Last weekend before Christmas

Today it is the last Sunday before Christmas and here in Sweden this is fourth of advent. The fourth and last candle in the candle holder will be lit today. Friday is Christmas eve and that is when we celebrate Christmas here. I will only work Monday to Wednesday this week and Thursday I am off. Then I am actually having a holiday break until the 10th of January next year and that feels soooo good! It is going to be so nice not to get up in pitch blackness and return home long after the sun has set but maybe get to see some daylight or even sunlight if I am lucky enough.

These are some pictures that I took when we went into the city the other weekend to listen to the Christmas concert. Both me and C are done with our Christmas shopping. We have wrapped most of the gifts already. I am still waiting for some gifts to be shipped to me but it seems like they will be arriving tomorrow so I can go to pick them up and then wrap them.

We went out to a big mall yesterday (Nacka Forum). It was the first time I had been there but I liked it. It was one of the bigger malls here in Stockholm and it was beautifully decorated now for Christmas. The terror attack happening in Stockholm the other weekend in the middle of busy Christmas shopping has made people more careful. It is not as crowded in the stores and malls as before the attack. I dont´t think there is any point in staying home because it can happen anywhere and at any time .

I actually bought myself this knitted skirt that I think has a nice Christmas touch but without being overly Christmassy. I think it is cute. I was never a fan of the sweaters with reindeers, Christmas trees and so on that older women in Alabama loved to wear during the holiday season. I think they were just awful.

The amarylis flower that I bought looked like this when I had just bought it. Now it has grown a lot and I am hoping that it will actually bloom for Christmas. It is a white amarylis. The flowers are really big and soooo pretty once they bloom.

More sunny days like this one that we had a few weekends ago is what I wish for. I am so longing for sunlight. The sun gets up at about 9 am now and sets at 2 pm! I had really forgotten how very dark and long the winter season can be here. C goes to the window and looks out and calls out for spring. I think he will be doing that for another four months or so. I am fine with winter now that it is December. January and February would also be acceptable but then I want spring. Well Christmas comes first anyway.