Sweden in December

We have about 6 hours of light each day now.  Not sunlight, just light.  That's just two hours less than we have in Alberta at this time of year.  But it feels like the end of the day at 4 p.m.!  We've taken to going on our walks around 6:30 p.m. rather than 8:30 now.  The darkness makes us feel tired more quickly.  But it's refreshing to walk outside in the lightly misting rain and see the Christmas lights shining from most windows, and in many yards the trees are blanketed in yellow LED lights.  Really lights up the world.  I wonder why it doesn't smell like pine trees (as in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta); there are so many evergreens here but not the lovely piney smell.

This post has lots of pictures -- Christmas lights, missionaries, interesting cars, gorgeous stained glass windows, unique straw Christmas decorations, wooden shoes, and near the end . . . a business decorated as a gingerbread house.  Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Still trying to get a good picture of all the Christmas lights in the Taby Centrum Mall.  They glitter and twinkle and it's beautiful.  Note that LeRon is wearing his mask.  Good boy!

On our daily walks, we see a variety of outdoor Christmas decorations.  Being the bird lover that I am, I love these birds!

Many yards have flag poles that normally fly the Swedish flag, but now they are decorated for Christmas.  So interesting to see how they stretch wires down from the poles to display the lights.

Different shapes of pole lights.  Some are slender and tall and others are squatty.

I do believe each pole is unique!  And I'm starting to love the yellowy-white lights, even more so than the colored lights.  At home I've always liked the colored lights better but here you mostly see the yellow lights and they make the darkness so warm and inviting.

LeRon told me I have enough photos of poles!

Lighted reindeer is pretty.  So far we have seen a deer and a fox here in the city.  No moose yet even though we see signs telling us to watch out for moose on the road.

Our Monday night meetings at the mission home are fun.  This night, some of the missionaries wore suspenders, so President Davis did too.  L-R: Elder Nordgren, Elder Ronndahl, President Davis, Elder Olson, and Elder Stinson.

The 7 missionaries that we work closely with surprised us by decorating our office door for Christmas.  The trees all have little notes of love and appreciation on them.  Elder Walker and Elder Olson were the instigators of the door surprise.  And Elder Olson wrote on a tree that "No one inspires me to be a farmer like you do!"  Elder Torrie was pleased of course.  And Elder Stinson wrote "Nice to have others from the British empire here."  We have always felt a connection to those from New Zealand (as Elder Stinson is) or from England (as is our new missionary, Elder Wilkey, or our Kenya Nairobi missionary, Elder Harrott!  Love you Elder Harrott!)

Last Saturday we went down to Gamla Stan (the old town) and visited the Deutsche Kirche (the German Church of the Church of Sweden).  The stained glass windows from the early 1900's were stunning.  This one says something like "Give us our daily bread."  You really need to click on this picture to enlarge it.  So beautiful.

Another beautiful stained glass window picturing a dying parent bidding goodbye to his family.  I'm so grateful to know that there is life after death and that we can be with our loved ones again.  It helps take the sting out of death.  And though we mourn for those who die, we rejoice in the new life they are entering.

Love this stained glass of a family planting potatoes.  Not sure why it says "Labora."  "Work" in German is "Arbeit" and in Swedish it's "arbete."  This beautiful work of art was made in 1909.  Seems long ago, but then not so long ago when I consider that my dad was born 6 years later in 1915.

Lovely stained glass of the Nativity, just right for Christmas and for all year long too.

We're always drawn to the pipe organs.  Each church has unique designs and they are all striking.  A yellow Christmas star is hanging in front.

LeRon got permission from the young man manning the information booth to go up right next to the organ.  Maybe sometime he will get to play it.

Ha ha.  Some fun pictures with the office missionaries.  They come over once a week to sing together, eat, and visit.  Love those matching sweaters!

I think I'm being bossy.  Not sure what else I could be doing!

Ah . . . here is Grandma Torrie with her grandsons.  And all eyes are open and everyone is smiling.

This is our "group hug" picture.  These missionaries are great fun.

And now it's goodbye to Elder Walker.  He's a technological whiz and we will miss him in the office.  He also reminds us a lot of our son-in-law Andy.

More missionaries to miss.  These two -- Elder Jensen and Elder Seely -- were in the office when we arrived in January so we got to know them well.

Being with junior missionaries definitely keeps us young!  Elder Seely's great-grandfather's brother once owned land in Grassy Lake.  LeRon's dad farmed that land for years after the Seelys left the area.  So we own that land now too.  It's a small world.  L-R: Elder Seely, Elder Jensen, Syster & Elder Torrie.

Did you know that brussel sprouts look like this when they are growing?  I didn't.  So interesting to see them for sale in the grocery store.

These teeny little cars are only driven by young drivers who have just gotten their licenses.  I'm not sure how long they have to drive these cars until they are allowed to drive regular cars.  The cars are governed at low speeds and always have a slow sign on the back.  They're not allowed on the freeway of course.  They're kind of cute but funny at the same time.  Later:  I've since learned that these cars are not required driving for beginners.  They are very expensive little cars that 15-year-olds are allowed to drive before they have their drivers' licenses.  The cars are governed at 40 km/hr and cannot be driven on big highways or the freeway.  Parents like these cars better than motorcycles for their kids, especially in the winter.  They are 2-seaters and we see them everywhere.

Watch out for moose on the road.  At home we watch out for deer; in Israel we watch for camels; in Kenya we watch for baboons!

We said goodbye to these great young men and young women who are going home after having served 18 or 24 months.  They serve at their own expense and they come to Sweden knowing a little Swedish and they leave fluent in the language and with a love for the culture and people.  L-R: Syster Perdue, Syster Wilson, Syster Bass, Syster Ståhlberg (pronounced stow-l-berry), Elder Seely, Elder Childs, Elder Jensen.  Syster Ståhlberg served in the Canada Calgary Mission until she was sent back to her home country of Sweden due to the pandemic.  The home mission of Elder Torrie and me is the Canada Calgary Mission.  Small world.  Syster Ståhlberg served in the Calgary area, never down in southern Alberta where we live.

Another very interesting car.  Has a motorcycle engine and no heat.  This man said it's great fun to drive!

This shows you the size of the motorcycle car!

I bet this Christmas decoration is gorgeous at night.

You'll be glad to know I wear my mask even though the majority of Swedes don't.  But we're seeing a few more people wearing masks these days.

This business is completely swathed in gingerbread decorations.  Our Robinson grandchildren make gingerbread houses every year at Christmas time.  So this reminded us of them.

God jul (Merry Christmas) and Gott uytt år (Happy New Year)

Elder Torrie is playing Christmas music for recording for our grandchildren for Christmas.  He can play for a very long time and never repeat a piece.

I fell in love with this horse made of wheat.  What a work of art!  No, I didn't buy it because it cost about 200 USD and really, how would I get it home still looking good?  Be sure to click on it to see it enlarged.

But I did buy this goat, which was much less expensive and something I hope I can take home when we go.  It's made by the same family business that made the horse in the photo above. For hundreds of years, people in northern Europe had big festivals in December called Yule. The Yule goat was supposed to help deliver presents, so sometimes Santa Claus would ride a goat instead of his sleigh.  Small goats made of straw are still a popular Christmas decoration here in Sweden. 

And who knew they have wooden shoes in Sweden?  And apparently even doctors and nurses still wear them.  They have leather uppers so that is different from the wooden shoes in Holland.

My wooden shoes are painted with a traditionally Swedish design.  Elder Torrie's are just plain.

Last time singing together before Elder Walker (far right) is transferred.  They are singing the mission song.  It really touches our hearts when they sing it.  It's in Swedish of course so we don't understand every word and I can't sing it yet because it goes rather fast and I can't sing the Swedish words that fast!

This is the last Monday night meeting for two missionaries.  Syster Perdue (on the right) is finished her 18-month mission and is going home.  Elder Walker (holding the cushion) is being transferred to Malmo, which is very far south in Sweden.  The office missionaries are L-R: Elder McGill, Elder Olson, Elder Nordgren, Elder Stinson, Elder Walker, Elder Rönndahl and Elder Rantaniemi.  The syster missionaries are Syster Training Leaders -- Syster Locher (pronounced low-hair) and Syster Perdue.  It's a very international group, with missionaries from the US, New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland (German speaking).

Allt för Sverige

Allt för Sverige, or The Great Swedish Adventure (in US and Canada), is a reality-type show about Swedish Americans who return to their Swedish roots. The show gives participants information about their ancestral families by visiting locations their ancestors lived, and learning about Sweden's culture, customs, and food. As the episodes in each season progress, cast members leave the show after losing challenges. Each season's winner gets a family reunion with their relatives who still live in Sweden.  Check it out!  The 2020 season, of course, has been postponed due to the pandemic.  But all the seasons from 2011 on can be found on YouTube.

I've only watched part of one season (2019) and I'm not really into reality shows, but it was actually quite interesting.  This show is very big in Sweden.  Swedes are really into family history and they love this show.  You can watch it in the US and Canada too.  Our mission president, President Davis, discovered that one of the participants in the 2019 season is a member of our church.  President Davis made contact with Chris and invited him to share his experiences with our mission through a zoom meeting.

These are the 2019 participants.  The LDS church member, Chris, is at the very back with red hair (and he's the highest person in the picture).

On our zoom meeting with Chris, we learned about the unique thing he did on the show that endeared him to all the participants, and to Swedes in general.  He did something that had never been done before.  I won't tell you what it is because I want you to watch the show and see for yourself.  It's absolutely heart-warming.

Here's Chris and his wife talking with us from the US.  He really got our missionaries pumped for working on Family History.  Missionaries are asked to perform 10 hours of public service a week.  Since Sweden is a very socialistic country, it's hard to find service projects because everything is done for the citizens by the government.  So our missionaries are now giving 10 hours of service by helping people to do their Family History.  And with no strings attached.  It doesn't matter if the people are interested in our church or not.  It's simply giving service.  There are millions of records that can be accessed for free on www.familysearch.org, which is a church-sponsored website that is free to everyone.

Here I am with my 2nd cousin once removed, Elder Muhlestein, who had just arrived in our mission when this picture was taken in October 2020.  His trainer is Elder Jensen.  We enjoyed talking of shared ancestry.  My grandma was Ida Muhlestein.  Elder Muhlestein descends from Grandma Ida's brother.  Small world.  But even crazier, is that when we used the Relatives Around Me app on our phones, we discovered that President Davis, our mission president, is my 3rd cousin!!!  Again, it's a small world.

After watching some of Allt för Sverige and zooming with Chris, we had a fun evening of singing together.  Missionaries can really sing!  L-R (for my benefit because I am slowly but surely developing my senior brain): Elder Olson, Elder Stinson, Elder Nordgren, President Davis, Elder Walker, Elder McGill, Elder Hoyt; sitting Syster Birrell, Syster Andersen, and Syster Davis (who is President Davis's daughter and therefore my 3rd cousin once removed). Now I have 5 cousins on this mission, counting Elder Muhlestein, Elder Hancock, President Davis, his daughter Syster Davis, and senior missionary Syster Cowgur, who is my 4th cousin. Wow. Who knew I would meet relatives in Sweden!

And of course Elder Torrie can play anything!  (Or so he says, and really, it's about true.  If he can hear a melody, he can play it.  What a gift.)

Goin' a'viking

Picture a Viking.  Do you see large, hairy men raiding and pillaging on sea-faring voyages?  Yes, they probably did look like that, since they didn't bathe often, and long hair was the norm.  But the word viking was originally a verb, not a noun.  To go viking, one went on a journey.  Yes, it may include pillaging and burning, but it could also include exploring and settling new areas.  So if we go viking, we're just on a journey.  Who knew?

We went a-viking a while back and discovered more evidence of Viking presence at Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala).  I didn't take a ton of pictures but be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge them.

First off, back by the Uppsala Cathedral, we met this cool couple at the tiny Christmas market.  It's the only Christmas market we've seen so far.  Too many restrictions for bigger markets, sadly.  He is from Sweden and she is from Colombia.  She makes homemade Christmas cards and he makes the traditional saffron buns that are so popular at Christmas.

On our way to find Gamla Uppsala, we passed this mosque.  We love hearing the Call to Prayer that is heard 5 times a day from each mosque.  We've heard them in Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Kenya, Tanzania, and other places where there is a Muslim presence.  We can't help but admire the devout Muslims who worship Allah with fervor five times a day.  But as I think of it, we also pray to God five times a day too, if you consider family prayer night and morning, personal prayer night and morning, and prayers over our food!  Plus prayers in between as we go about our daily business.  Prayers, like . . . help this pandemic to soon be over!

At the end of the Viking period (about 1066 when William the Conqueror conquered England), the pagan church that had been on this site was replaced by a Christian church.  Apparently you can still see evidence of the pagan church in the basement of this church.  Gamla Uppsala was once the residence of Swedish kings and the palace would have been in this area.

A big chest made from a single hollowed-out oak log, complete with bands of metal so it could be locked is displayed in the foyer of the church.  

LeRon, of course, is examining the pipe organ and wishing he could play it!

And here is the pipe organ he is wishing he could play!  Interesting to have a beautiful pipe organ in a small church.

                                            

Nativities are set up in every church and cathedral.  Even though Sweden is a secular country, with only 8% declaring themselves to be religious, Christmas is still their biggest holiday and nativities are about the only thing that reminds us of the real meaning of Christmas.  Apparently most Swedes consider themselves spiritual, but not religious.  Reminds me of the song "Did you ever take a walk through the forest . . . Stop and dream a while among the trees.  You can look up through the leaves right straight to heaven.  You can almost hear the voice of God in each and every breeze . . . "  I still like that song and I do believe you can see God in nature, but I still think it's also important to see him in church!!!  (At least when we can go back to church after this crazy pandemic is over)!

Now from the churchyard we are looking out toward the Viking burial mounds.  These Royal Mounds are where ancient kings were burned, with their belongings, and the ashes buried.  Excavations have disclosed many bones and artefacts. 

This stave church is behind the brick church.  Wish we could go inside!  Later:  We've learned that all of these, what we called stave churches, are actually bell towers.  Almost every old church has a bell tower beside it and the bells still work and they ring them before every church service.

We found these graves interesting.  They reminded LeRon of the gravel art he saw in Japan when he served his mission there from 1972 to 1974.  In the West, we have lawns, and in Japan they have gravel, which they rake into lovely designs.

Looking out from the bell tower toward farmland.  We're always interested in farmland.  

We love cemeteries.  So interesting to wander through them and to consider how short life really is.  We need to "seize the day" and make the most of each one.  Each day is a gift.

Although the pagan faith persisted throughout the 11th century, Christianity was slowly making its inroads.  Here in Gamla Uppsala, Sigvid Englandsfararen was one of the first Christians.  The rune stone he raised in memory of his father in the first half of the 11th century is now bricked into the outer wall of the church.

There are long hiking trails all over this area.  The burial mounds are closed off to protect them.  Interesting to think of deceased people being burned right here.  This mound dates to 600 A.D.  That's a very long time ago!

We stopped at Sigtuna on our way home.  Saw another very small Christmas market.  Not much for sale except CANDY!!!  Swedes like their candy.

Sigtuna was founded over 1000 years ago and was once one of the most important cities in Sweden.  It's a quiet, cute little town.  And all decked out for Christmas!

Back in Stockholm, in our tiny apartment, Tamara and Marko, our Montenegrin friends are helping unpack and install our new stove.

One of our sister missionaries, Syster Nissen, is an amazing singer.  Check out Emma Nissen on YouTube to hear some of her music.  She is going to be releasing her latest original music on YouTube on January 3, 2021.  Check her out.  In this picture, our Social Media missionaries are recording Syster Nissen singing the mission song that she wrote.  Elder Torrie is accompanying her.  Sorry the picture is blurry.  I'm sure the problem is my phone, not my unsteady hands!

Syster Cowgur on the cello and Elder Torrie on the piano are getting ready to record O Holy Night.  The office missionaries are getting ready to record.

We have so much fun every Sunday night, in our apartment, singing with the 7 office missionaries with whom we work daily and who live above us (so really, we are one family, thus obeying restrictions!)  We're now at the mission home with Syster Cowgur on the cello and Elder Torrie on the piano, recording a couple of Christmas songs.