a snapshot (and a film) of christmas at home

the hustle, the bustle of the holidays. i can claim neither. in our home, it's the three of us with no plans. it's kai's favourite way to spend the holidays. 

he asks, 'is anyone coming over for christmas?' 

i reply, 'no, just us.'

he says in relief, 'good.' 

thus...

we play our new board game, wildlands, on repeat. and love it. i'm always the wizards and surprised my boys in playing this videogame-like game really well. they find me a respectable opponent which is a great compliment even when they are alienating my flying wizards ;)

there was champagne + gin and tonics for stefan and i. julmust (a christmas-y pop) for kai. 

so much food. christmas eve was a traditional swedish spread with pickled herring, smoked salmon from our neighbourhood truck, jansson's temptation potatoes (scalloped with anchovies), the best little sausages, and so much more. scones for christmas breakfast with a big pan of scrambled eggs (a favourite!) and homemade crispbread while unwrapping our stocking prezzies. christmas dinner was a simple meatloaf - although the prep certainly wasn't... thank you stefan! - with sides of mashed potatoes and green beans. so good.

chocolate, lots of chocolate over these few days.

wrapping gifts on christmas eve and stuffing stockings is a highlight. i like the anticipation of seeing my boys unwrap their gifts. for me, they always choose the best gifts... a gorgeous wooden elephant from kai and a purse i have been coveting from stefan. lucky me :)

cozy on the sofa, we watch movies too. none of us can remember what we watched but do remember the feeling of rest cuddled together. even my teenager gets in for a squeeze ;)

it's a nice reminder, this time of year, to slow down your with loved ones, easing into christmas with no hustle or bustle.

 

stocking stuffers!

cheesy christmas pic with loki

if you would like to take a peek, here's a mini film of our christmas morning...

merry merry christmas from ours to yours.

stockholm weekend pics (and a film): siggestra gård and a wintery walk

it's been awhile but we made the journey out to visit siggesta gård. just a 45 minute drive but almost 2 hours by transit at this time of year so we rented a car for the day.

we warmed up with the soup bar... mushroom for stefan and i and tomato for kai. we shared a meatball sandwich, of course ;) we always settle down in the lounge area, it's the coziest.

before venturing on our wintery walk, we explored siggestra gard first... as we always do. kai wouldn't have it any other way. we play soccer golf, he has fun on the obstacle course (still, insert heart emoji here), we revel in the absolute quiet.

then we drive to björnö naturreservat for a wintery walk.

at björnö naturreservat, we just had an hour or so before the dark descended on us... at 3:30 (insert eye roll emoji here). it was slippery and cold but it didn't hold back my boys so they covered more ground than i did. 

instead, i enjoyed the views and watched the sun set (it set before 3:00!). it was pretty but i just can't get used to such short days and looooong nights.

thanks to ximena's recommendation, we had a gorgeous dinner at the old smokehouse. 

and a mini handmade film...

we'll be back :)