13 December, Glögg for Lucia

Translations from the web: "mulled wine" "Spicy Hot Red Wine" (also
this one. Note how these two sites suggest a good place to get some
of this stuff without having to make your own), and of course the
usual American misspelling. I've never made glögg, only bought it,
but it goes very nicely with the ginger bread and lussekatter I have
presented here in last couple of days. You serve glögg with raisins
and almonds (just stuff a suitable amount into a cup full of warm glögg).

Of course, you must have noticed my little hints about Lucia being
today, but perhaps not quite understood the significance of it. Lucia
is like "Christmas before Christmas", especially for the children.
This is when people have Christmas parties at schools, or at work.
Children are taught Lucia and Christmas songs which they sing in
special Lucia shows, in school in front of the other children (and/or
parents!), in recreation centres, in churches, etc, etc, etc. This is
one of the Big days of the year for any choir. The preparations of
costumes, rehearsing songs, choosing who is to be Lucia this year
(cruel "Miss Universe" type stuff!) and making those buns and bisquits,
keep the kids (and many grown- ups) busy for days and weeks before
Lucia.






              )    (
            )    )                    .--.    .--.
          (    )   )                .'""`.\ .'""`.\
           _.----._                J      \/      LL
         .'        `.            _.---.           ||
         |`-.____.-'|___        /      \          FF
         |'        `|__ \      |    )   L        //
         |`-.____.-'|  | |   __.`--'    |       //
         |          |  | | .' .--.      F      //
         |       __ |_/ / /  /-.  \  # /      //  
         | _.-##<__)|__/  |        |--' \    //
         |(__>_## ##|     \        /     \  //
  VK     `-._<__)_.-'      `-.__.-'       \//
             """"