There you have it, the full extent of my Christmas decorating this year. Just a straw wreath on the door, hung in time for St. Lucia Day. I’m just too tired and busy and drained to do any more than that.
I spent the weekend finishing up Christmas shopping for my nieces and nephews (my siblings and I make charitable donations in one another’s names instead of exchanging gifts), and I’m excited to wrap everything up and do a little baking. I’m also planning to attempt vegan versions of Janssons frestelse and Swedish meatballs to bring along to my mother’s house. My goal is to come as close as possible to the flavors of my mother’s recipes, so I’m trying not to rely on existing vegan interpretations. If the results are good, I’ll share them!
This is a terrible photo, but I realized yesterday that I’ve never taken a picture of the house at night. It was very cold out, and about an hour after I took this, it started to snow. I love the feeling of being in a warm house while it’s blustery outside! Sure, we have to wrap ourselves up in blankets with the dogs in order to truly feel cozy, but this really is my favorite time of the year.
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oh janssons, i’m going to make it some day soon, love it! good luck with the vegan janssons, it sounds exciting! i’m curious 🙂
Don’t feel bad. I’ve only put up a door wreath also. I’ve lived in my house for four years and have yet to put up a tree. Last year I tied some mini ball ornaments from ribbons on my dining room chandelier and I usually hang some string up my banister and put my holiday cards on those but I haven’t even bothered to do that this year.
I know you take the handmade pledge– can you offer some advice on where to find fun handmade children’s gifts? I have three nieces and a nephew and I hate the idea of giving them some plastic thing from a big box toy store. But I also want to maintain my rep as the cool aunt. What to do?
I did most of my shopping for the kids online at Etsy, Supermarket, and at various handmakers’ other online shops. I realize that’s vague, but I don’t want to post the actual gifts for obvious reasons. 🙂
Etsy isn’t the only resource for handmade goods, but it’s a great starting point!
What a gorgeous wreath; I love its simplicity and the texture of the straw.
Best of luck with your veganization projects, they sound like real challenges!
We had a lovely St Lucia Day at my office. A beautiful concert by some local kids, yummy pepparkaka, lussebullar, and glögg. And outside was totally white sugar powdered sugar loveliness.
I love your window!
I think it looks great. Very minimalist and chic. I love how the ribbon matches your door numbers (which are awesome, by the way).
I made St. Lucia rolls for my oldest son, who is half Swedish. Of course all the boys loved them. We do simple white lights along the roofline and wreaths on the windows. Makes the stone house more festive!
Lovely wreath, especially on that awesome black door. You’ve done more decorating than I have this year!
How in the world do you take such a simple wreath and make it look so absolutely amazing with a simple red ribbon. Once again, great job…
I can’t take credit, Lori! I bought the wreath from IKEA years ago, and it came with the red ribbon already on it. 🙂
Oh hey, look! They still sell it: SNÖVITA wreath, $19.99
I also kinda love the feeling of being trapped inside my house! We just got 16 inches of snow here in Minnesota which is actually kind of nice because I’m getting a lot of work done around the house and catching up on lots of reading. Winter is good for that.
hello anna!!! oh it feels so good to be writing here for the first time! so, just to tell you two… three things! one, even simple, the straw wreath is lovely. two… buying things handmade is really an excellent idea, as also buying things online (oh the comfort, the comfort!) and three, i did not know that you had swedish family. i hope your recipes turn out just delicious! have a great day! twiggs
it was snowy and blowy in toronto today. freezing doesn’t even start to describe the temperature. but it was so nice to come home after watching the snow blow around all day, and crawl under the blankets with a warm bowl of your wonderful chilli. oh how i love this time of year!
(although once Jan hits, i am ready for july weather again! am i the only one who feels this way?)
I’m never ready for July weather!! May and June, maybe, but not July. Or August. 😉
@ me: After New Years I am COMPLETELY ready for spring! Done with cold and snow! I am waaaay to young (and broke) to snowbird but I am so ready… 🙂
Anna, this is yet another time I wish the closest IKEA wasn’t 3 hours away… sigh… thanks for the link though!
Really lovely !!!
I think it’s pretty cool! it is also inspirinng what the adults in your family do or gift exchanging; it’s the gift that keeps on giving
That recipe sounds pretty awesome. I’m looking forward to lots of baking when we head to Norway in 4 short days.
Re: the language thing. I never spoke more than English and its all that was spoken in our home. My boyfriend is Scandinavian (half Swedish/half Icelandic but raised in Norway) and therefore he speaks quite a few languages. I’m really wanting to learn Norwegian and we’re trying to teach it to the kids. I know its really important for him that our children (if we have any; my two are from my marriage) speak his native tongue. Hard when only one parent speaks it though, would imagine it would be easier if we lived over there. Maybe someday!
and ps – your wreath is awesome and simple. Love it!
Love the simplicity and starkness of the lighted wreath on the black door.
I am totally with you on winter…..love, love, love having a soft snowfall going on while I’m inside warm and cozy. The calendar can erase June, July and August here in D.C. for me. But I am also very thankful that I DO have a warm home on cold nights and know that there are many out there who do not.
Charitable donations, what what?!
Your family is about 100% cooler than mine.
Love the wreath — seasonal but not tacky.
My family does the charitable donations too. Not only does it feel better to give donations rather than buy a bunch of junk, it takes away so much holiday pressure! And kids are more fun to shop for anyway. 🙂