So what can you expect if you find yourself with a Swedish family over the winter holidays? Here we explain some of the key differences you may find from home – and what to do if you want to fit in.
Celebrate on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day
One of the big differences that still throws off this Canadian emigrant is celebrating Christmas on, well, the day before Christmas. Yes, as with many central and eastern European countries, along with the rest of Scandinavia, Sweden celebrates on the 24th, not the 25th.
There is logic to this, though. In much of medieval Europe, Sweden included, sunset, not midnight, marked the changing of days. Therefore, Christmas in Sweden technically begins not upon waking on December 24th, but in the evening (although, if you're going by sunset times at this, the darkest time of the year in Sweden, "evening" might begin as early as noon).
Open presents in the evening
Although Swedes no longer wait until evening to begin Christmas festivities like traditional meals and watching old American cartoons (see below), gathering around the tree to open presents is still usually saved for after dinner.
Since this can be quite trying on the patience of small children (and on the parents tasked with keeping them away from the shiny packages), some Swedish families have added a tradition of giving one or two small 'morning presents' (morgonklappar in Swedish) to eager children. These presents are usually of the sort that are most likely to keep the children in question occupied for a while, ideally until dinner.
Watch an hour of old (and sometimes offensive) Disney cartoons
Every year at 3pm on December 24th, the Swedish public broadcaster SVT airs the same compilation of old Disney cartoons, referred to in Sweden as Kalle Anka (Donald Duck). This is a short-form of the programme's full Swedish title: Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar god jul ("Merry Christmas from Donald Duck and his friends"), which first aired in the U.S. in 1958 as a Walt Disney Christmas special called "From All of Us to All of You".
SVT first broadcast the special in 1960, dubbed in Swedish (including songs) and featuring a live Swedish host in-between segments. In a cultural quirk that often seems very odd to outsiders, it has remained wildly popular in Sweden ever since (even though it is now rarely shown in its home country of the U.S.). Despite the fact that – with the exception of a few 'surprise' clips from new Disney animated films at the end of the special – the exact same cartoons are shown every year, nearly half of the Swedish population regularly tunes in to the broadcast.
Some of the reasons usually given for this surprisingly persistent popularity are a cultural penchant for Christmas nostalgia, combined with Swedish history: when Kalle Anka first aired, Sweden had only one television station (SVT1) – and it almost never showed American cartoons. So even though today the earlier cartoons in the show – particularly the 1932 short called "Santa's Workshop" – have components that are now considered racist enough for Disney to excise some of them and put a 'viewer discretion' warning on for those that remain, Swedes have yet to show signs of letting Kalle Anka on julafton fade into the past.
READ ALSO: Donald Duck just set a record for Sweden's most-watched TV show
Enjoy a julbord and some glögg
Julbord literally translates to "Christmas table", and the Swedish julbord is an extensive spread that has evolved from a variety of traditions and today consists of an elaborate buffet of traditional Christmas food.
This can vary by region, but often includes fish dishes – sill (pickled herring) and gravad lax (cured salmon), eaten with potatoes and knäckebröd (crispbread) – and cold cured meats (such as julskinka or Christmas ham), more bread, and probably some paté.
READ ALSO: Lessons from a Skåne julbord on how we oversimplify Sweden
There are also warm dishes, which often include meatballs, sausage (prinskorv), a potato and cream casserole (Janssons frestelse), and sometimes bread dipped in pork broth (dopp i grytan). After that, it's dessert and/or cheese with crackers, finished off with some coffee and perhaps a few sweets and rice pudding (tomtegröt).
And, of course, all of this can and will be accompanied by julmust (a root beer-esque soda) and/or glögg – the iconic spiced wine drink served hot.
READ ALSO: Skål! A guide to glögg, Sweden's favourite Christmas drink
It's all about the mys
Mys means "coziness" in Swedish (mysig is the adjective, "cozy"), but, as we explained earlier this fall in an article on trends among Swedish youth, mys is more than a physical state: it's also an aesthetic, and a mood.
For Swedes, there's nothing more mysig than Christmas. That means that Christmas is a time for hibernation, creature comforts, and easygoing, softly-lit chats with loved ones. Activities favoured over Christmas in Sweden include puzzles, handicrafts, favourite treats, and pretty much anything that involves sitting peacefully and comfortably (although a short winter walk during the brief time when the sun is up is also popular).
This is what's truly great about Swedish Christmas, so, if you can, passa på (take the opportunity) and unplug, sip some glögg, and bury yourself in a good book – or puzzle.
God jul (Merry Christmas) to all!
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