"Dies Natalis Solis Invicti".

December in Scandinavia is defined by an endless and constant darkness. We only get six hours of daylight, which is fragile and resembles twilight at the very best, instigating perpetual tiredness and signs of depression.
Yet, this period of - what feels as - eternal dusk, beckons us to light multitude of candles through out our homes, adding to the enchantment of the Holidays, complementing the artificial illumination of the streets and the stores.

Today, as we cross the threshold of light once again, the longest night settles upon us, creating a sweet contradiction.

While the winter solstice ushers us into the fourth season, defined by cold and darkness, it also brings with it that slight glimpse of hope. The Romans called this day Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, meaning the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.
From now on, the fragile daylight will grow stronger by each day. However minute that addition of light will be to begin with, it will be there nevertheless. Slowly gaining in intensity until it grows strong enough to illuminate our surroundings, comes the vernal equinox.

However, until that time comes, we will relish in the subtle light of candles, which create that enchanting atmosphere, so significant of the winter season.

Countdown In Light.

This December is very special to me, as I get to experience the Holiday season for the first time in my new home.

I am looking forward to celebrate this enchanting occasion in the company of my new family, as we combine our traditions, creating something novel and something that is ours.

While most of my possessions are in storage, I made sure all the red boxes once stored in my old basement, with Christmas written on their side, were tucked away safely in our garage. Thus some of my Christmas decorations are now finding their way into our home.

Such as the familiar Calendar Candle. Christmas is simply not complete in any home I live in, unless I get to experience this simple daily pleasure in this ultimate month of the year.
Those of you who know me well know that starting the 1st of December, I burn a special candle, the one that has twenty four numbers printed on its side. I burn each number down for each day in December until I reach 24 - The Christmas Eve.

This year is no exception. I opted for a simple white candle, made of natural wax, so very fitting our austere home.
Thus yet again, the countdown to Christmas has begun and each day I will post a new picture of the burning candle on my side bar - turning this month into weeks of progressive photography in light.
And days of sweet anticipation.

Empty Rooms...

Last Candle Light

Empty rooms...
That is the last image of the white house imprinted in my memory.
Yet, also smiling faces of my new tenants ready to move in.
A deliciously melancholic mix.

Nevertheless, I have now left my former home behind, in the hands of a new family.
But not before I spend one very last weekend there getting it ready for the new occupants.
I was very appropriately alone, as my man was once again out of town through his work and this final stay was exactly as I envisioned it would be; strenuous, endless work mixed with wonderfully bittersweet recollections.

The house parted with me in style - I got to see a magnificent sunrise and a stunning late fall sunset. I watched a large red moon rise in the north and I enjoyed the warmth of the fire and the beautiful westbound views - all for one last time.
Finally, I lit one last candle in the old lantern, the one that once - those eighth years ago - held the first candle light when I moved in...

I got to say my good byes and now it is time for a new wonderful chapter in my life to start, one that I have been waiting for so long - my whole life it seems.
And I am looking forward to share it with all of you.

Sunrise, 12th Of November

Sunset, 12th Of November

Almost Full Moon, 12th Of November

Turning Off The Lights.

This past week has proceeded in the spirit of the sun. As we crossed the vernal equinox a week ago, the return of the light is becoming ever so more obvious in my days and a cause for joy and celebration. Thus I am looking forward to take part in another kind of somewhat related global observance today.

One that is uniting the world and has grown over few years to connect us all - through a very simple act.

A turn of the switch, abolishing the lights for one hour - no more, no less. Such an effortless yet important contribution while the lighter evenings make this task not only enjoyable, but endlessly tranquil.

While I will watch the sun set in its true cardinal direction, enjoying this silent yet transcending show, upon its conclusion I will light a few candles and surrender to the brief connection that unifies me with nature and the rest of humanity in an almost absolute, one of a kind sense.

Happy Earth Hour everyone.

Winter Lights.

As we step into the final week of Christmas anticipation, my surroundings grow darker by each day.
These days,  I find myself suffering from a mild case of insomnia - of the good kind. Thus being wide awake in the early hours of the morning, I love to watch the world, as it is still submerged in darkness and stillness.

I do not mind this current state of my mind, as pleasant thoughts fill my entire being and I find incredible comfort in the ebony of the winter dawn. The only illumination - in my home and outside my windows - comes from candles and the beautiful Christmas Lights. Their delicate shine creates a feeling of enchantment and tranquility, spreading a soothing and comforting atmosphere.

Each morning, I enjoy watching the sky turn milky grey, as the illumination slowly looses in intensity, until it at one point vanishes all together, signaling a birth of yet another winter day.

November Twilight.

November has arrived. A month disliked by many, none the least the Scandinavians, due to the dreary, drizzly weather, late autumn storms and most of all, darkness.
Our daylight is diminishing drastically. The sun moves lower and lower across the horizon and soon twilight will gain reign over our reality.

Thus this is - once again - the time of candle lights. It is the time of cozy evenings by the fire, the time of contemplation and remembrance. The time of long discussions with someone special while sharing a glass of wine, enjoying the time of tranquility and reflection.

This is the time of November twilight and I am looking forward to relish in its gentle melancholy.

Counting Down To Christmas Eve.

December has arrived.
This is the first winter month and thus the beginning of a new season. It is the time of dark days, long nights, of wind and rain, sometimes snow. Of frost and bare landscape, cold hands, red noses and sleepy eyes.
However, December is so much more than just that; it is also the Holiday month. A time of joy and expectations, no matter whether you are an adult or a child.

We all surely recall the incredible impatience we once felt as children, looking forward to that night of magic, which seemed still so far away, once December begun. In Scandinavia, the wait has been eased by a very sweet tradition. The tradition of burning Calendar Candles. These are candles that come in all shapes and sizes, with one common significance: a column of numbers printed on one side.
Starting with number 1 at the very top, all the way to 24 at the very bottom. The candle is lit every day and the number corresponding to the date is burned away, making the wait, particularly for children, slightly more exciting. Of course, if you are like me and have kept a childish mind, this is a wonderful daily simple pleasure throughout the month of December.

I dedicate this post to the lovely Blog Princess G, who expressed such a delightful interest in this Scandinavian tradition last year; I hope she will enjoy the daily Christmas countdown this year as well, as I post it on my sidebar in the following weeks.

Fire And Ice.

This is the time of candles. I light them every day, in multitude of candle holders, through out my house and even outside. My favorite ones are almost all made for tealights. I like these for many reasons, but mostly as tealights in Scandinavia are very popular and readily available. They are very safe, or as safe as a candle alight can be and can burn for many hours, without having to be constantly watched. We have many different kinds, any that can burn for four hours all the way up to eight hours. The eight hours ones are very much in use in the winter when the evenings are dark and the nights very long.

I have many candle holders that are my favorite, but the oldest one is the most beautiful by far. It is called "Snowball" and is made by the Swedish glasswork company called Kosta Boda. It is suppose to imitate a ball made of snow, or rather ice and it certainly looks that way. Particularly when a lit candle is placed within, it looks like fire within ice. I love the light it spreads and I love the originality of the design, that is so very Scandinavian in its elegance.

It was the first candle holder ever to hold a lit candle when I moved away from home. It has been with me everywhere and have been in use in every home I ever lived in.

The Winter Candles.

In Scandinavia, the lack of light in November and December means that we light multitude of candles through out our homes. It creates a cosy atmosphere and candles are an essential and a very common object in every Nordic home.

Around the holidays, it is common to place candles and a multitude of candle holders in the windows as well. Today though, in order to avoid fires, we have started to place electric candles in the windows and in the unattended rooms in our houses.
Recently I purchased two rechargeable electric candles, that look very much like the real deal. I have placed them in my bedroom window, up in the attic, next to my Christmas Cactus.
The beauty lies in their design but also in their practical use; they can be charged during the day and then left on in the evening for decoration. Furthermore they will shine all through the night, acting as a sort of a nightlight.

Magma Stone.

I am really having a difficult time accepting that we are loosing light. Every passing day gets shorter, loosing more minutes to the night. It is unbelievable that already now we get one hour less daylight than a month ago.

However, that is the yearly cycle up here in Scandinavia and a natural way of things. I guess I am feeling the loss a bit more intensely this year, due to the absolutely horrid weather we are having. July has been terrible weatherwise; a total disappointment. We have received a lot of rain lately. Too much at this point and my flowers are not happy anymore. They need water but they also need the vital sunlight; without it they look sad and lifeless. They loose colour and become soggy and slowly wither away. Or rot away would be a better description.

There is one positive factor though, which makes up for the dark and rain. The early evenings bring back the candle light.
Yes, I love candles and I burn through hundreds of them in the winter season. In the summer most of them are forgotten in drawers and cabinets, but slowly, the need for them starts to return.

Yesterday evening I lit for the first time in several months a few candles here and there around the house. Among others, my "Magma Stone". A very unusual and so very intriguing candleholder, which I received from the students in the lab, when I turned forty a few years ago. A lovely gift and frequently in use in my white house on the hill.
Strikingly Scandinavian, its design is rugged and pristine, carved in a form of hollow lava stone, made out of dark clay with coloured (orange or yellow) inside. When the candle is placed inside the stone and lit, the stone resembles magma.

I have placed it high up in my kitchen, which is open and connected to my living room. When it gets dark, the stone glows orange and spreads a warm, almost magical light.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all of you reading this; all of you that found it worth their while to stop by here and leave wonderful comments, today and in the past - may your holidays be lovely!

Winter Solstice.

Today is the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. The so called "winter solstice" is taking place, when the sun is standing low on the horizon; rising at 8.53 in the morning and setting at 15.41 in the afternoon, where I live. Indeed, with today’s cloud cover, it is truly a gloomy and very dark winter day. But, there is something to look forward to. From now on, the days will on average become about 3 minutes longer. Comes June and the return of summer solstice, we will have about 10 hours more of light per day. What a difference six months can make.
The return of the sun in December has been celebrated and observed in many cultures throughout the times. Interestingly, this year the winter solstice comes on a 4th Advent Sunday, when four candles are lit in advent candle holders or advent wreaths, meaning Christmas is truly knocking on the door.

Favourite Christmas Candles.

Being far up in the North means way too little light comes December. Just this morning there was a discussion on the Danish television that any light, even candlelight, is beneficiary during the long, dark Scandinavian winter.
Well, I do not have to be told twice; every evening I lit several candles and here are a few favourite ones of mine.

"The Christmas Girl."

In my house, every year during the Christmas Holidays, a special statue of a young girl is always on display in my window. She is dressed in red and holds a basket of apples in one hand and a candle in the other. The girl is sculpted according to a well known Christmas drawing by a famous Swedish painter Carl Larsson, representing his daughter Brita.

This is indeed a very familiar and traditional image to all Swedes and the name of the drawing is "Brita As Idun". Idun is the name of a Goddess in the Norse Mythology, which is indicative off youth or the forever young, thus the apple symbolism. Brita as Idun can be found often depicted on Christmas cards and printed on table clothes and other fabrics. Or painted on china and made into pottery or small statues, such as the one in my possession.

I was given this "Christmas Girl" as gift about 7 years ago while spending Christmas with my parents in Sweden. On the day of Christmas Eve, while my mother stayed in to prepare dinner, my father, me, my sister and her husband went to a small pottery shop that was still open; it was magical to be there. My father bought two of these "Christmas Girls" statues; one for me and for my sister. He and my mother already had one themselves; that is where the inspiration originated the previous day.

The girl has since then become almost a family symbol of the holidays. Gazing at Brita while she smiles and holds a lit candle makes me feel closer to my family, which is spread all over Europe. It warms my heart knowing that my family members are perhaps, in the same moment, looking at the Christmas Girl as well.

"With Every Christmas Card I write..."

Another tradition day in my white house on the hill is on the 2nd of Advent, which is today. As soon as it gets dark, I lit the candles and my fireplace. In North Carolina I would drink some eggnog, but that I cannot purchase here, so I settle for a glass of hot spicy red vine (gløgg) and write Christmas cards while listening to my favorite Christmas music. Ok, I know this sounds so corny, please do not hate me, but I truly enjoy this little tradition of mine. And yes, I am one of those people who still write cards, even in the age of Internet and emails. I personally love receiving cards and I will never stop writing them. I appreciate that someone takes the time to sit down and writes me a few lines, wishing me wonderful holidays. I usually take this opportunity to write to friends and family, who I have not spoken with for a while, letting them know that despite the distance, they are in my thoughts.

Calendar Candle.

Today is the start of the first winter month of this season. December comes from the Latin decem meaning ten, as it was originally the tenth month in the Roman calendar.
In Scandinavia the countdown to Christmas begins today. Lots of people lit their "kalenderlys", which in translation means, "calendar candle". The candle has numbers printed on it, from 1 to 24. One is suppose to burn one number each day until Christmas Eve. A tradition mostly for kids, nevertheless I have one every year, this one is no exception. So, here we go, burning down the number 1.

An Evening Without Technology.

Yesterday evening, after returning from work, I turned on the TV to find not the news I expected, but lots of snow. After clicking through the channels impatiently with my remote, at least 10 times up and down, I was left puzzled. All 45 channels were showing snow. I have never experienced a total loss of all my cable and found this a bit disconcerting. I turned on the radio, which is receiving signals from the cable as well - and likewise, there was nothing but the loud sound of an empty aether. Finally, I noticed that the light on my modem monitoring the Internet connection was blinking red.
After going through all the emotions such as surprise, disbelieve, shock and finally anger, in this particular order, I verified quickly that this outage was indeed affecting a larger part of the city. The house felt much more quiet then I ever recalled and suddenly I did not know what to do with my evening.
I am used to have the TV and the radio on all the time, no matter what I am doing. I turn on the computer every evening when I come home from work and every morning when I get up. I use the Internet to finish of work, to check my mails and to stay in touch with friends and family either via instant messaging or by making online phone calls (as I am blessed with my near and dear to be spread all over the world).
Being without all of this, even for just one evening, was not possible to imagine. When the reality of all this finally sank in, I capitulated. I went through my large CD collection and decided for an old, favourite CD I have not listened to for a very long time. I pored myself a glass of really cheap French red vine, turned on the candles and spend the evening in the company of my own thoughts and memories, something that I have not done for ages. It was amazingly relaxing and brought tranquillity to my stressful mind.
Still, this morning, I woke up with an unsettling feeling which dissipated first only after I made sure, that my world was on-line again.

Two Hearts.

I love candles. I have zillions of candle holders all over my house. In Scandinavia, October and November are the darkest months of the year and it is a tradition here to light candles in the evenings. Not just for the light, but also to spread heat and to create a cosy atmosphere.
Today has been one of those really dreadful fall days, that are so common in the North. Windy, drizzly, rainy, cold and most of all, dark. Perfect day to just curl up in front of the fireplace.
As I sit there, I can see two of my favorite candleholders, called "Two Hearts", which I placed on the shelf just above the fireplace. They were a birthday gift from one of my friends. I love the simple, natural design. Made of rough materials, such as concrete, metal and black glass, they are very sturdy but still appear so delicate and fragile. Just like the Scandinavian nature. Designed by a Swedish artist, Annica Vallin, they are a part of an art collection, called "The Hearts Desire". All the pieces are made out of natural materials and inspired by the rugged beauty of the Swedish west coast.