A Celebration of Light

When I was eight or nine my mom stopped at a garage sale in Minneapolis. It was just like any other garage sale-ing Saturday, but this particular sale was going to make a pretty significant change in my childhood. The woman running the sale was a choir director for a community girls’ choir and invited my sisters and I to join. Honestly, for an eight year old, the promise of guaranteed snacks after the weekly practice sealed the deal and the fact that I had to sing in Swedish didn’t faze me. The community choir was a Swedish Girls’ Choir with a rich history, dating back to the mid 20^th century. Thus began my 11 year saga with Svenskarnas Dag Girls’ Choir, developing in me a deep love for my Scandinavian roots and their traditions.

One of those beloved traditions is Saint Lucia Day, celebrated on December 13^th. It is a celebration of light during the darkest time of the year, the Winter Solstice. Through the 11 years in the choir, we celebrated the Christmas season with several Lucia pageants performed at churches, nursing homes, and a variety of other institutions, earning the honor of being Lucia during senior year of high school. Since that time I have recognized the day, but never set aside time to relax and celebrate.

From 2,000 miles away and in a different country, my sister was having none of that! We were going to celebrate as a family. She made these adorable little outfits for our kids; her daughter Kajsa as Lucia, her son Tobias as a Starboy, and my little Ethan as a tomtenisse.

Those two are little balls of energy and don’t really sit still long enough to snap a picture that is in focus…oh, what I have to look forward to!

My parents and sister came over to help set a beautiful table, complete with a few of my adorable Lucia girls!

We celebrated with coffee, eggs, olives, and of course an almond round! There were no saffron buns this year. This mama isn’t baking anything, I mean, E’s is still only three weeks!

What traditions for the Christmas season are important and special to you? I’d love to hear about them and I hope the bring you joy during this season of light!

Gud jul!

Emily