This is a reposting of a guest blog post I did for Dos Family five years ago. I regularly receive emails asking for the link to download the Swedish Christmas record, so I will repost it here yearly!
In the United States, it’s not uncommon to hear Christmas music wafting from shop speakers as early as the beginning of November, but it’s not “Here Comes Santa Claus” or “Jingle Bell Rock” that puts me in the holiday spirit. For me, it’s not Christmastime until I put on the recording of Swedish Christmas music that I grew up listening to each and every year: Christmas in Sweden, recorded in 1962 by Åke Jelving and a chorus of parents and children.
This is jovial, happy music, sung with energy and enthusiasm…and with audible gasping and stomping!
Our mother may be Swedish, but my siblings and I haven’t got a clue what the lyrics mean. I suspect that they, like me, sing along phonetically (and badly) in the privacy of their own homes. On Christmas day, we put the record on and leave the singing to Mommy as we all hold hands and dance in a circle, usually around the spread of snacks and glögg on the kitchen island.
My gift to you is a download of Christmas in Sweden. Evan made the MP3s directly from the record, so you’ll hear all the same snaps and crackles that I do when I listen to the original. I think that just adds to the appeal! Unless you’re a Swede, this may not sound like Christmas music to you at first, but give it time. (And maybe enjoy it with a little glögg.)
To download the album, you’ll need to visit this link. No need to create an account, just click on “download.” Easy!
Grab a new link here!
God Jul! (& Happy December 16th!)
2 Comments
What a great album and thanks for sharing! I know all but one of the songs, having grown up singing them in Sweden (live in England now). You should be able to find the lyrics online, surely someone has posted them as they are still sung today. You may even find them on Spotify too (more modern versions). Like you I grew up with one album that meant Christmas to me, now long lost, but I have such good memories of it. Whenever my mum put it on at first of advent, we knew it was Christmas. My brother found a Christmas card a few years ago which had the same picture as the album cover! It brought back so many memories.
The first verse of “Nu ar det Jul igen” translated to English:
Now it’s Christmas again
Now it’s Christmas again
And Christmas will last until it’s Easter
That is not true
That is not true
For in between comes Lent
Don’t tell me I never taught you any Swedish!