Dr. Martin Rundkvist is a Swedish archaeologist, journal editor, public speaker, skeptic, atheist, lefty liberal, bookworm, and father of two.
Merry Christmas, Dear Reader! I am in a good mood, checking my mail while most of the celebrants at my dad's house watch the annual Disney special, just having dropped my kids off for dinner at my mom's place where my son's mom will join them. This, you understand, can only be Scandinavia, where:
- Christmas Eve is a big thing and Christmas Day nothing,
- People are willing to watch the same Donald Duck show every year,
- Everybody's a divorcee.
I hope you also have a good stressless Christmas in enjoyable company!
Comments
i've been living here in the states so long now, i've actually come to miss that Donald Duck show.
and the drunken-butler aged-countess skit that airs every new year's eve, too. next year in Scandinavia...
Posted by: Nomen Nescio | December 24, 2008 10:18 AM
Happy Monkey!
Posted by: Trin Tragula | December 24, 2008 11:35 AM
Sitting here with Mr. Magoo, whom I've watched every year since childhood so's I can sing "LA-LA-la-la-la-la-la-LA" along with the 3rd ghost's funereal cousins (that nasty evil wicked ugly Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come), who was originally inspired by Charles Dickens even longer ago, I figure Donald Duck's got nothing on me. My old Norwegian language teacher wants to know if you're having Lutefisk for dinner and adds a hearty "Yukh!" from Yiddish class (he considers it akin to a mummy, evidently and prefers sandwiches of kippers and marmalade, which I invented by way of a joke once).
Posted by: DianaGainer | December 24, 2008 1:14 PM
Oh yes, Tiny Tim says, "God bless us, every one!" and then asks for more razzleberry dressing. Whatever that is. Ten thousandth watching and I still don't know!
Posted by: DianaGainer | December 24, 2008 1:16 PM
Lutefisk safely stashed in the fridge! A Chinawoman dear to my heart likes the stuff. I like the potatoes and peas and white sauce.
Posted by: Martin R | December 24, 2008 1:21 PM
Hi Martin,
Tonight at 23:00 hr. we're going to the Holy Night Mass, tomorrow our children and grandchildren will join us at the Christmas Dinner. We 're very busy now with all the preparations. I'am glad that you are coming to Maastricht september next year, a good place to be, you will see. Have a nice Christmas and a happy 2009!
Titus
Posted by: Titus Panhuysen | December 24, 2008 1:58 PM
Merry christmas!
Posted by: Pierre | December 24, 2008 5:32 PM
Merry Midsummer, Martin, and everyone else.
My 6yo daughter is standing beside me, looking at the picture. She cannot imagine snow at christmas.
It's about 20 degrees celsius here (mid morning), and most of the week we've had temperatures reaching the low to mid 20's, although it's expected to get into the thirties on the weekend. No bushfires so far.
Posted by: eleanora. | December 24, 2008 6:50 PM
God Jul!
At my parents' in Dalecarlia.
No divorcees in sight.
May your days still be merry and bright!
Posted by: Pär | December 24, 2008 6:53 PM
We're pretty sure, from our 300th watching of Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, that razzleberry dressing is like cranberry sauce, but made from raspberries. Then again, we're sure that krumholz is that cinnamon sugar butter stuff they put on top of coffee cakes.
Christmas is a magnificent amalgamation. I love the way Christmas customs vary from place to place, even as they overlap and displace each other. Does Black Peter still have any traction, or has Santa Claus replaced him?
Posted by: Kaleberg | December 24, 2008 11:52 PM
Merry Christmas! And Happy Monkey from those of us at Pharyngula!
Posted by: RickrOll | December 26, 2008 1:21 AM
Merry Belated Christmas. Hope you managed to get enough boxes out of the way to make room for presents.
Completely correct summing up of Swedish holiday traditions. You should have seen the extended family I celebrated with. Though us in the younger generation are setting a bad example of all actually still being together with the repspective other parent of our children. We just don't have any respect for traditions I guess...
Posted by: ArchAsa | December 26, 2008 7:54 AM
To my friends, the most remarkable thing about our second-generation Scandy Christmas is the presence of fish, in various celebratory forms. Nothing says Christmas like pickled herring, smoked roe & boiled cod in butter. Our Ikea has a small food section, and you can always tell the Scandies cuz they're the ones in the checkout lines at Ikea with mostly groceries. God Jul!
Posted by: Kevin | December 26, 2008 11:58 AM