For over two and a half decades, Stockholm has been my primary overseas home away from home, though now with Sofia living in Czechia, Prague has become one of two overseas homes away from home. This year my family and I had a wonderful Christmas holiday in Stockholm together and with friends. I am very thankful to Colleen for suggesting and coordinating this trip!!
It’s always quite nostalgic to visit Stockholm, where I feel so comfortable in a foreign land, with a decent grasp of the language and culture, and with dear friends we first met so long ago and with whom we’ve shared so many experiences over the years. These friends help make our times in Stockholm extra-special and memorable.
I also find new and engaging experiences and sights in this beautiful world capital, though often these things have been here well before they fully entered my consciousness. With fresh eyes one can appreciate some of the many things that make Stockholm such a unique and memorable place. So for example, on this trip both the neon signage and the store window Christmas displays really registered in my brain. The neon signs predate not only my life in Sweden in the 1990s, but even came before my birth. And this is our fourth Christmas season in Stockholm, so of course we’ve seen many Christmas displays in Stockholm shop windows over the past 25 years, but for whatever reason I took some time to contemplate them and capture photos during this visit.
Today’s dad joke: Do Swedes like pop music?
ABBA-solutely!
Today’s city walk: Someone recorded this video during the weekend of our arrival while walking around Stockholm’s neighborhood Östermalm, the area of town we stayed in during this visit, in case you want to get a sense of what life is like in downtown just before Christmas:
Today’s unrelated video: Whether you prefer classical music or hard rock, you’ll probably enjoy this surprising performance by a couple of Croatians:
Major Meander 
Right on, Scott! Keep the posts coming. Happy New Year to You and Yours! 🤗
Thanks, Joe! See you in 2024.
What a great post! Interesting and informative. Seems to be little effort to clear the streets and sidewalks of snow. Outside street scenes are relatively tranquil, with little vehicle or foot traffic. The cellos were absolutely crazy!
Thanks! The streets and sidewalks were often quite slick and dangerous. Some older people would wear strap-on spiked footwear to keep from falling. Most of the photos are from Christmas Eve, which is the biggest holiday of the year in Sweden (bigger than Christmas itself). I walked alone for hours that night, and hardly anyone was around (they’re back out now shooting fireworks!).
What a beautiful city and a lovely place for a Christmas celebration. AND I LOVED THE CELLOS!
Thanks, I’m glad! I don’t know if everyone recognizes the AC/DC song Thunderstruck on which this rendition is based, but it doesn’t matter because the song is so catchy, regardless of how it’s played. 🙂