Today, we lit the third Advent candle. Wow, the time is just speeding away now and Christmas feels so close. When I was growing up, we called today, the third Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday. As my parents were fairly strict Catholics, they instilled in us the idea of Advent as a period of anticipation before Christmas, and as with the pre-Easter season of Lent, they felt it should be a time of penitence and fasting. However, in our child's mind, this was always balanced by looking forward to one of the most joyful times of all - the celebration of Christmas.




There are no real religious connotations to Christmas here in Sweden and in fact many people would associate it more with the ancient pagan traditions of yule and a way to mark the end of the dark season and an anticipation of the New Year. I've found that Sweden at Christmas reveals itself as something of a contradiction -- an ultramodern country with a reverence for centuries-old tradition. The same people who have one of the world's highest per-capita rates of computer and mobile phone ownership, and who are responsible for all that sleek futuristic furniture, revert at this time of year to lighting their homes with tallowy candles, half-believing in tomtar (the Swedish version of leprechauns), and serving lutfisk, a hideous, gelatinous fish dish that dates back to medieval times. It been reviled by successive generations of Swedes ever since, yet is stoically served as part of the Christmas smörgåsbord every year.

While waves of immigrants from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (not to mention the Aussies) are making their mark on Sweden, the country is still by and large remarkably uniform in culture and custom. Most of Sweden's 9 million people are Lutheran, by birth if not in practice. On December 24, the day in Sweden when the Christmas feast is served and the presents are opened, millions of Swedes put an array of identical foods on the table and practice the same rituals at the same hour. It's pretty amazing.

By now, then entire nation has been celebrating the season for more than three weeks. Christmas in Sweden begins unofficially on the first day of December, when Swedes (my husband included!) open the first little cardboard door on their secular Advent calendars to begin the countdown to the big day.

One thing they are very big on is decorating their homes in an array of Christmas dressing, both inside and outside. One of the most interesting outdoor decorating ideas I've seen came from an article in Better Homes & Gardens. What could cheer up a cold climate more than a welcoming wreath made of ice?




These are cheap and easy to make and if you have kids, I know they'll love helping you out. Here in a subzero climate they will last for weeks. In Adelaide, maybe minutes :) I'm sure the parrots would love one of these full of seeds and berries, Dave.

You'll need round cake tins or bowls from the kitchen cupboard. A ring-shaped tin works really well if you have one. Then you need cranberries or other kinds of bright cheerful berries or flower petals, ferns or other greenery, festive ribbons or strips of Christmas fabric for attaching the wreath and some water.




Simply fill your containers with the water. If you have a plain pan without a ring, then just place a small bowl in the centre, weighing it down with a stone if you need to. Place a selection of greenery and berries around the circle. Most of them will float but it works best if you try to place the greens under the berries. Place the water filled containers in a cold place (outside) to freeze. Dave, you'll have to use the deep freeze, I'm afraid.




Bring them inside and place them for less than a minute in sink filled with warm water to loosen the ice. Remove them from the containers and then loosen and remove the inner bowls if you've used them. Place them outside quickly before they melt.




Tie a ribbon or a strip of fabric on it if you want to hang it on the garden gate or on the door. They also make a lovely table top decoration for an outside table. Remember to not place in direct sunlight (if you are lucky enough to see any sunlight). If you don't want to use right away, you can store in the freezer in a freezer bag until needed.





Meanwhile, this is what the world looks like in Sweden in December: leaden skies, deep snow, short icy grey days and long inky blue shadows. Under its white coverlet, the landscape is fast asleep and dreaming of springtime.

We have a very long way to go.