Christmas celebrations in our “house” are a simple affair and lasts for a day or two at the most. It certainly isn’t our favourite time of the year. So when our Swedish friends invited us to Portugal to celebrate with them, we had to think about how we could enjoy the festive traditions when we don’t like Christmas. So read on to explore how to enjoy festive traditions when you don’t like Christmas.

When Anna and Roger, who have made Portugal their home for the last 4 years, invited us for Christmas celebrations, we really didn’t have to think very hard about our decision to go. Spending time in their company is a joy and we were making our way to the Algarve, so it was a perfect opportunity to reconnect with them.

Anna’s idea was to share our Christmas cultures with each other. So given that Europe celebrate on Christmas Eve and the UK on 25th, a plan was hatched. They would give us a Swedish Christmas on 24th December and Christmas Day was ours. Except how do we deliver a positive festive experience when we don’t celebrate with very much gusto. If you would like to understand why we feel the way we do, here’s a blog we wrote about our Christmas perspective.

Our first job was to reconnect with real Christmas celebration traditions and not just the modern day’s Glutimous as we like to call it. It’s been so long since we have truly thrown ourselves into the heart of Christmas that we needed to remind ourselves about the essence of Christmas and the long-held, authentic values. Digging into the heart of our community, we reached out to find out how others experience a ‘real’ Christmas and it was enlightening. So many things took me back to my childhood that it was a really poignant post and we got a ton of great ideas. It actually became a really fun thing to do and really did trace the roots of what Christmas looked like for us as children. More on all this in a moment.

Our Swedish Christmas Eve Celebrations

So many people have been intrigued by our Swedish Christmas experience and so let us start with how all this began on 1st December.

Much like our Advent Calendar, we too had an advent experience, although this was a digital and interactive one and so much more fun. Each morning a new activity came through WhatsApp that introduced us to something important to Anna and Roger or that was traditional in Sweden. Our 1st December activity was listening to Sia’s Snowman, which we grew really attached to over our Christmas holiday with them. If you haven’t heard it or seen the video, you can see it by clicking on the image below.

Walking into Anna’s beautiful Christmas home was like entering a Santa’s Grotto. With graceful lights inside and out, a small Christmas Tree on the kitchen worktop and authentic Swedish Christmas characters all over the house. When they go ‘all in’ they go all in and it was wonderful to walk into such a thoughtfully decorated space.

Then Christmas Eve came and it was bizarre how excited we were, knowing that something different was coming our way. In fact it all began on 23rd December, when Sweden celebrate Uppesittarkväll. This literally means ‘Sitting up all Night’ and is a Swedish tradition where families begin their celebrations. It is where presents are wrapped, Christmas Trees are decorated and food is prepared for the following day. For supper we were introduced to a Swedish porridge, which is more traditional on Christmas Eve, although to avoid over-consumption we had it early. Mixed with warming spices, seeds, honey and milk if you wanted it and all washed down with THE most delicious white mulled wine. By all accounts it is sold in Marks & Spencer if you fancy trying it.

Christmas Eve morning began with a beautiful alarm call of Celine Dion’s ‘These are special times’ playing through the outdoor speakers of their home. This was followed by a delicious breakfast of yoghurt, nuts, seeds, jam and turmeric cake. Then it was playtime, as Anna cleared the table, making way for Gingerbread decorating. What a lovely thing to do that truly tugged on our childhood creativity.

The afternoon was spent outdoors at Porto Covo about an hour away by car, which holds a special meaning to Anna and Roger. After a lovely walk in the sunshine, we sat and drank red mulled wine with a nibbly lunch of cheese, crackers and sweet delights all to the sound of the crashing waves. It certainly made a pleasant change to the often dreary English Christmas weather. After a little rest time back at home, the Christmas Eve stage was set and a Smörgasboard was laid out in front of us with such a kaleidoscope of colour. Fresh salads, homemade meatballs, gravlax and herrings, which I absolutely love. And it reminds me that I still have some in my cupboards which I must retrieve. No overconsumption, no gorging just a lovely time spent grazing, sharing Christmases past and our stories.

The evening was brought to a close with one of our traditions, the reading of The Night Before Christmas. Something close to our hearts and something we do every year without fail. Then we swapped Christmas presents all personally selected and beautifully wrapped reminding us of how Christmas was, back in the day.

What an incredible way to celebrate with a new way of seeing the Swedish Christmas world and one we will never forget.

Our Christmas Day Celebrations

Now it was our turn to spoil Anna and Roger with our Christmas delights. It started with a peek at what Santa had left for the guys after his all night vigil around the world. Two stockings filled with gifts. But first it was breakfast in Scoobie, soothed by the sounds of the King’s College Choir carols, and washed down with a glass of Bucks Fizz. With our tummies lined, it was time for the Stockings that we had filled with some traditional walnuts and satsumas as well as candy canes and other personalised gifts that matched their loves. It was so much fun watching them unwrap their gifts, and as much fun for us choosing them.

At 11am, it is tradition for us to raise a toast to those absent, either physically or spiritually. It’s always a bit of an emotional time, especially as I remember my pops, who after his death, Christmas has never quite seemed the same ever again.

Then it was the main event. The Christmas meal and my homemade crackers. Filled with traditional turkey crown, pigs in blankets, homemade stuffing, carrots forestierre, baked spouts with cheese, homemade gravy and a vegetarian and gluten free menu for Anna, we were all traditionally stuffed. The Gluten Free mince pies, Christmas Pud and brandy custard were not Anna and Roger’s favourite part of the meal, although they wanted to try the flavours as they were completely new to them.

With full bellies and hearts, we wrapped up the day with a Christmas film and an early night, full of memories and happy moments from our unique Christmas experiences.

What did we learn?

It was so interesting to see what similarities our cultures shared around Christmas like the advent calendar, decorating the house, trees and gift sharing. And yet, for us there were more differences than similarities, which is what I think made it all the more special for us.

The lead up to Christmas for the Swedes and I guess many Europeans is far more important than in the UK. Their festivals and preparation are all an essential lead up to the big day. For the UK, it seems like just a lot of Christmas parties and frivolity.

The things we loved the most was how we returned to the core of Christmas values; not overconsumption of food, drink or gifts. Instead music, stories, laughter, fresh air, relaxing and eating good food. I think Christmas in the UK has lost of a lot of these values and the commercialism of the festive season is just vile, in our eyes at least. In the last few years especially around Covid, we have had a lovely quiet celebration with mum and Bob, returning us to the soul of Christmas and it has been lovely. And our time with Anna and Roger brought us back to that essence.

Would we return to the annual Christmas celebration; may be. We certainly wouldn’t discount it after such a lovely embracing of what is a special time of the year. Although I think we are still of the view that, certainly in the UK the spirit has generally been lost to the Consumer Devil. Still it is lovely to know that somewhere out there, the ghost of Christmas Past still lives on. Thanks Anna and Roger, we had a lovely experience.