It's a dull and depressing sort of day today. So grey, dark and bone-chillingly cold that it feels as though it will never be bright and warm again. It's on days like this that one really has to fight the urge to give up, so the trick that I've learned from the Swedes is to keep busy and to actively look for any little signs of joy there are around.

One of the reasons that the lighted candles worn by Lucia the other day are so important is because Christmas in Sweden is all about light - a blessed and literal ray of hope in the dark, cold days of the long Swedish winter, which can arrive in early October and last well into late April. With half of the year being quite wintery, light and warmth are commodities that we actively seek.




One way that we can do this as we speed towards the winter solstice is to create a fairyland of lights. Moving through the cities, towns and little hamlets, you'll see streets, apartment windows, office buildings and shops all bedecked with entire galaxies of tiny white lights.




It isn't only in the bigger cities, either. The picture below (you can click on it for a larger view) was taken in the early afternoon in Vadstena, the little town where we lived last year. This is quite typical of the shopping districts here - stars looped across the road and arches of lights on each building.




Note the Christmas "rush" of shoppers! It's funny that you really don't get that here at all. Sure, it can be busy at some places, but nothing like the mad crush in other countries, where for good reason this is called the silly season. And note the welcoming fires outside of a couple of the shops. These are called eldkorg (literally fire baskets) and in the daylight look like this:




Along with the more smaller and more common marschaller, they provide a welcome light and warmth and are used extensively outside of restaurants, shops, private homes to welcome party guests and of course to light up the Christmas markets.




Homes also are decorated, although never with the awful and somewhat ostentatious, Griswald-style displays of plastic Santas and reindeer on rooftops, or Las Vegas-scale lights in the shrubbery. Most Swedish houses are adorned simply, with a plain evergreen garland or wreath on the front door, and an electric star and candelabra of seven "candles" in every window. Of course, there are exceptions....




But as you can see, even this is mostly white lights, albeit if a few more than would normally be considered tasteful in this austere land. I know people consider this house a little extreme, so I wondered what they'd make of this place in Ohio. While I like Amazing Grace as much as the next person and I gather that the music doesn't play (one tunes into it on a special radio station), but the constant flashing would either induce an epileptic fit, or I'd have to hire a hit man to kill my neighbours - season of goodwill or not.


White lights are the preferred ones here, though some coloured lights are slowly seeping onto the market. A walk around the neighbourhood in the afternoon shows some of the more typical ways of lighting the winter darkness and at the same time preparing for the festive season.




And note, I said afternoon walk. Yes, I know it looks like midnight, but this is the reality of late afternoon. When I first came to Sweden I couldn't shake off the urge to put on my pyjamas and climb into bed at 3pm. Those brought up in these latitudes accept each change as it comes, but I still find the differences dramatic. Though to be honest, I have far more problem with the midnight sun in summer than I do with the deep and dark December.

A lot of the reason for that is the use of lights in winter. Swedes light more candles a day than the average catholic church uses in a year. We have candles in every room and I have acquired a collection of tea light candle holders to create pools of light and warmth around our home. It's so much cosier than turning on the bright central light.




It's all very understated and minimalist, but that seems to suit the land. I really love this time of Advent in Sweden. The atmosphere is entrancing with all the homes and businesses lit up, shops bursting at the seams with seasonal goodies, the scent of woodsmoke outside and the delicious aromas of Christmas baking filling the hallways of apartment buildings.

I don't know whether it's because it's winter and it feels more cosy, but I find it a much simpler and more magical time than I did in Australia, where I was much more stressed. I still do a lot at Christmas, but I only do what I really want to do. That way, I can bring the spirit of Christmas to my home without ruining the holidays for me. By keeping things simpler, I now approach Christmas with a sense of joyful anticipation rather than stress-filled dread.




I've been baking up a storm here, so Mr Cookie Monster will have plenty to nibble on over the Christmas season and so I can be a good Swedish hostess and have at least sju sorts kakor (seven types of biscuits) to serve visitors.

Later in the week, I'll post pictures and recipes for my Italian style hazelnut thins and Swedish saffron skorpor. Today, though it is one of my favourite pastries which we call Christmas stars. I use commercially bought Puff Pastry (use either ready rolled or in a block). The filling is plum jam, but you could use some other kind of red jam that you like (raspberry or fruit of the forest would be nice as well). The only other ingredients are a beaten egg for glazing and icing sugar for decorating.

If pastry is in a block, you need to roll it out to about 3mm thickness. Cut the pastry into squares, about 10cm or 4", but they can be bigger or smaller if you like. Then you make a diagonal cut from each corner of the pastry until about half way to the centre (see the diagram to the left).

Place a teaspoon of jam into the centre of the pastry square and then fold in every second corner. Press to seal and then glaze with a little beaten egg. Bake the pastries in the centre of a hot oven - 225-250C for around 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool. Serve them dusted with a little icing sugar.

Enjoy with a cup of tea, while watching the eternal December dusk....