Life in Sweden

Alcohol, bonfires and choirs

Valborg, or Walpurgis night in English, is a festival that celebrates the coming of the spring. (Although it’s rarely warm in Sweden when people celebrate it on April 30. We all froze this year.)

In Sweden, people celebrate by setting large bonfires and singing songs. I asked a bunch of people what the holiday was for, and they all say it’s some sort of pagan thing, but they didn’t really know more than that.

In practice, people get together and party, especially teenagers.

For those of us with kids, we had a little pot-luck and then headed down to the local bonfire.

More about Valborg.

Peeing on the flowers at Stockholm airport

Apr 27th, 2011

by Gabe Stein.

2 comments

I found Swedish summer at the Stockholm Airport last week.

Here’s what happened: I had to go urinate and when I got to the bathroom I found that the wall behind the urinals was covered with flowers and tall grass so that it felt like I was peeing into a lovely field on a Swedish summer day.

Swedes, and Stockholmers in particular, have been called conformists and reserved — and in some ways they are. But every once in a while, Sweden surprises me.

Why should bathrooms be serious? They shouldn’t and I give kudos to Stockholm Arlanda airport for having fun with one of man’s most mundane activities — peeing at a urinal.

It’s the little things in life that matter and the illusion that I was peeing in a Swedish field made a big difference for me that day.

Gay soccer players and cardamon buns

Mar 11th, 2011

by Gabe Stein.

3 comments

Elite soccer player says he's gay and reminds me that I live in Sweden.

I’ve been living in Sweden for over five years now, yet every day I still see little aspects — I call them life in Sweden moments – that remind me I’m not in Kansas anymore.

Five things happened recently that reminded me: I’m far away from home.

1. I saw a business man walking down the street the other day. He was wearing green pants – bright, fluorescent green.

2. Anton Hysén became the first elite Swedish soccer player to come out of the closet.

3. My colleagues were watching the Biathlon World Championships on live, online TV. And they were super excited.

4. On facebook, I made fun of semlor, the beloved cardamon buns eaten this time of year, and my Swedish friends went absolutely crazy.

5. A colleague of mind asked his boss if he could move two hours away, work from home four days a week, and come in on Wednesdays. His boss said yes.

If you’re living in Sweden, tell us some moments you’ve had recently.

How Swedish Christmas became kosher

Dec 23rd, 2010

by Gabe Stein.

1 comment

Last year on Swedish Christmas I hugged Santa Claus, my father-in-law. Does it look like I wasn't having fun?

As a Jewish kid, I felt like an outsider during Christmas time. As an adult, I’ve finally decided to stop complaining and embrace Christmas

Every holiday season anti-Christmas thoughts pop into my head. I’ve realized they spring from a contempt I’ve had for Christmas since I was a kid, growing up as a Jew in a predominately Christian town in New Jersey.

I had a new anti-Christmas thought the other day while I was tightening the screws into the trunk of our Christmas tree. It went like this: Only a gentile would kill a tree, bring it home, watch it turn brown, and then throw it out on the curb.

It’s not true, of course, about gentiles and their trees. All religions have silly traditions. Jews and Muslims sacrifice their foreskins, for Christ’s sake. So in comparison, murdering a Christmas tree just for the fun of it seems harmless. Read More

Stockholm sun at 1:30 P.M. on the shortest day of the year

Dec 21st, 2010

by Gabe Stein.

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The tobacco castle

Nov 30th, 2010

by Gabe Stein.

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The palace of Ljunglöfska is a magical building in our neighborhood

It’s minus 10 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) today. Double layers of clothing have been replaced by triple. The air stings the skin, and the lake by our house is beginning to freeze over. The sun rose at 8:16 in Stockholm today; if all goes as planned, it will set at 2:57 this afternoon. Despite the darkness, I’ve loved this winter so far.

This is a picture of Ljunglöfska Slottet, a fantastic building built by Sweden’s tobacco king, Knut Fredrik Ljunglöf. It’s surrounded by a nature reserve and lake Mälaren.

And rumor has it, this is where Sweden’s Christmas Calender was filmed this year. As Jennie from the Transparent Language Swedish blog explains, The Swedish Christmas Calendar is an annual tradition that starts December 1. Swedish kids count down the days to Christmas, just like Advent, but with the help and entertainment of a TV show. Each day kids follow along, open another window to their Advent calendar, and find a treat behind it.

Thanksgiving in Sweden

Nov 18th, 2010

by Gabe Stein.

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Can I get the kids dressed?

Nov 9th, 2010

by Gabe Stein.

1 comment

After my recent video post that showed that I’d dressed my kids, I received a bunch of requests for a film of me actually doing it. Logistically I thought it would be impossible, but I always do my best to please. So here you have it.