Advent Journey Day 19

 Every year in the midst of the demands of the Christmas season, Doug and I try to find one night when we can go down to Gamla Stan (Old Town), wander through the Christmas market and walk home while enjoying the beauty and splendor of our fair city.  Stockholm is a beautiful city no matter the season and at Christmas, even without a flake of snow, it's pretty magical.  
So today I will let my photographs speak my message. 

The gigantic Christmas tree (actually several trees molded into one) that sits out by the water in front of Gamla Stan.

Love this set up outside of a restaurant.  People traditionally put the greens on the ground as a natural place to wipe your feet before entering.

Iconic look at the famous Gamla Stan buildings with the Christmas market booths in front of them.

One of several booths in the Gamla Stan Christmas market. 

Most Swedes will eat a lot of fish at Christmas including herring of many tastes.  As for me, this photo will do! 

The korv man is always a hit!
The free samples of elk, moose, and reindeer are fun to taste.

The sign says, "You only get real kisses under real mistletoe!"
 Doug and I stole a real kiss in front of the sign while huddled under the real mistletoe.

I L-O-V-E this candle booth!  The candles are so beautiful and right now,
we need all the light we can get!

The bread booth.  Delicious Swedish rye bread on sample.  mmmm. 

Kungsgatan...one of the main drags in central Stockholm, all dressed up for Christmas!

The long view over the water across one of the bridges to
Royal Palace.  The light fixtures are laced with these beautiful white lights.
 

Always good to pause in the midst of the demands to share some love and create some memories
with the one you love the most!

Hope you enjoyed this little Jul Hälsning (Christmas greeting) from Stockholm!

Window Dressing

The big department store in downtown Stockholm, NK, decorates their windows every Christmas with a fine tale of the season.  
I love this.  One of my favorite things to do when I lived in Chicago was to venture down to State Street to look at the beautiful windows in the then Marshall Field's department store.  In this respect, the child in me really comes out!
One evening, we were strolling through the city and stopped by for a look.  It was kind of late so the streets were almost empty, thus allowing us to get a good look at the windows, read the commentary and get some good photos!

Yes, that's Pippi Longstockings busy making Pepparkakor!

This year, the windows were a tribute to famous Swedish fairy tales and books.  The details were marvelous and I'm sure my eyes sparkled as I took in the beauty with childlike wonder.

Loved watching the skiers turn the corner!

I may have to walk downtown one more time to have one last look before the windows return to their high fashion state.