Expat Blog

When you move to Sweden one if the first things you will miss is your network of friends, family, neighbors and colleagues. New ones will replace old ones. One of the fantastic things about the move is to discover new people in your life and also discover new things about yourself in the company of your new friends. You will change the topics that may have become a bit of a broken record at home for new ones.

On our website we have a new section called Expat stories so our clients and others can read about expats already living here. As this blogger tries to demystify life in Sweden I often have a good laugh when I read her pieces. I wanted to share one with you.

Not long after I arrived in Stockholm, I ran into someone I knew. Well, when I say “knew,” I mean, I had been introduced to him by a mutual colleague. Once.

Not long into my first winter in Sweden, I was working away at my desk one afternoon, when I looked out the window, thought to myself, ‘goodness the time has flown - it’s evening!’ I packed up my things and headed home… only to discover that it was half past three in the afternoon.

Last summer, I rented a cottage in the archipelago with some friends from the UK for a long weekend. Being the only Swedish resident of the group, I took charge of the arrangements, and just before confirming the rental, I emailed the owner to double check that it was accessible from Stockholm.

Along with most other European cultures, Swedes celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of the new on December 31. Since traditions, celebrations, rules and regulations vary in every country, we thought it would be wise to let you in on how New Year’s Eve is celebrated the Swedish way to avoid surprises and ensure an evening of exciting festivities.

BingoLotto is one of Sweden’s most popular TV-related traditions around Christmas time. Although you can get a taste of the game-show every Sunday at 6.30pm on Channel 7, they roll out the Rolls Royce version for their annual Christmas special. Since 1995, Swedish families have gathered round their television on December 23, very likely with some glögg and a slice of home cooked Christmas ham in hand, to play bingo.

Our soft mission is to help our expats moving to Sweden to have the best time in their lives! We do it by sharing our own experiences. We see it as an advantage that we have a wide range of ages and interests in our office, as this means we have more eclectic suggestions for our clients.
As in most countries, Christmas in Sweden is a festive time. It is dark, which is perfect for cozy wood fires and candles, Christmas markets, smorgasbords, concerts, shopping, and volunteer opportunities to help homeless people. During the month of December we will increase our Facebook engagement to a daily post, so our clients can really enjoy their stay here and celebrate the Swedish way.

As many of you may know by now, Systembolaget has the monopoly of selling alcohol in Sweden, which means it’s only there you can fetch your favorite Christmas liquors and other alcoholic beverages. The best-selling beverages sold at Systembolaget during this time include; Prippsjul öl, God Jul Glögg, God Jul Glögg Röd alkoholfritt, Byaregårdens Jul, Electric nurse, Dufvenkrooks Jul, Haga and Haga Jul-Snaps Cognac.

A small gift is often presented on visiting someone’s home in Sweden.
Ideas for such gifts around Christmas time would be;