In the Dark Days of Winter

....you could travel to somber Scandinavia, where you will find the brightest of colors and the whitest of whites for the holiday season::

A Scandanavian Christmas - thanks to huset.

Swedish Hasbeens (and I don't mean A B B A)

I dig these kicks. I dig them like the 70's-Scandinavian-mod-a-thon they invoke. Picture: Northern Cali-bohemian-gauzey-smocked-maxi-dress.....maybe a cigarette. Maybe not.

But you can bet money that you put these on your dogs and instantly you'd be in a good mood.


I'm not sure anything but metallic footwear can shake you out of the winter doldrums.



and if you're feeling noir there are these black beauties.



Swedish Hasbeens. Handmade. And from Sweden.

Glögg

Glögg.

glug?

No. Glögg. G l ö g g.

G l u h g? Sounds like glug. Why are you harassing me with this troll-like talk?

I'm not a troll. I'm saying "Glögg". You know, Glögg. Mulled wine. Swedish mulled wine. For the Holidays. We should have it again. With the raisins and almonds. And the vodka. And wine.

You sound very Shrekish to me when you say glug.

It's not glug. It's Glögg. And it's good. And I'm not Shrekish. At least not now.

Glögg

(House & Garden Drink Guide | November 1973)

There are a number of variations of this traditional Scandinavian Yuletide drink. Dry red wine, muscatel and sweet vermouth, with aquavit in place of the brandy, may be used. In another version, 2 bottles of dry red wine, preferably Bordeaux, are used with the quantity of aquavit increased to a whole bottle, which is poured over the flaming sugar.

Yield: Makes about 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 bottle tawny port
1 bottle Madeira
1 bottle medium dry sherry
1/2 bottle dry red wine
15 cloves
15 cardamom seeds
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 pound lump sugar
1/2 cup brandy
1 cup raisins
1 cup blanched almonds

Combine all ingredients except the sugar, brandy, raisins and nuts in a heavy saucepan and heat slowly. When the wine mixture is hot, place a rack on top of the saucepan so that it covers half of it. Arrange the sugar cubes on the rack, warm the brandy, pour it over the sugar and set it aflame. Ladle the wine mixture over the flaming sugar until sugar is dissolved. Serve in 8-ounce mugs, garnished with the almonds and raisins.

(we prefer the Bordeaux version with vodka. And we skip the flaming sugar-we just use simple syrup - why bother any fire with the shaking hands and all?)

Nothing beats a good throw

Years ago I worked for a Swedish company...it was my last 'big' job before bailing out of the hardcore professional world for motherhood.

Based in Cambridge, MA. I was "Vice President" (I'll admit, the title was a tad inflated) of one of the student travel exchange programs.

Besides working insane hours and traveling around the US, there were a couple of opportunities to visit the Stockholm office.

I never really appreciated the Swedish cultural sensibilities that I found incredibly homogeneous, humorless, or even hard-boiled. But, I did enjoy the aesthetic and good, simple design that seemed to be everywhere.

Yeah, yeah, yeah....I know: IKEA. Cool, cheap, veneer knock-offs. Sometimes a hit, sometimes a miss.

But allow me to introduce another: Design House Stockholm


These throws are the perfect cover for those chilly nights that seem to be more and frequent these days.

Made from soft, warm pleated fleece, they are durable and washable. And feel like some crazy five ply cashmere.

The best selection can be found online at The Conran Shop.