Julbord & Christkindl
Season's Greetings!
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Or so they say. This Christmas, my family is all back in Denver again. All 11 of us. So we decided to cross off a couple bucket list Christmas events. European style.
So last Friday we headed over to IKEA for their annual julbord. A julbord is a Christmas buffet they do in Sweden. We are very Swedish in my family {Justin is more Norwegian, but we don't like to talk about it.} Our last name is Swedish. We're pink-skinned blondes with blue eyes. Papa Erickson always called us "my Svenska flickas" growing up {"his Swedish girls"}. Also, we all drive Volvos. Yep, all of us. You'd think they'd have given us discounted tickets, but they didn't.
There were lots of salmon dishes to choose from, or their classic Swedish meatballs.
All kinds of Swedish treats at the buffet. The potato dish is called Jansson's temptation. It was really good. Also cucumber salad, cured salmon, eggs with shrimpy things, all of it was really good and/or interesting to try.
Christmas ham. And all those IKEA treats and desserts to choose from.
The princess cakes went fast. Luckily, I've had them before. They're really yummy and you can buy them in their food area.
IKEA does a really nice job. They had a table reserved for our party of 11.
They hire Swedish singers and young ladies to be Santa Lucia.
There were toddlers in Swedish folk attire, little caps and aproned dresses, all the way up to the elderly Swedes in traditional Swedish dress.
Would we go again? I'm not sure I'd spend money on it again since we've been to it once. {Even though my parents paid for it.}
But I am definitely glad we tried an IKEA Christmas julbord.
They have a very similar event for Easter, so buy tickets early if you want to go.
The Santa Lucia procession was adorable.
St. Lucy was a 3rd century martyr who--as folklore goes--brought food to the Christians in hiding via the catacombs. She wore a crown of candles--they say--so that she could carry more food with her arms and still see the way through the dark.
{I'm not sure I believe it, as candles on the head don't seem like a great idea to me, but whatever.}
They entertained us with song and Swedish folk dance.
The next evening we decided to honor our German roots by heading downtown to the Denver Christkindl Market. Not only do we love European stuff, but both my family and Sander's family are pretty much mostly Scandinavian and German.
Sander and I took Deutsche together in high school. Our old German teacher loved him {old ladies always do} and so he never got in trouble for harassing me {he couldn't keep his hands to himself, whereas I hated being the PDA couple in the hallway} but she sent home notes to my mom about "Heather won't leave the Sander boy alone in class."
What?! Other way around, lady.
{I think she had a thing for my future husband.}
{Most old ladies do.}
Sometimes we do German accents with each other.
Gotta keep the spark alive somehow.
{I think she had a thing for my future husband.}
{Most old ladies do.}
Sometimes we do German accents with each other.
Gotta keep the spark alive somehow.
We decided to take the Light Rail downtown.
{Thanks for the great photo, Eisley.}
We'd never been to the Christkindl Market, but we've all wanted to go for years.
There was a big tent with tons of people, all jolly and beer-filled.
And lots of little booths open with so many European-style Christmas goods.
I could not get enough of these beautiful glass ornaments.
I wanted to take them all home.
Now this, the Christkindl Market, I will definitely go back to year-after-year.
It was so very European. All the food was Bavarian--they had Hungarian-style goulash, German dumplings, gluhwein {mulled wine}, beer, pretzels, latkes...
All the things our Swedish and German Lutheran ancestors would have enjoyed at Christmastime.
All the things our Swedish and German Lutheran ancestors would have enjoyed at Christmastime.
As well as really neat Christmas gifts to shop for.
I think it's open most of the day, for multiple weekends in December.
I bought the kids some handmade mittens. Just $15/pair or 2 for $25.
Which I didn't think was so bad for handmade, and they're lined in soft warm fleece.
If you want to try goulash, I've made this recipe at home and it was almost identical to the one they served at Christkindl {and everyone who tried my goulash thought it was the best} so try it out. My whole family loved it. {But you have to make her amazing dumplings too, it goes with it.}
The Christkindl Market makes for such a lovely winter night out in Denver.
I hope you can make it next year, if you haven't already been yourself.
{Imagine the hum of a crowd against a live Bavarian band--all accordion and polka style--when you look at this photo.}
My mom bought my sister and me each a Matryoshka doll.
I chose a Santa one. Because I thrifted two Santa Matryoshka's before, as seen in this post, so now I guess I have a collection.
Did I mention the smell of the market?
It smells like winter, baked goods with yeast, and those candied roasted almonds.
{This was my favorite booth, for obvious reasons.}
So I know I haven't posted much this year--it's been a doozy--but here we are ending it on a high note with a very Scandinavian Bavarian Christmas with all our family together.
So. Pretty good.
Goodnight, Denver.
Merry
Christmas!
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