We have quite a few tasty traditions in Sweden. There’s the fika and kanelbulle, of course, the semla season, and pancakes with whipped cream on Thursdays.

Then there’s the lovely lussebulle season, and it’s just started. A bit too early, to be honest. Traditionally, it runs from late November.

That’s the thing with most traditions these days, isn’t it? It feels like they’re getting stretched each year. In a few years, we’ll take midsommarstången down on the same day as we put up the Christmas tree. Or maybe it’s just me getting old...

Anyway, today I got my hands on this season’s first lussebulle, also known as lussekatt (Lucia cat). It’s a tasty, sweet saffron-flavored bun, shaped like a reversed S and decorated with raisins.

A common belief is that the name comes from the shape, curled like a cat’s tail. But it most likely comes from duivekater, a Dutch Christmas bread that made its way to Gothenburg in the 1600s. The swirly shape goes back even further, to patterns found on Bronze Age jewelry. And the saffron? According to legend, the bright yellow color keeps the devil away.

So, hopefully I’m safe now with this yummy in my tummy:

If you read up on Sweden, you’ll quickly learn that we love to fika.

How to describe fika? It’s a coffee break, but also a moment to slow down, to talk, to breathe. It’s about the company (or the solitude) just as much as the cup.

To make the fika complete, you need something to go with the coffee. One popular choice is the cinnamon bun. You’ll find it in every café, and most people can’t resist them (I sure can’t).

We even love them so much that we’ve dedicated a special day to honor this delicious pastry: Kanelbullens dag (cinnamon bun day). And that day is today! 😋

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting at one of my favorite cafés here in Stockholm. I’ve just had a warm, sweet kanelbulle, and I’m already thinking there will probably be one more before this day is over.

And my mom, perfectly timed as always, just sent me a photo of what she’s up to:

A close friend of mine works in pest control. During one of the jobs today, she was attacked by a swarm of wasps. Despite her full safety gear, they managed to sting her many times.

It was quite a shocking experience, lying in the corner of a cramped attic without a way to escape. Luckily, it all turned out okay in the end. She got out, got medicine, and called the office to tell them to reschedule the other jobs.

When she called and told me what had happened and how she handled it, I let her know how impressed I was. I can only imagine what a wreck I would’ve been after such an incident.

Then we got to talking about how it would’ve gone only a year ago. Just like me, she has a history of being diagnosed with anxiety and was on sick leave for several months.

If today’s event had occurred around that time, it would’ve been a total disaster. This time she handled it by the book. I got happy tears in my eyes when we talked, and I get them now when writing this.

We all go through hard times in life, and somehow we manage to move on. We learn, we grow stronger, we get better at handling whatever life throws at us the next time.

Looking back at where we were just a year or two ago, realizing how much we’ve developed, is a great reminder when we start doubting ourselves. It brings enough comfort and confidence to even allow ourselves to shed some happy tears in public.

The beautiful plant wall pictured above is just around the corner from where I live. I took the photo yesterday.

I often take a mini detour just to stop for a second and have a look. It does something to you, that brief moment. A little pause in the midst of it all.

Would it have the same effect to stop and stare at a chimney? I think most people would agree that it wouldn’t. It needs to be something living to truly bring you that soothing feeling of aliveness.

The beauty of it all is that you don’t need to visit a garden or look at a plant wall to experience it. When I had an office job some years ago, I had a plant on my desk. Every now and then, I turned away from the screen and looked at it for a while.

Breathing in, breathing out…

It was a huge media company. Once a week I worked at one of our other agencies, on the third floor, and I always brought the plant with me. Even though no one said anything, I imagine some of them thought it was a bit weird.

Looking back, it probably was a bit weird :) But I was so used to it from when I was running my own business from home. And it worked. Glancing at it always brought a sense of presence and relief.

Try it for yourself. Being a weirdo can sometimes be the sanest thing to be.

Yesterday was Midsummer Eve here in Sweden. It’s one of the biggest and most appreciated celebrations of the year.

People gather outdoors, dance around midsommarstången (a flower-decorated maypole), wear flowers in their hair, and eat pickled herring, new potatoes, and strawberries, often with one (too many) snaps.

The dances usually match the lyrics of the songs. One classic is “Små grodorna” (“The Little Frogs”), with movements that mimic the body parts frogs don’t have, like ears and tails. Yes, it’s just as silly and delightful as it sounds!

Fun fact: In the movie Minority Report, it's "Små grodorna" that the Swedish actress Caroline Lagerfelt sings in this scene with Tom Cruise.

I celebrated with friends and family in Åkersberga, a small town outside Stockholm where I grew up, at a place called Ekbacken (oak hill). It's beautifully located by Åkers kanal, a canal that used to be a natural river. The walk up there is also very beautiful, a small path with water on one side and lush vegetation on the other.

Here are some photos.

If you visit Sweden this time of year, it’s almost impossible not to see the word semla here and there.

It’s a seasonal thing that’s way too good to be limited to a season. But it’s probably best to keep it that way, because it’s super tasty, but not exactly super healthy.

A semla is made from a soft cardamom bun, cut open and filled with almond paste and a ridiculous amount of whipped cream. Simple, messy, and impossible to eat politely.

Its history goes back to Fettisdagen (Fat Tuesday), the last big day of eating before Lent, the period before Easter when fasting was practiced. The semla was fuel, not a treat. People needed something heavy and filling before weeks of restraint.

Even though the official semla day falls 47 days before Easter, you can often get your hands on one just after Christmas. I took advantage of that today, when one of my favorite cafés started selling them for the season.

So I’ve got this yummy in my tummy now:

A nice thing we have in Sweden is dagens lunch (today’s lunch).

It’s basically a good weekday deal most restaurants offer. You pick from a couple of dishes, usually meat, fish or vegetarian, and you get a beverage, salad buffet, bread, coffee and sometimes even dessert.

I’m at such a place right now. They have ten dishes to choose from, a handful of drinks, bread and about twenty salad options. The price is 130 Swedish kronor, roughly 13 dollars.

Usually there’s apple pie with vanilla sauce for dessert, but not today. Why? Because it’s Thursday, and Thursdays belong to pea soup and pancakes.

That’s right. It’s an old Swedish tradition. Normally I would say “don’t ask me why”, but today I actually looked it up.

Turns out it began as a practical habit before Friday fasting. People wanted a hearty meal to keep them going, and pea soup was cheap, filling and easy to cook in large batches. When the soup ran out, pancakes were made from the leftover milk, adding a small sense of celebration before the fast.

Even though the fasting tradition faded, the habit stayed. I’d write more about it, but I have a tasty Thursday ritual to look after…