Christmas
I don't care much about Christmas: I'm Soviet-born-and-raised and my family has never been into serious tradition-following. So I'm like whatever and I celebrate Chrisrmas if I have someplace to go, otherwise I can just as well behave like it's just another day. I think it's cosy to hang around with family (original or extended) for a couple of days, but I could do it in October with the same effect for me. Plus it really bothers me how media starts writing about Christmas stress from mid-November and 'til January. Seriously, if Christmas has become so demanding, what about re-thinking your attitude to it?
Um, anyway. Stangel likes it, so lately there's been a lot of Christmas music around and Christmas baking/sweetmaking which is alright with me and even more that than. I like sweets. Also I like meeting people and I've been to a couple of Chrismtas-related cosy gettogethers with friends. Also, I'm a huge fan of glögg (Swedish mulled wine). Actually, there's a lot of Christmas things I like, I just don't like them being pushed down my throat and I don't like them enough to take the initiative, unless it's glögg or saffron bun baking. A few days around the actual Christmas is really good, but it all starts directly after Halooween and blergh at that. Christmas itself I like, but not the extended hype.
Anyway, Stangel's Christmas tradition is to watch Eyes Wide Shut (I can't stop thinking it's funny to call it "a Cristmas movie about family values" because it is) and we watched it with friends this Sunday. It was really nice having people over. too bad not everyone could come, but since it's a tradition, there'll be more occassions. I've seen this film many times before and I wouldn't want to watch it back-to-back, but the party and the argument and the last scene - I'm still loving them and don't go glögg-warming when they are on. I can quote parts of the film by heart, but I still see new things in it.
And today Stangel, Calle and I baked gingerbread and soft honey cookies that we saw in agarit's LJ. I tried to go for Latvian gingerbread (this recipe, modified a little), I'll experiment more with the spice mix in later attempts (bonaci is sending me authentic Latvian ready-made spice mixes! Thank you~♥), but what I got tasted pretty much like my idea of Latvian piparkūkas. Mine were too sweet, but they had the sting that I've been missing from my childhood gingerbread, Swedes don't put pepper in their cookies. I think I'll make piparkūkas my housewife speciality.
Tomorrow is the last day of school before holidays. Time flies.
Um, anyway. Stangel likes it, so lately there's been a lot of Christmas music around and Christmas baking/sweetmaking which is alright with me and even more that than. I like sweets. Also I like meeting people and I've been to a couple of Chrismtas-related cosy gettogethers with friends. Also, I'm a huge fan of glögg (Swedish mulled wine). Actually, there's a lot of Christmas things I like, I just don't like them being pushed down my throat and I don't like them enough to take the initiative, unless it's glögg or saffron bun baking. A few days around the actual Christmas is really good, but it all starts directly after Halooween and blergh at that. Christmas itself I like, but not the extended hype.
Anyway, Stangel's Christmas tradition is to watch Eyes Wide Shut (I can't stop thinking it's funny to call it "a Cristmas movie about family values" because it is) and we watched it with friends this Sunday. It was really nice having people over. too bad not everyone could come, but since it's a tradition, there'll be more occassions. I've seen this film many times before and I wouldn't want to watch it back-to-back, but the party and the argument and the last scene - I'm still loving them and don't go glögg-warming when they are on. I can quote parts of the film by heart, but I still see new things in it.
And today Stangel, Calle and I baked gingerbread and soft honey cookies that we saw in agarit's LJ. I tried to go for Latvian gingerbread (this recipe, modified a little), I'll experiment more with the spice mix in later attempts (bonaci is sending me authentic Latvian ready-made spice mixes! Thank you~♥), but what I got tasted pretty much like my idea of Latvian piparkūkas. Mine were too sweet, but they had the sting that I've been missing from my childhood gingerbread, Swedes don't put pepper in their cookies. I think I'll make piparkūkas my housewife speciality.
Tomorrow is the last day of school before holidays. Time flies.