Christmas Eve – the highlight of the season
Though the entire Christmas season centres on socialising over a treat or two, Christmas Eve is the main event. When hunger sets in, it's time to gather around the buffet-style ‘julbord’ – a Christmas smorgasbord that offers the full medley of Swedish Christmas food, with everything from Christmas ham (‘julskinka’) and Swedish meatballs to pickled herring (‘sill’) and chopped beetroot salad (‘rödbetssallad’). Increasingly, vegetarian and vegan options are on the menu too.
Dessert-wise, expect the delicious classic ‘Ris à la Malta’, a vanilla rice pudding typically served with orange slices. And as for drinks, ‘julöl’– a dark, seasonal beer – and the soft drink ‘julmust’ (a bit like root beer) are key, along with traditional snaps.
Around the julbord, “skål” is uttered to mark a toast. And as for other Christmas greetings in Sweden, the most important ones are “God Jul” (Merry Christmas) and “God fortsättning”, meaning “enjoy the rest of the holidays”.
And where does Santa fit in? In Sweden, Santa (‘jultomten’) joins the party, generously handing out presents in person. The in-joke between grown-ups is for someone to announce that they're “popping out” to get the newspaper, only to return dressed up as Santa. Unsuspecting children have no idea it’s their dad, mum or neighbour hiding behind the bushy beard.
When the clock strikes 3:00 pm it's time for a dyed-in-the-wool Swedish tradition – namely to gather in front of the TV to watch the annual ‘Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas’ show (‘Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul’). This medley of Disney classics – including Cinderella, Snow White and Mickey Mouse – features original clips as well as more recent additions. A Swedish Christmas Eve wouldn't be complete without it.
