All Swedes (and I really mean all Swedes) ‘put on’ a Julbord, freely translated: Christmas table. On December 24, everyone in Sweden starts celebrates Christmas from the morning. The food festival begins around noon with a plate of warm rice pudding with cinnamon. There’s one almond hidden in the pan, the person who finds the almond receives a gift. Sometimes a piece of apple, that stands for health or a coin that stands for wealth is used.

Then, around 6 p.m., everyone goes to the table for dinner. On the Julbord you will find dishes that you can find on every table in Sweden. For example the famous Gravad lax and the Swedish meatballs, sausages, herring in different types of sauce, a large ham, eggs with Norwegian shrimp, beetroot salad and much more. During dinner there are short break for a joint song with a glass of ice-cold Aquavit in hand. Tradition dictates to knock it back in one go after the verse. Good for digestion, it improves the atmosphere and it helps against toothache…

There is no dessert but the party ain’t over. Certainly if there are children who have been craving for the gifts under the tree since the morning, the long wait has become unbearable and everyone is tired and completely stuffed in an easy chair around the Christmas tree while outside the snow is slowly falling the big unwrapping begins…