10/15/2001

Stockholm prepares for Christmas

As the holiday season approaches, Stockholm is filled with Christmas markets, music, people bustling about and shopping for Christmas gifts. That�s when Advent candles begin to glow in windows, and the city�s shops compete for the best Christmas decorations.

Christmas is celebrated with loads of traditional events and activities, held throughout the greater Stockholm area. All larger restaurants serve a special Christmas smorgasbord During the month of December. Christmas markets are especially plentiful. The market in Gamla Stan (Old Town) is open every day 1�23 December from 11:00 to 18:00, while the most traditional market, held at Skansen, is open 2, 9 and 16 December from 11:00 to 18:00, and is packed with handicrafts and Swedish delicacies. At Rosendal�s Christmas market, you will find decorative art, Christmas trees, wreathes and twigs. This market is open 24 November�19 December. At the Konstfack Christmas market, students sell the latest in innovative design work. Advent stars, jewellery, shelf designs, ceramics and glass � you�ll find the most amusing, crazy and practical Christmas gifts. The Konstfack Christmas market is held 1�2 December, 12.00�17.00, at Vallhallav�gen 191.

Glide along over snow and ice
On Sunday 2 December at 16:00, join Stockholmers in lighting the Christmas tree, singing carols and drinking gl�gg in the Kungstr�dg�rden park in the Stockholm city centre. Those wishing to try ice-skating can hire ice-skates at the skating rink right beside the park. The best way to try a Swedish Christmas smorgasbord in the Stockholm archipelago is by taking one of the archipelago boats, which depart from Nybrokajen every day, 28 November�22 December. At the Kungliga Djurg�rden, you can even ride from smorgasbord to smorgasbord in a horse-drawn carriage. When the snow comes, sleds replace the wagons. The tours depart from the Isbladsk�rret.

Nobel & Lucia
Every year on 10 December, the day on which Alfred Nobel died, the Nobel Prize is awarded in Stockholm by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf. The award ceremony is followed by a banquet for 1,200 specially invited guests, held in the Blue Hall in the Stockholm Town Hall. The banquet is attended by previous Nobel Prize winners, political leaders and royalty from other countries. At the Old Stock Exchange on the Stortorget square in Gamla Stan, you will find the Nobel Museum. This museum houses a centennial exhibition entitled �Cultures of Creativity: the Centennial Exhibition of the Nobel Prize�.
The celebration of St. Lucia Day on 13 December is a festival of lights, and something of a rehearsal for the Christmas itself. The coronation of Sweden�s official Lucia takes place at Skansen on 2 December at 18:00. On Lucia Day itself, 13 December, Lucia and her escort of terns make their procession through central Stockholm arriving at Skansen at 18:00.

Stockholm Information Service (SIS) is an organisation run by the City of Stockholm and the County of Stockholm, and is responsible for marketing and providing information about Stockholm. The primary task of SIS is to increase the number of visitors to Stockholm, to market the Stockholm area and to develop Stockholm as a destination for visitors. The intended markets comprise both Sweden and other countries.