Snow? Check. Panicked shoppers? Check. Christmas cheese? Check!
With Christmas only 6 days away, there is a buzz in the air. Over the weekend a friend and I decided to check out some of this buzz by stopping by Skellefteå’s Christmas market. Now I’ve been to my share of Christmas markets. Prague loves to have markets for every which holiday they can think of (Easter and Christmas being the largest). However every market you got to, all the booths are the same! Sure, there are a few here and their that are a bit different, but go to a different square, and you have the exact same stuff. Czech hand made. Made in China?
I didn’t have any expectations for Skellefteå’s Christmas market. It was fairly small, with about 10 booths in total. However it was very unique! Some things I had never seen before. Some were very Swedish!
Swedish things at the Christmas Market
Yummy baked goods…
Dried mushrooms, of course! So it isn’t only me who is trying to get rid of them!
And my personal favorite, Swedish socks!
The Talent of Skellefteå
There were also some very unique items from artists living in and near Skellefteå. One such artist turned old spoons and forks into pieces of jewelry. They had most rings and bracelets, and would have made a great gift! Too bad I did all my shopping already 🙁
Another such artist, Millvipp, made a cartoon map of Skellefteå. If you know Skellefteå, you will find it pretty accurate! Lastly was Terese Petrone, who does glass sculptures and jewelry. Really gorgeous pieces! You can see better images of her work on her website.
All in all I was very impressed with Skellefteå’s Christmas market and the talent that is so near this small town! Next year I will make sure to save some holiday gifts for the julmarknad, as Swedish gifts make for a perfect Swedish Christmas.
Yeah, I don’t care how big or how famous the market is, but what really matters to me is what stuff people can buy there. I love our local Toronto Christmas Market even though people say it is not even comparable to famous European markets. I always find there something special and that is the most important thing.