St. Lucia is an Italian saint who has been adopted by the Swedes. She is associated with the idea of light. In the middle ages, December 13 fell on the longest day of the year. This holiday celebrates the fact that the days will now start getting shorter. The candles and (yellow) saffron bread represent light, the bare feet represent charity, and the red sash represents the wound she suffered at the hands of her fiancé after she gave away her dowry to the poor.

Today we celebrated St. Lucia Day. In Swedish tradition, the oldest girl of the family wears a white dress with a red ribbon around her waist and a wreath of candles on her head while serving coffee (hot chocolate in out case) and special saffron bread to the rest of the family.

Child #2 was half asleep while eating breakfast (literally). There is a fork with scrambled eggs on it approaching his mouth as I took this photo.

Our tree angel has been with us for more than a decade. Every year, I struggle to get her positioned just right. This year, for the first time, I think I was successful. Nicolai was in charge of our first fire of the year and did a nice job starting it from scratch (my use of a propane torch to start fires, while extremely efficient, is viewed with varying degrees of contempt by most of the family). Family night concluded with chocolate fondue over pound cake, apples, pineapple, and tangerines. The family was too impatient to permit a proper photo of what was a beautiful dessert.

Jeanine was in charge of family night this evening and selected tree trimming for the activity. Please note that Maya was dressed in her night gown. She announced this morning that she wanted to relax all day and that she would not be changing into day clothes. Earlier in the day, Jeanine and I went on a long walk during which she introduced me to a hidden trail by an abandoned railroad track which traverses a number of beautiful marshes. Sometimes, I can not believe we live in the midst of such beauty. I was without my camera unfortunately, and therefore have a good excuse to make the hike again.

Another breakaway, this time with a defender breathing down his neck. After the game, we went out for lunch, did a little Christmas shopping, discussed the value of a younger sister to post college dating strategies, and I explained the terms or our estate plan to him (yes, a very strange combination of topics and activities).

Kyle comes up with a nice steel against Brookline this morning. His team won by one point with a basket in the final 8 seconds of the game.

Maya was also engrossed with this weaver and her loom. Maya observed with great interest and when tested could recite all of the steps, including the sequencing of the pedals, necessary to operate the loom. Constructing a loom would be a fascinating woodworking project and if I can ever find the time, I know it would be put to good use by at lease two members of the family.

Maya posing by one of the Christmas trees featuring traditional Swedish ornaments made from straw.

Maya watched this woman painting a plate for more than half an hour. She was very friendly and Maya was not the least bit bashful about engaging her in conversation.

Later in the day Jeanine, Maya and I went into Boston to attend the Swedish Yule Tide Festival. Pictured here is the Saint Lucia procession. Jeanine was in her element and was enthralled by the experience. We enjoyed wonderful Swedish waffles, shopping, and watching artisans at their work.

Another experiment with pendulums resulted in this interesting pattern. Maya enjoyed the museum with her friends for a while, but the last 30 minutes she spent with me, engrossed in some very neat activities designed to illustrate various theories of optics. She seems to have a genuine interest in science.

Maya and Sarinnagh place their hands on a thermally sensitive surface and then checkout the results.

This morning I joined Maya and her science class at the Discovery Museum for a weekend field trip. Here she experimented with the motion of a pendulum.