Is there any difference between celebrating early Christmas morning in California and celebrating back home in Sweden? Of course there are some differences, primarily the light and warm weather.
Julotta under the California sun
Is there any difference between celebrating early Christmas morning in California and celebrating back home in Sweden? Of course there are some differences, primarily the light and warm weather.
I particularly remember my family's first Christmas here in 2013, when it was so hot we could barely light candles on the Christmas table, let alone light an open fire. When we took a break between plates of Christmas food and opening gifts in the afternoon, we walked along the beach and it felt almost surreal. Difficult to grasp that it really was Christmas Eve, December 24.
Another obvious difference for me as a priest is that the work is not as tough as at home in Sweden. There are a lot of Christmas sermons in every church: a sermon by the manger, Christmas prayer, midnight mass and Julotta (early Christmas morning service). All to meet the huge amount of people of all ages who want to go to church at Christmas.
Here in Los Angeles, San Pedro, we have of course also been "busy" before Christmas: We have two large bazaars, celebrate Lucia with Lusse buns and gingersnaps and enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner. However, the Christmas days bring "just" a Julotta service on Christmas morning, followed by coffee and ham sandwich.
This makes me feel that the holiday season is a little quieter here in the U.S. than in Sweden, where there are so many expectations for Christmas that actually cause stress in many people. A large number of Swedes are fleeing all the Christmas "musts" and go away to Mallorca, the Canary Islands or to Thailand instead. But in the U.S., the Christmas and New Year celebrations are also affected by the biggest weekend of all: Thanksgiving — when, independent of background and religion, families and friends travel the length and breadth of this vast continent to gather.
Moreover, it is pretty cool that one can drive from Palm Desert (2.5 hours each way) or San Diego to participate in Julotta — who does that in Sweden? Maybe you do this to be part of what unites Julotta in the California sun with Julotta at home in Sweden. For certain there is, after all, something special to experience the Christmas spirit in the church, with all the candles lit, to sing "Hail blessed morn," or "When Christmas morning glitters," to listen to the Christmas story and "O Holy Night."
Above all, the common denominator is certainly that we will once again celebrate the baby, born to the earth, the baby with the many names:
For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given.
The government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name is:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
Isaiah 9:6
Without Jesus' birth, no Christmas — or as some say here: "Jesus is the Reason for the Season."
I want to wish you a truly Merry Christmas!
Staffan Eklund
Pastor
Svenska kyrkan i Los Angeles och San Francisco
www.svenskakyrkan.se/losangeles