Snow is synonymous with Sweden in the Winter. Here in Karlskrona it has snowed seriously just a couple of times but it’s a gift to experience. Peeking out of the window blinds in the morning you never know from one day to the next what the weather will be. Blowy? Snowy? Sunny? Rain? Fog? (Well,…

In the era I grew up in (before I turned around and realized that I actually even lived through ‘those particular times’  now considered the ‘past’)… when a girl graduated from high school, if she was fortunate, she received a ‘hope chest’ as her graduation gift. This was what became the holder of her hopes…

Ok…so I’m a baby when it comes to being cold! Brrr… Just the word makes me look for the nearest scarf and parka. Putting on six layers to go outside? – No problem. What if it’s really cold?! (Erik, eyes rolled and eternally patient: “Oh, my word!”) “Not to worry!” I say assuredly as I…

Everyone’s comforting pat on my back assured me that in Sweden, English was a major second language. And that’s pretty much true. Ahhh… but to actually get around by car in Sweden you have to instinctively learn by experience as you spin through their world of roundabouts while reading road signs at the same time…

Ponder past or present…time flies like the momentum of windshield wipers on a rainy day. There’s always a special excitement when New Year’s Day comes and the celebration is universal with fireworks, traditions, food, and family. And depending on your frame of mind and age you either stay up with the revelers to watch the…

The momentum and excitement of Christmas begins its crescendo well before the day arrives. Of course, that depends on how old you are! Nevertheless, it’s all about making memories and from what I’ve learned in life – it’s all about the presentation. That’s why no matter what’s offered, the best part is that we get…

In the beginning of December out come the Swedish candles…particularly the family’s traditional candle holder with four tall candles. On the first Sunday of the month which is the first of the four Sundays before Christmas the first candle is lit. The Second Sunday the same candle is lit plus one more. The same process…

Christmas doesn’t come lightly in Sweden! But everything about Christmas is light – everywhere…in every window of homes or businesses the soft glow of advent candles and stars of all shapes and sizes herald the return of the season of Light. In a land where the dreariness of the long days of darkness in winter…

Sometimes it’s hard to believe you’re in a foreign country!  Wherever you go, no matter where you are on earth, the sky is variable depending on the weather, and the seasons are in charge of the landscape.  However… there are certain indicators reflecting subtle yet remarkable assurance that, yes, in deed – it’s true…we must…

And for us, Thanksgiving lived up to what one should do ‘at’ Thanksgiving and every day…and that is to be grateful!  We thought we would share a few of our favorite things along with moments which we very much count as blessings we have enjoyed here in Sweden over the past six and a half…