All the Pretty Lights - St Lucy's day - December 13

Happy (belated) Santa Lucia day!

I was introduced to Sankta Lucia (Swedish for Saint Lucy) when I went to college. Our college is descended from Swedish Lutheran missionaries to the United States, so some Swedish customs still have a strong hold on the denomination.  Celebrating St Lucy's day is one of them - and while I was there, I absolutely loved the whole spectacle. Each year the choir would participate in the Santa Lucia festival with the girls dressed in white gowns (with tinsel - the red sash and wreath is only for Santa Lucia) and the men processing in holding stars from a pole. The whole concert would be done by candlelight and most years there was snow outside the chapel where it was held, so it was all very lovely.

Don't get your tinsel in a tangle (1998)

So because of these prior experiences, Santa Lucia's feast day was one that I really wanted to celebrate this year. However, I was feeling quite bummed that I wasn't going to able to make it work (at least not in traditional Scandinavian fashion) since the hubby was going to be out of town for the whole first half of December. (Translation: I wouldn't have his help corralling the littles while I went nuts trying to find a white nightgown with a red sash and candlelit wreath to wear on my head, while baking Lucia buns and making coffee that no one in my house will eat or drink).  But in yet another serendipitous coincidence, I unwittingly scheduled our annual "Cookies, Cocoa and Christmas lights" party on St Lucy's feast day. And once I realized that I had done that I had a mini-revelation: our annual party is celebrated quite similarly to the Scandinavian one! We have our baked goods... our hot drinks... and then we enjoy beautiful Christmas lights in the dark of night.  We just happen to have our party at night instead of in the morning. Nevertheless, I think the Swedish Lucy would still approve. At least, I hope so, because this is how we'll celebrate her day from now on. (But maybe I'll still have a Lucia bun and coffee for myself... because that's what *I* like to do!) God Jul, everyone!