Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Jul i Äspö

Äspö was a flurry of activity on Christmas Eve day. The snow must have been about 18 inches (45cm) deep in some places, not including the large drifts created by the wind.



The kids found an enormous icicle. Don't try this at home!



It seems like we ate all day long...ribs, meatballs, smoked eel, sillsallad (herring salad), Jansson's (potato gratin with anchovies), pickled herring, etc.

Of course, for the kids, the highlight of the evening was the arrival of Jultomten (the Swedish Santa Claus) who, among many other things from far and wide, brought an ice hockey game. 

 

Findus wasn't so interested in the gifts. He preferred running up and down the stairs chomping at the hanging plants.



Unfortunately, it rained all night on Christmas Eve and when we woke up, all that was left of the snowman was his clothes.

 

We slept long and Erik went straight from bed to the kitchen. Christmas Day was turkey day. For Americans, it's absolutely normal to stuff a turkey, especially at Thanksgiving, but this was Äspö's first whole turkey adventure. It was fabulous. Erik and his mother stuffed it with liver, brandy, spices, walnuts and hazelnuts freshly arrived from Oregon.



Later we baked Norwegian Christmas cookies (with spelt flour, of course) - Pepperkake and Berliner kranse. Naturally, we drank glögg with the cookies! Yum, yum!

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