Christmas: Swedish Style!

Mother’s parents emigrated from Sweden in the early part of the 20^th century.

These are the Swedish/Canadian Christmas customs passed on to their family . . .

From Uncle Roy:

Preparation for Christmas began quite some time before the day.

Lutfisk and herring were ordered early. Lutefisk—cod cured in a lye (sodium hydroxide) solution—was bought tightly packed in a wooden box. It did not require refrigeration, though detractors felt that its smell and texture might have been improved by this practice.

Whole herring (Sill in Swedish) was cured in brine and was available in wooden pails about a half-gallon in size.

Several weeks before Christmas, Mama would fillet the herring, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and store them in vinegar with chopped onions, cucumber pickles, dill and cloves—delicious!

Roll mops of today, approximate Sill but do not equal its favour.

Mama also prepared large quantities of several kinds of Swedish cookies, fruit cake, special breads and cinnamon buns.

About a week before Christmas, Papa bought a spruce tree in Duchess or Brooks. There were no native evergreens on the prairie where we lived. We set the tree up in the living room and decorated it with ornaments, ribbons and real candles (although they were never lit for fear of fire).

Of course, Santa Claus brought the presents. We began to suspect that Santa had some help when large parcels arrived from Eaton’s via the mail train. After school, we brought these parcels home but we never saw them opened. They were whisked into the parlor which was out of bounds with the doors closed for a month of more before Christmas. Papa would sequester himself in the parlor for a day or two before Christmas, engaged in some mysterious activity.

Tomorrow Christmas Eve, Swedish style.

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