kim Loughran sketches a month by month account of the country he has called home ever since his accidental migration in 1966. READ »

Swedish town crowns Hong Kong man Santa of the Year

Society: 30 Nov 09
A Hong Kong man’s porridge eating skills helped him claim victory at the 2009 Santa Games in Gällivare in northern Sweden on Sunday. READ »

What's on in Sweden: Nov 27 - Dec 3

Lifestyle: 25 Nov 09
What's on in Sweden: Skansen Christmas market & Charles Dickens in Stockholm; Swedish Idol & Melissa Horn in Gothenburg; Little Theatre of Gestures in Malmö/Lund. READ »

What's on in Sweden: November 20 - 26

Lifestyle: 18 Nov 09
What's on in Sweden: International film festival & Simple Minds (UK) in Stockholm; Christmas market & Takida in Gothenburg; The Sonics (US) in Malmö/Lund. READ »

Swedish actor backs 'jocks for well hung men'

Business & Money: 16 Oct 09
Swedish stage and film actor Mikael Persbrandt has put his money where his mouth is and invested in a firm selling underwear for well-developed men. READ »

Son may have murdered 'holidaying' dad

National: 7 Oct 09
Police in western Sweden are soon to start digging for the body of a 65-year-old man who friends believed was in the Canary Islands but may in fact have been killed by his son. READ »

Toys"R"Us scolded for gender discrimination

Society: 6 Oct 09
US-based toy retailer Toys"R"Us has been reprimanded for gender discrimination following a complaint filed by a group of Swedish sixth graders. READ »

Carrier pigeon massacre near Gothenburg

National: 5 Oct 09
Police in western Sweden are looking for someone who broke the necks of 30 carrier pigeons in a cage in a community allotment area north of Gothenburg. READ »

Casino gunman sentence confirmed

National: 25 Sep 09
The ten year prison sentence handed down to the 23-year-old man convicted of shooting into the entrance of Casino Cosmopol in Stockholm on Christmas Eve was confirmed by the appeals court on Friday. READ »

Gränsö: get pampered in the great outdoors

Travel: 20 Aug 09
Sponsored article: If you're looking to combine a one of Sweden's most beautiful natural landscapes with a bit of luxury, Gränsö could be for you, Jennifer Heape writes. READ »

Prison for Stockholm casino shooter

National: 22 Jul 09
The 23-year-old man charged for shooting in the entrance of Casino Cosmopol in Stockholm on Christmas Eve has been sentenced to ten years in prison for attempted murder. READ »

90-year-old affirmed right to national transportation service

National: 12 Jul 09
A 90-year-old Halmstad woman who was denied a car ride from the national transportation service to her son's house on Christmas Eve has had her day in court. READ »

Swedish auto town cannot imagine life without Saab

Analysis & Opinion: 8 Jun 09
For the 55,000 residents of Trollhättan in southwestern Sweden, the idea of life without Saab is unthinkable, writes AFP's James Franey. READ »

Titanic exhibition opens in Stockholm

Lifestyle: 29 May 09
A new exhibition has opened in Stockholm charting the legacy of the world’s first “unsinkable ship”. READ »

Arrest in Christmas casino shooting

National: 13 May 09
A 23-year-old man wanted by police since December for firing shots at the entrance of Casino Cosmopol in Stockholm was arrested on Monday. READ »

Police monitor Easter spruce wars

Society: 10 Apr 09
As the Easter weekend begins the residents of the northern Gothenburg archipelago are busy collecting wood. The biggest bonfire wins in these parts and neighbourhood conflict is common. READ »

Easter - when Sweden's witches come out to play

Lifestyle: 9 Apr 09
What do you associate with Easter: eggs, lambs and church? Sweden has these too, but it also features bonfires and witches on broomsticks off to dance with the devil at Blåkulla. Elizabeth Dacey-Fondelius investigates. READ »

Swedish Easter snaps lovers crave company of Mede or Nyqvist

Society: 8 Apr 09
Actor Mikael Nyqvist and comedian Petra Mede are the number one Easter drinking partners of choice, according to a survey polling 1,000 men and women about the Swedish celebrity with whom they would most like to sip snaps. READ »

Mystery Malmö loverboy tops Japanese charts

Society: 1 Apr 09
A catchy hit inspired by a lovestruck Tokyo girl’s new life in Malmö has soared to the top of the charts in Japan, as a wave of Swedish influences washes over the country's musical landscape. READ »

Winter rail destinations: Riksgränsen

Travel: 30 Mar 09
Lying 200 kilometres above the Arctic Circle, Riksgränsen is Sweden’s most northerly resort and a nature lover’s delight. READ »

UK couple searches for clues about daredevil Swede

Lifestyle: 11 Mar 09
More than 45 years after losing contact, a British couple are hoping the Swedish public can help them learn the fate of a long-lost daredevil sweetheart. READ »

Spotify interview: The source of the stream

Lifestyle: 23 Feb 09
The Local’s Thanh Dinh catches up with Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, the Sweden-based music streaming service that is making friends with everyone from the armchair music fan to Bono. READ »

Modern methods pit reindeer herders against animal activists

Lifestyle: 13 Feb 09
Far from the idyllic image of lone herders skiing after their reindeer, indigenous Samis in Sweden's far north today use snowmobiles and other vehicles, giving rise to an animal welfare campaign as far away as Britain, writes AFP's Nina Larson. READ »

Russia's Putin pays thousands for secret 'Abba' show

Society: 6 Feb 09
Former Russian president and apparent avid Abba-fan Vladimir Putin paid £20,000 ($29,000) to fly an Abba cover band from the UK to Russia to perform a private concert for him. READ »

What are your favourite words in Swedish?

Analysis & Opinion: 28 Jan 09
All the gossip is about love, long vowels and cockroaches as our regular panelists reveal their favourite Swedish words. READ »

Gothenburg club and concert tips: Friday, Jan 23

Lifestyle: 22 Jan 09
The Djungeltrumman club editor's tips. READ »

Gothenburg club and concert tips: Friday, Jan 16

Lifestyle: 14 Jan 09
The Djungeltrumman club editor's tips. READ »

Karolinska to cut 900 jobs

National: 14 Jan 09
Karolinska University Hospital has announced that 900 jobs will be cut from its facilities in the greater Stockholm region. READ »

Club and concert tips: Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö

Lifestyle: 7 Jan 09
Time to shake off that post-Christmas lethargy and get out and about in Sweden’s main cities this weekend. READ »

Gothenburg club and concert tips: Friday, Jan 9

Lifestyle: 7 Jan 09
The Djungeltrumman club editor's tips. READ »

'Christmas in Sweden is like Groundhog Day'

Analysis & Opinion: 5 Jan 09
How many years does it take before Sweden's quirky Christmas traditions start to get irksome? Eight, says Mark Majzner. READ »

Swedes break New Year text greeting record

Science & Technology: 1 Jan 09
The traditional Christmas card has been declared dead and buried as the text message is confirmed as the holiday season greeting's medium of choice. READ »

What's on in Sweden: January 2 - 8

Lifestyle: 1 Jan 09
What's on in Sweden: January 2nd - 8th. A Camp and Moderna for the kids in Stockholm; International floorball and Opera ball in Gothenburg; Jim Jones Revue in Malmö. READ »

2008: The year in review

Lifestyle: 31 Dec 08
As 2008 draws to a close, The Local takes a look back at some of the stories that caught our attention over the last twelve months. READ »

Late spurt saves Christmas retail

Business & Money: 30 Dec 08
A late spurt on the cusp of Christmas saved the festive season for hard-hit retailers. The Swedish Retail Institute has forecast that sales will top last year's record. READ »

More unrest in Malmö suburb

National: 30 Dec 08
A number of disturbances broke out in a suburb of Malmö on Monday night. Four youths were arrested after fireworks were fired at people and several fires were started as police battled to impose order. READ »

Thousands lose their jobs at Christmas

Business & Money: 29 Dec 08
Over 8,500 Swedes were added to the ranks of the unemployed during the Christmas week, new figures from the public employment agency show. READ »

Currency woes hit Swedish wallets

Business & Money: 29 Dec 08
The recent devaluation of the Swedish krona has made the nation poorer. If the currency's 15 percent decline against the euro stands there is a risk of Sweden dropping down the OECD wealth league table. READ »

Bildt urges renewal of Gaza ceasefire

National: 28 Dec 08
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt on Sunday praised a fresh call by the United Nations Security Council to halt the violence in Gaza. READ »

Two arrested for Christmas Eve killing

National: 28 Dec 08
Two men have been arrested for their involvement in the murder of a 26-year-old man at a refugee centre in Sundsvall on Christmas Eve READ »

Police identify Casino Cosmopol shooter

National: 28 Dec 08
Prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for the man suspected of having shot two female patrons and a security guard at the Casino Cosmopol in central Stockholm on Christmas Eve. READ »

Baby Jesus stolen once again from Jönköping manger

Society: 27 Dec 08
After returning in time for Christmas following an initial disappearance, the life-sized baby Jesus is gone again from a manger scene near a hotel in Jönköping in southern Sweden. READ »

Flames finally consume Gävle Christmas goat

Society: 27 Dec 08
The Gävle goat went up in flames early Saturday morning, after being set alight by unknown assailants, according to police READ »

Five men wanted for Christmas Eve killing

National: 26 Dec 08
Three men are now officially wanted on suspicion of the murder of a 26-year-old man at a Sundsvall refugee centre on Christmas Eve. A further two are wanted in connection with the killing. READ »

Miracle baby survives Chistmas Day crash

National: 26 Dec 08
A four-month-old baby miraculously survived a horror crash when a car hit ice and somersaulted into a ditch alongside the E 18 motorway near Stockholm on Christmas Day. Icy conditions are forecast to remain until the weekend. READ »

Casino gunman remains on the loose

National: 26 Dec 08
The police chase for the gunman who injured three people at the Casino Cosmopol in Stockholm on Christmas Eve has so far returned little result. On Boxing Day morning the man remained on the loose. READ »

What's on in Sweden: December 26 - January 1

Lifestyle: 26 Dec 08
What's on in Sweden: December 26th - January 1st. Vaudeville New Year and Miss Li in Stockholm; Nefertiti New Year and Cinderella in Gothenburg; Night Beat New Year and Led Zepellin in Malmö. READ »

King dwells on positives in Christmas speech

Society: 25 Dec 08
Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf urged listeners to dwell on the positive in a world plagued by climate problems and recession, in his traditional radio speech on Christmas Day. READ »

Police hunt for casino gunman

National: 25 Dec 08
Police were on Thursday searching for an unidentified gunman who left three people nursing gunshot wounds after he opened fire when refused entry to the Casino Cosmopol in central Stockholm on Christmas Eve. READ »

Future safe for Donald Duck despite viewer decline

Society: 25 Dec 08
As usual millions of Swedes tuned in to the traditional "Donald Duck and his friends wish you all a Merry Christmas" show on national television on Christmas Eve. The irascible duck's popularity has however waned in recent years. READ »

Icy road warning on Christmas Day

Science & Technology: 25 Dec 08
Weather forecasters in Sweden are warning drivers of icy and treacherous conditions on Christmas morning. READ »

Violent fire destroys Umeå student housing

National: 25 Dec 08
A violent fire destroyed student housing in Umeå in northern Sweden on Christmas Eve. Fire services had a busy night as a wave of arson attacks were reported across the country. READ »

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