Gingerbread workshop

Tomorrow marks the peak of Winter here in Sweden

and we prepare to celebrate 'Lucia' with friends and family.

For us here in Sweden, 'Lucia' is always celebrated on the

13th December and it marked by processions of carol singing

children (big and small alike) who dress up as saints ('tärnor'),

gnomes ('tomtenissar'), guiding stars ('stjärngossar') or ginger
bread men ('pepparkaks gubbar'). One lucky girl is chosen
to be 'Lucia' herself, and is crowned with a wreath of candles.

Isabella & Oscar have been busy baking up a feast for their

grandparents, cousins and aunt, who will join us tomorrow for
what I predict will be a grand & joyful Lucia performance..

We made a splendid looking gingerbread house yesterday!

Nothing as structured and orderly as the one on this

picture, but rather a passionate expression of colour and

creativity that we are all utterly proud of, and that is now

protected by a guard of adults who try to ensure it will

remain uneaten by the kids until at least Christmas Day..

Today we made two large trays of traditional Swedish
ginger biscuits with intricate patterns and ornaments...
These will be eaten by the handful tomorrow, and may
in fact secure the survival of the gingerbread house..

I feel my upcoming 'New Year's diet' grow more rigid
for every day that passes here in Sweden... :)

xCharlotta

P.S. I want to scream this out loud´;
IT SNOWED TONIGHT!!
Not a great deal of snow but enough
for us to jump up and down and to run
outside in our PJs to toss some snowballs
before I tucked the kids in for the night.
I love the first snow of the season and for
us it is the first in two years since last time
we were here it was summer... YAY!!