Christmas 2013

This year I enjoyed a quiet Christmas - much like last year. I spent a few days in Helsinki pre-Christmas but was back in Uppsala to volunteer at Jul på Uplands as I did last year. It was two busy and tiring days but I think all those that came to the Nation and partook of the food, the fika and enjoyed the warm atmosphere enjoyed it. Afterwards, on December 26, 2013, we volunteers were the ones that got to enjoy a delicious meal cooked and served to us by Uplands Nation staff.

Most of my classmates were out of town - either in other parts of Sweden or back in their home countries for the long holiday (we don't reconvene to discuss our thesis until January 31, 2014!). I was lucky enough to receive two gift packages by mail and then several more from classmates and felt very much loved and blessed by the end of the season. Here are some snaps of my gifts and cards (apologies for the first blurry picture).

The other thing that I got for Christmas was something I bought for myself. I saw these prints (unfortunately they are not originals and if they were I think I might have found it hard to rationalize the price of buying them) in the window of the Uppsala Art Lab on my walk home from school one day. I thought that they would make the perfect memento of my time here in Uppsala and they are also relatively small and light for carrying back to Canada. This photo doesn't do them justice – they are very colourful. I am pretty sure that I actually met the artist (Ulf Enhörning) the very first day I was in Uppsala and the Monday after I bought these prints (I bought them on a Saturday ) he was flying out to Victoria to spend a few weeks there. As always – what a small world it is.

Saying goodbye to the friends I've made here in Uppsala is going to be one of the hardest things I've ever done. And although it is true that the world is a much smaller place and it is much easier to stay connected I am well aware that my mostly much younger classmates will likely be entering a very busy phase of their life's journey – marriage, relationships, kids, work – that may make keeping in touch frequently very challenging. But fingers crossed that the greatest Christmas gift of all – that of enduring friendship – never stops appearing underneath my Christmas tree in one form or another.

My handmade bag from Liz fits my travel mug from classmate Duaa perfectly

Christmas cards from Delia in the UK (a detail of her stained glass work) and from Fran and Dawn in Victoria

A not very appealing shot of the most wonderful gift from my classmates - a digital frame with over 300 pictures of them, places around Uppsala (and Idre Fjäll photos) and fikas, meals and parties

Handmade bag from Liz in Victoria, pretty scarf from Italy from Dawn (in Victoria) and Union Jack socks from Jill here in Uppsala

Two cards that are the work of Ray (Liz's husband), more socks (this time from Dawn) and a travel mug from classmate Duaa

Pretty illuminated star (almost every window has one in Uppsala during Christmas) that I believe is from classmate Diana

My packages pre-opening and the present to myself (a bottle of wine so that I could have a glass while I opened presents on Christmas day)

Art that I bought for myself - this shot doesn't really do them justice  (they're prints actually - don't think I could justify the price of originals)