Hej,
I’m not sure if it’s due to the clocks going back last week or the rainy weather we’ve had here in Malmö this week, but I’ve really noticed a shift recently.
Up until a week or so ago, we were going through that kind of beautiful transitional period of autumn, where the trees are golden with crisp, bright days tricking you into thinking that the upcoming months of grey weather won’t be that bad after all.
This week on the other hand, we had a day so wet that on my brief bike ride into town the rain seeped through my coat, leaving me so sodden by the time I arrived home that I needed a full change of clothes. Yes, I know, det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder, but I have to admit I wasn’t quite prepared for the full onslaught of Swedish autumn weather just yet.
Either way, this reminded me just how grim the autumn and winter months can be in Sweden, and I started thinking about the best ways to make the most of it, rather than just endure it. Below are some of the ideas I came up with, but I’d be interested in hearing yours as well.
Make the most of every opportunity to celebrate
The last public holiday was at Midsummer, and the next one is at Christmas (yes, I know All Saints’ Day is a public holiday, but it’s on a Saturday so it doesn’t count). That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to celebrate until then, though.
During the colder, darker months, you need to take every possible opportunity to come together and socialise, whether that’s Halloween and All Saints’ Day, Mårtensafton in mid-November or even celebrating Advent early, with Novent.
There doesn’t even need to be any real cause for celebration to make the autumn months a bit more mysig – why not start a winter tradition to curl up on the sofa with a hot chocolate (or something stronger, if that’s more your thing) every Friday with a good TV show? I’ll be watching the classic Swedish game show På spåret, but you choose whatever you want.
You’d be surprised how much a couple of candles and a few events in your social calendar can help you get through the long days.
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Find a new winter hobby
Speaking of candles, as of a few weeks ago, my husband has a new obsession – making hand-dipped candles out of beeswax that make the entire apartment smell like honey.
I’m not saying you should go out and spend your hard-earned money on a few kilos of beeswax and some wicks – as I have recently learned, candlemaking costs add up – but I do think now is a great time of year to get into a new (preferably indoor) hobby.
This is the time of year where I forget about gardening on my allotment (I maybe forget about it a bit too much and don’t do any of the autumn chores I should be doing in preparation for next year), and start knitting and crocheting instead.
Think about it – in the summer you might be off travelling or making the most of the long days and short nights, but in the winter you’re often stuck at home, especially if you, like me, have a young child who goes to bed early. You might as well find something to do at home other than watch TV or spend too much time scrolling on social media.
Embrace the fact that there is no pressure to go outside
This is somewhat linked to the last point, but it can also be a bit of a blessing to be under absolutely no pressure to spend time outdoors. During the summer, it can feel like such a waste of a sunny day to spend it indoors, but in the winter there’s no guilt in deciding to spend the day with your nose in a good book instead of out exploring the Swedish countryside.
Enjoy the fact that you don’t need to wait for a rainy day to spend the entire day watching TV, playing video games or just lounging around on the sofa with no guilt. And if you do decide to venture outdoors, you know it’s not because you feel like you have to make the most of the good weather.
Follow the Swedes’ lead this season and let yourself go into hibernation, ready to emerge back into the world bleary-eyed in the spring.
And finally – don’t forget your Vitamin D tablets! They can really make a difference to your energy and mood this time of year.
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In other news
This week was the autumn holidays, also known as the reading holiday or läslov, which means things have been a bit quiet.
Despite this, we have had a few good stories this week.
New figures from Statistics Sweden show that mortgage rates rose last month on all fixed-term mortgages, so does this mean that now is the time to switch if you’re on a variable rate?
Swedish media reported this week that the government paid Somalia five million kronor to increase the number of deportees it receives from Sweden. The Social Democrats have reported Migration Minister Johan Forssell to the constitutional committee to explain the payments.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has also received criticism this week for allowing his family to host private parties at his state-owned official country residence.
New figures from a Swedish flight price index revealed that on average, flights from Gothenburg to the rest of Europe cost almost double that of flights to the same destinations from Stockholm or Copenhagen.
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Earlier this month, northern Swedish municipality Jokkmokk was the first local authority to say ‘no’ to collaborating with the government to get more refugees to voluntarily return to their countries of origin. This week, a growing number of Swedish municipalities ‒ including Malmö and Gotland ‒ announced that they plan to do the same.
Sweden’s economy is growing much faster than expected, but could that actually be bad news?
I also updated our guide to Sweden’s political parties, although in retrospect it might have been a better idea to wait to do so until after the Centre Party announce their new leader later this month.
The reading holidays will be over by the time you read this, but if you’re looking for any new book recommendations our contributor Amélie Reichmuth put together this list of five new Swedish books which have recently been translated into English.
Amélie also wrote up this article looking into why the Scandinavian countries are among the top five most competitive worldwide.
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Finally, one of our most-commented articles on the site this week was about Denice Westerberg, the leader of the Sweden Democrats’ youth wing, who called for Sweden to create a US-style ‘ICE’ police force to ‘find, arrest and deport people’.
Thanks for reading,
Becky Waterton
Deputy Editor, The Local Sweden
Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It’s published each Saturday and with Membership+ you can also receive it directly to your inbox.