Category Archives: Parties

Glögg season and new friends

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It’s glögg season again, and it’s time for another post!

Stockholm got its first “real” snow this past week!  Real snow is when it actually sticks to the ground and stays around, and boy was it needed.  It had been raining a lot and was dark and miserable, as it tends to be during this time of year.  But as soon as the snow came, everything brightened up.  Yes, it was still cold but I prefer cold and dry to cold and wet.  Even WordPress.com has snow on its front page!

(Side note: Californians, you have no idea how good you have it!) Continue reading →

The Swedish solution to a Sober Grad Night

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Glad Midsommar!  I just got back from a beautiful wedding out in Ljusterö in the Stockholm archipelago.  My friends Tobias Björkgren and Caroline Åslund (now Björkgren also!) was married on June 22, 2012 under a may pole in front of all of their family and friends.

I hadn’t blogged in a while, so I figured it was high time for an update.  Today I will talk about an interesting thing that high school graduates do in Sweden to celebrate their successes.

For those of you who are American or are familiar with the high school graduation process in the US, you might recognize the term “Sober Grad Night.”  Continue reading →

Att fira jultid med glögg! / Celebrating Christmas with glögg!

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Ahhhhh… the Christmas season.  There is fresh snow on the ground, the air is fresh and crisp, and the wonderful smell of firewood burning in the fireplace lingers outside.  (By the way, that’s one of my favorite “smells” of this season!)  How best to celebrate this cozy season than with glögg, the Swedish version of mulled wine?  I was introduced to glögg my first year in Stockholm and have since thrown a glögg party every year, just like any truly Swedish person would do.

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Finland Ferry: Myth or Truth?

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In Stockholm, there is a truly Swedish activity that everyone makes fun of – taking the ferry overnight to Finland.  Also known as the booze cruise, it’s an opportunity for the lone cougar to attack her young 25 year-old prey, or for the young male cub to pounce on a more mature tigress.  The possibilities are endless.  They’ve even done a reality TV show on the cruise.  Yep, this is the Tallink/Silja Line ferry to Finland.

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Laundry times, Östermalm’s old ladies, and the fear of confrontation

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Hello again, and welcome to another edition of #TrulySwedish.

Before I get started with my next post, I thought that I would say a little something about how I get the ideas of what to post.  It has nothing to do with me thinking that Swedish traditions are weird – these are actually things that I have found to be quite enjoyable.  I’ve been very open to these experiences, and I usually learn something about myself in the process.  That’s what makes it so interesting. The blog is also a good reminder to myself – maybe in 10 years I’ll look back at this blog and think, “Wow, I used to think that was weird?”

This edition is about three things that I was able to experience in more or less rapid succession: the importance (and significance) of laundry times, Östermalm’s old ladies, and a Swede’s fear of confrontation.  This one is more of a rant from an American – one that is not afraid to speak and be heard. Continue reading →