Rainy Day Reads

I always feel like there are some traditions that make up Christmas. If you miss them, it just doesn't feel like Christmas at all. Here are some of the ones that have made it to my Christmas list:  1 - Eating the snowball chocolates that only come out for Christmas 2 - Having a real live Christmas tree with tons of decoration 3 - Seeing all the lights strung up all over the city 4 - Catching a glimpse of Santa 5 - Wrapping presents 6 - Watching "Home Alone" 7 - Watching the Disney special on TV on Christmas Eve 8 - Lighting festive candles around the house 9 - Baking Christmas cookies 10 - Having an advent calendar I feel like I have managed most of them this year, although the tree will have to wait until I get somewhere more spacious to live. What's on your bucket list?

The 13th of December is Lucia Day. When I went to school this meant that all the students of the older classes dressed in white, and walked around the school with lighted candles in hand singing the Lucia song. All the lights would be turned off for this and you would sit waiting for the Lucia parade to enter your classroom hearing them coming down the hall. It felt really exciting and like you were part of a grand tradition. The tallest girl of the class would be the Lucia “bride” wearing a crown of pine branches with 4 lighted candles and she would lead the parade around the school.   I think this is a really nice tradition. It is based on the fact that in the old calendar this night was considered the longest night, and Lucia brings the light back again. She was originally a saint, and this day is her saint day.  It turns out the Danish tradition is actually derived from the Swedish. In Sweden the tradition of bringing light (and food) around mostly took place in ...