Welcome to With Love from Sweden, a cozy and light newsletter about all things Swedish.
Hej!
How are you? I hope you are having a lovely and relaxing weekend, and that you’re in the mood for some Swedish stuff.
November views here in the very south of Sweden:
Swedish “Snackis”* of the Week
“Årets julklapp” - Sweden’s Christmas Gift of the Year - was announced. 'Christmas Gift of the Year" has been presented by retail research organisation HUI every year since 1988. The chosen item must have one or more of the following criteria:
represent the time we’re living in.
be a novelty or an item which has received new interest that year.
be of high sales value or be sold in a large number of units.
Christmas Gift Of The Year 2021 is an event ticket. After the easing of coronavirus restrictions, Swedes' desire to go out and enjoy themselves is reflected in the choice of this year's “årets julklapp”.
It’s fun to look back at “årets julklapp” over the years and remember the trends. Some examples:
2020 - Camping stove/hibachi
2018 - Recycled garment
2015 - Robot vacuum
2014 - Fitness tracker
2009 - Bed of nails
2005 - Poker set
2004 - Flat screen TV
1997 - Digital pet (for example Tamagotchi)
1994 - Mobile phone
1991 - CD player
There is a list in English of all Sweden’s “Christmas Gift of the Year” on Wikipedia. “Julklapp” is the Swedish word for Christmas gift.
A *“snackis” = talk of the town, buzz of the week
Swedish “Mys” of the Week (or Season)
For some reason the whole world seems to be familiar with the Danish concept of “hygge”, but the Swedish concept of “mys” (pronounced “meez”) is less known.
Both hygge and mys aim to make an otherwise dark and cold season more enjoyable. They are similar, but there are also differences. Mys is slow and usually enjoyed in your home, or in a relaxed setting. It embraces feeling comfortable and having some time away from the stressful outside world. Mys can include a small group of friends or family, but you can also create mys on your own. I suppose mys can be described as a kind of coping technique for surviving in a place where it’s dark and cold 4-5 months of the year. Instead of hating it, make the most of it! Mys is an invitation to slow down, get comfy and feel cozy. Eat something delicious and feel comfortable. The summer months can be super hectic for a Swede (every ray of sunlight must be enjoyed), so during the long dark winter evenings it’s time to rest and recharge.
You absolutely don’t need to buy a lot of stuff to create mys. Mys is a feeling, so you don’t need to redecorate your home to feel it. A blanket, a lit candle or tealight, a cup of tea and a book is basically all you need. Fika with a friend is mys!
Not compatible with mys:
Large groups/crowds
Noise
Stress
Overhead lighting
To do lists
Disagreements (Swedes in general are conflict shy so there can be no open disagreements or discussions (if they arise, the mys is over).)
Some mys from Instagram:
Swedish Song of the Week: Here Comes The Night with Agnes
Agnes has released a new single called Here comes the night, which is climbing the charts. It’s very ABBA-esque, don’t you think?
Agnes is a singer and artist who I think is a bit underrated. She was the winner of Swedish Idol in 2005 (the second season when the show was a novelty and everybody watched it). Her biggest international hit song to date is probably Release Me from 2009. After a seven year break from releasing new music 2013-2019, she has returned with some really good dance songs.
Agnes had the honour to sing the song When You Tell The World You're Mine at the royal wedding of Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel in 2010, together with Swedish singer, songwriter, actor, tv presenter and screenwriter Björn Skifs. When you tell the World You’re Mine was the official wedding song, written especially for the occasion and as a gift to the bridal couple, and the first time it was performed publicly was at the royal wedding. Watching this video may give you a clue as to why the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and her family are so enormously liked in Sweden.
You may not recognize Björn Skifs, but you may recognize one of his hit songs. As the lead singer of Blue Swede, he had a No. 1 hit on Billboard Hot 100 in 1974 with a cover of Mark James's "Hooked on a Feeling".
If I remember correctly they were the first ever Swedish act to have a number one hit in the USA. I watched a documentary about Björn Skifs a few years ago, and it was so funny to hear him talk about this time in his life. The number one hit in the US came as a total surprise, and the band was in the middle of a tour around Swedish parks (small outdoor venues popular for dancing in summer) at the time. The record label in the US wanted the band to come over to promote the song and tour, but their response was something like “We can’t go to the US, we are playing in the park in Blomstermåla (small Swedish municipality in the middle of the forest) tonight!” Which in hindsight may not have been the smartest choice career wise, but maybe that attitude is why Björn Skifs is so loved in Sweden (where he has had an outstanding career).
A playlist with all the songs mentioned in this newsletter can be found here.
Swedish Wait of the Week
When will Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård appear in the tv series Succession? Half the season is gone already! Waiting impatiently.
(This is probably more of a personal wait than a national one :).)
Swedish “Fika”* of the Week
“Fika” is even more important during the dark months, and a key component of mys.
I baked the saffron-orange shortbread cookies below. They were super scrumptious! I thought I was going to save half the batch for another fika, but we ended up eating all the cookies in one day…
Here is the recipe I used in Swedish, and here is a similar recipe in English (the Swedish recipe calls for potato flour instead of corn flour).
*fika = a relaxing and cozy coffee/tea and pastry/cake break, pronounced “feekah”
Thank you for opening and reading this newsletter! I hope you’re having a “mysig” (pronounced “meezy”) (cozy/comfy/warm) weekend!
With love from Sweden 💛
Viktoria
English is not my first language, please excuse my Swenglish.
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