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2026 | LikeSweden.com

Tag: How Sweden celebrates Christmas

Life in Sweden

How Sweden Celebrates Christmas: Traditions, Food, and Festivities

9 Min Read

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🎭 Last week in Swedish theatre and musical theatre

⚡ Grease The Musical has officially opened at Rondo in Gothenburg and we were there! We absolutely loved this joyful, energetic production, from the fantastic choreography and iconic hits to the clever multimedia and brilliant physical set design. We’re definitely going back.

❤️ Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar has made its world premiere as a brand-new musical at Göta Lejon. Jonas Gardell and Fredrik Kempe have transformed the acclaimed story into its first-ever stage adaptation, starring Ola Salo, Valdemar Wahlbeck and Martin Stokke Mathiesen.

🪞 Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (Trettondagsafton) has opened at Göteborgs Stadsteater. We saw the final dress rehearsal and were particularly blown away by the rotating set design, lighting and musical touches, genuinely masterful work.

☔ GöteborgsOperan has revealed the cast of its biggest-ever Swedish production of Singin’ in the Rain. Denny Lekström, Emma Kumlien and Robert Sillberg lead the 35-person cast, with Vanna Rosenberg as Lina Lamont and Edward af Sillén directing.

🎶 Viktor Norén and Linus Wahlgren are currently touring Sweden with Våra liv, våra musikaler, using Broadway, West End and Swedish musical favourites to tell stories from their own lives and careers on stage.

Two premieres we experienced ourselves, a brand-new Swedish musical and one HUGE cast reveal - not a bad week at all 👀

Which one would you book tickets for?

1️⃣ Save this for later
2️⃣ Tag your theatre bestie
3️⃣ Follow @likeswedencom for more Nordic Curtain Call
—
Swedish theatre · musicals in Sweden · Grease · Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar · Twelfth Night · Singin’ in the Rain · Göteborg · Stockholm · Nordic theatre · musical theatre Sweden

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🛡️ Sweden is running overnight tests in its bomb shelters - with real families, teenagers, pensioners, a man in a wheelchair, and a five-month-old baby.

Sweden has around 65,000 civilian bomb shelters, more per capita than almost anywhere in the world. But most haven`t been actively used in decades. Now, with civil defence back in the spotlight, authorities want to know if they actually work in real conditions.

Västerås ran the first "vistelseprov" (stay test) last autumn - 30 people, 22 square metres, one full day. First test of its kind in Sweden since the 1990s.

Now Karlstad, Kristianstad and Gothenburg are lining up their own. And the small town of Grums is doing something no Swedish town has done before - a 12-hour overnight test at the end of September.

40 participants. No electricity. No working lifts. Teams rotating through the night to manually operate the ventilation 🌙

The civil defence agency`s biggest takeaway so far: the shelter working technically isn`t enough. The real question is whether people can bear to stay in one, possibly for years, if it ever came to that. A concrete box with grey walls, they say, needs to feel human.

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2️⃣ Share with someone living in Sweden
3️⃣ Comment LIKESWEDEN for more things Swedish straight to your inbox
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Sweden · civil defence · bomb shelters · skyddsrum · Grums · life in Sweden · Scandinavia

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🛡️ Sweden is running overnight tests in its bomb shelters - with real families, teenagers, pensioners, a man in a wheelchair, and a five-month-old baby.

Sweden has around 65,000 civilian bomb shelters, more per capita than almost anywhere in the world. But most haven't been actively used in decades. Now, with civil defence back in the spotlight, authorities want to know if they actually work in real conditions.

Västerås ran the first "vistelseprov" (stay test) last autumn - 30 people, 22 square metres, one full day. First test of its kind in Sweden since the 1990s.

Now Karlstad, Kristianstad and Gothenburg are lining up their own. And the small town of Grums is doing something no Swedish town has done before - a 12-hour overnight test at the end of September.

40 participants. No electricity. No working lifts. Teams rotating through the night to manually operate the ventilation 🌙

The civil defence agency's biggest takeaway so far: the shelter working technically isn't enough. The real question is whether people can bear to stay in one, possibly for years, if it ever came to that. A concrete box with grey walls, they say, needs to feel human.

1️⃣ Save this for later
2️⃣ Share with someone living in Sweden
3️⃣ Comment LIKESWEDEN for more things Swedish straight to your inbox
—
Sweden · civil defence · bomb shelters · skyddsrum · Grums · life in Sweden · Scandinavia

🎭⚡ Grease has officially arrived in Gothenburg!

And what a premiere night that was 🥹

We got fully into the theme: the Grease menu at MAX, bubbles at Rondo and finally walking into a theatre that looked COMPLETELY different from the Moulin Rouge era… the whole evening was such a vibe.

And then the show started.

The energy was incredible, the audience was READY, the set looked amazing and… this is just such a FUN musical 🎶❤️
One of those shows where you leave the theatre still smiling and with all the songs songs stuck in your head 😂

A huge thank you for inviting us to the premiere , we had the best time! 🤍
And judging by the conversation we had immediately afterwards…

This definitely wasn’t our last Grease night 👀
Already looking forward to seeing it again!

Have you seen Grease on stage before or is it still on your list? 🎭👇

1️⃣ Save this for your next theatre night in Gothenburg
2️⃣ Send it to someone you’d take to Grease 🎶
3️⃣ Follow LikeSweden for more theatre, events & things to do in Sweden 🇸🇪
—
Gothenburg · Göteborg · Grease · Grease the Musical · Rondo · theatre in Gothenburg · musicals in Sweden · things to do in Gothenburg · Swedish theatre · life in Sweden

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🎭⚡ Grease has officially arrived in Gothenburg!

And what a premiere night that was 🥹

We got fully into the theme: the Grease menu at MAX, bubbles at Rondo and finally walking into a theatre that looked COMPLETELY different from the Moulin Rouge era… the whole evening was such a vibe.

And then the show started.

The energy was incredible, the audience was READY, the set looked amazing and… this is just such a FUN musical 🎶❤️
One of those shows where you leave the theatre still smiling and with all the songs songs stuck in your head 😂

A huge thank you for inviting us to the premiere , we had the best time! 🤍
And judging by the conversation we had immediately afterwards…

This definitely wasn’t our last Grease night 👀
Already looking forward to seeing it again!

Have you seen Grease on stage before or is it still on your list? 🎭👇

1️⃣ Save this for your next theatre night in Gothenburg
2️⃣ Send it to someone you’d take to Grease 🎶
3️⃣ Follow LikeSweden for more theatre, events & things to do in Sweden 🇸🇪
—
Gothenburg · Göteborg · Grease · Grease the Musical · Rondo · theatre in Gothenburg · musicals in Sweden · things to do in Gothenburg · Swedish theatre · life in Sweden

🎤 Sweden`s Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw has broken his silence about the scandal that turned his career upside down and revealed he`s already lost a film role because of it.

Måns won Eurovision in 2015 with "Heroes." This year, his private life exploded publicly. A messy divorce, admitted infidelity, admitted cocaine use, and physical abuse allegations from his ex-wife (which he denies).

His new memoir "När allt faller" (When Everything Falls) went on sale earlier this month. Reactions are sharply divided. His ex-wife and multiple critics say it uses her as a scapegoat.

On SVT`s flagship interview show "Skavlan & Sverige," he addressed the criticism. He owned up to the affairs, the cocaine, the lies - but stood by the book, saying it`s his defence against accusations he says are false.

He also revealed a leading role in a new film was rescinded when the production company`s sponsorship team saw the controversy. His question: "How long does a cancellation last?" 👀

When another guest suggested the focus should be on the real victim, his response: "Can there not be more than one victim?"
Sweden is very divided on this one 🇸🇪

1️⃣ Save this for later
2️⃣ Share with someone following Swedish pop culture
3️⃣ Comment LIKESWEDEN for more things Swedish straight to your inbox
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Sweden · Måns Zelmerlöw · Eurovision · Swedish celebrities · När allt faller · Skavlan · life in Sweden · Scandinavia

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🎤 Sweden's Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw has broken his silence about the scandal that turned his career upside down and revealed he's already lost a film role because of it.

Måns won Eurovision in 2015 with "Heroes." This year, his private life exploded publicly. A messy divorce, admitted infidelity, admitted cocaine use, and physical abuse allegations from his ex-wife (which he denies).

His new memoir "När allt faller" (When Everything Falls) went on sale earlier this month. Reactions are sharply divided. His ex-wife and multiple critics say it uses her as a scapegoat.

On SVT's flagship interview show "Skavlan & Sverige," he addressed the criticism. He owned up to the affairs, the cocaine, the lies - but stood by the book, saying it's his defence against accusations he says are false.

He also revealed a leading role in a new film was rescinded when the production company's sponsorship team saw the controversy. His question: "How long does a cancellation last?" 👀

When another guest suggested the focus should be on the real victim, his response: "Can there not be more than one victim?"
Sweden is very divided on this one 🇸🇪

1️⃣ Save this for later
2️⃣ Share with someone following Swedish pop culture
3️⃣ Comment LIKESWEDEN for more things Swedish straight to your inbox
—
Sweden · Måns Zelmerlöw · Eurovision · Swedish celebrities · När allt faller · Skavlan · life in Sweden · Scandinavia

🎭 Last week in Swedish theatre and musical theatre:

🌟 Så som i himmelen has officially opened at Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg and the first reviews are in. Sanna Nielsen’s Gabriellas sång left hardly a dry eye in the house, while GP called Fredrik Kempe’s work “musical brilliance in its own right”.

🌻 Änglagård has opened at SäffleOperan, with Kerstin Hilldén as Fanny and Johan Hwatz directing the new production of Fredrik Kempe, Edward af Sillén and Daniel Réhn’s hit Swedish musical.

🏛️ Meanwhile, a piece of theatre history is being saved at Drottningholms Slottsteater. Conservators are restoring an original stage set from 1766, which will soon return to the very same stage where audiences first saw it 260 years ago.

🚢 And Titaníque is officially coming to Sweden! Edvin Törnblom, Alma Bengtsson and Linda Olsson lead the cast of the gloriously chaotic Titanic-meets-Céline-Dion musical comedy, directed and translated by Edward af Sillén. It opens at Börsen in Stockholm on 15 January 2027.

Which story caught your attention this week? 👀

1️⃣ Save this for later
2️⃣ Tag your theatre bestie
3️⃣ Follow @likeswedencom for more Nordic Curtain Call
—
Swedish theatre · musicals in Sweden · Så som i himmelen · & Julia · Änglagård · Titaníque · Stockholm theatre · Göteborg theatre · Nordic theatre · musical theatre Sweden

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🎭 Last week in Swedish theatre and musical theatre:

🌟 Så som i himmelen has officially opened at Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg and the first reviews are in. Sanna Nielsen’s Gabriellas sång left hardly a dry eye in the house, while GP called Fredrik Kempe’s work “musical brilliance in its own right”.

🌻 Änglagård has opened at SäffleOperan, with Kerstin Hilldén as Fanny and Johan Hwatz directing the new production of Fredrik Kempe, Edward af Sillén and Daniel Réhn’s hit Swedish musical.

🏛️ Meanwhile, a piece of theatre history is being saved at Drottningholms Slottsteater. Conservators are restoring an original stage set from 1766, which will soon return to the very same stage where audiences first saw it 260 years ago.

🚢 And Titaníque is officially coming to Sweden! Edvin Törnblom, Alma Bengtsson and Linda Olsson lead the cast of the gloriously chaotic Titanic-meets-Céline-Dion musical comedy, directed and translated by Edward af Sillén. It opens at Börsen in Stockholm on 15 January 2027.

Which story caught your attention this week? 👀

1️⃣ Save this for later
2️⃣ Tag your theatre bestie
3️⃣ Follow @likeswedencom for more Nordic Curtain Call
—
Swedish theatre · musicals in Sweden · Så som i himmelen · & Julia · Änglagård · Titaníque · Stockholm theatre · Göteborg theatre · Nordic theatre · musical theatre Sweden

🍼 Sweden may have finally figured out the real reason for the post-war baby boom. Spoiler - it wasn`t just love.

After World War II, Sweden had a massive spike in births - the generation now known as boomers. In Sweden, also affectionately called "köttberget" - literally "the meat mountain" 🏔️

New research from Anna Inez Bergman at Uppsala University suggests part of the explanation might be much less romantic. Swedish condoms in the 1940s were, apparently, terrible.

The Swedish state was actively promoting condoms during the war to stop the spread of STIs. But when the products were tested, 8 out of 10 had holes in them - before they were even sold 😳

The reason: raw rubber was in short supply during the war. So the Swedish company making condoms placed ads in newspapers asking people to send in old rubber boots and scrap rubber.
They melted it all down - and turned it into condoms 🥾➡️

So the next time someone romanticises the post-war baby boom - remember. Some of those boomers might exist thanks to recycled rubber boots.

1️⃣ Save this for later
2️⃣ Share with a boomer 😉
3️⃣ Comment LIKESWEDEN for more things Swedish straight to your inbox
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Sweden · Swedish history · baby boom · boomers · Uppsala University · Swedish culture · Scandinavia

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🍼 Sweden may have finally figured out the real reason for the post-war baby boom. Spoiler - it wasn't just love.

After World War II, Sweden had a massive spike in births - the generation now known as boomers. In Sweden, also affectionately called "köttberget" - literally "the meat mountain" 🏔️

New research from Anna Inez Bergman at Uppsala University suggests part of the explanation might be much less romantic. Swedish condoms in the 1940s were, apparently, terrible.

The Swedish state was actively promoting condoms during the war to stop the spread of STIs. But when the products were tested, 8 out of 10 had holes in them - before they were even sold 😳

The reason: raw rubber was in short supply during the war. So the Swedish company making condoms placed ads in newspapers asking people to send in old rubber boots and scrap rubber.
They melted it all down - and turned it into condoms 🥾➡️

So the next time someone romanticises the post-war baby boom - remember. Some of those boomers might exist thanks to recycled rubber boots.

1️⃣ Save this for later
2️⃣ Share with a boomer 😉
3️⃣ Comment LIKESWEDEN for more things Swedish straight to your inbox
—
Sweden · Swedish history · baby boom · boomers · Uppsala University · Swedish culture · Scandinavia

🍄 Mushroom season in Sweden and THIS is the kind of autumn activity I can support 😂🇸🇪

We went mushroom picking this weekend — something that’s basically a national sport in Poland.
But I never enjoyed it this much there.

You had to go ridiculously early, walk deep into the forest and still discover that someone had apparently cleared the entire place before breakfast 😭

In Sweden there are fewer people AND noticeably fewer mushroom hunters, which makes the whole experience so much more satisfying.
You can literally walk along a normal forest path and suddenly find a MASSIVE mushroom just sitting there.

But my instant-gratification brain LOVES this.

Walk.
Spot mushroom.
Immediate dopamine.
Continue.
10/10 autumn entertainment 🍄

And yes, I know there is one universal rule of mushroom picking:
You do NOT casually reveal your mushroom spots.

Apparently forest coordinates are protected more carefully than personal data 😭

So… how secret are YOUR mushroom spots? 👀

1️⃣ Save this for mushroom season
2️⃣ Send it to your favourite mushroom hunter 🍄
3️⃣ Follow LikeSweden for more everyday Sweden 🇸🇪
—
Sweden · life in Sweden · mushroom picking · mushrooms in Sweden · Swedish autumn · Swedish forest · allemansrätten · living in Sweden · autumn in Sweden · everyday Sweden

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🍄 Mushroom season in Sweden and THIS is the kind of autumn activity I can support 😂🇸🇪

We went mushroom picking this weekend — something that’s basically a national sport in Poland.
But I never enjoyed it this much there.

You had to go ridiculously early, walk deep into the forest and still discover that someone had apparently cleared the entire place before breakfast 😭

In Sweden there are fewer people AND noticeably fewer mushroom hunters, which makes the whole experience so much more satisfying.
You can literally walk along a normal forest path and suddenly find a MASSIVE mushroom just sitting there.

But my instant-gratification brain LOVES this.

Walk.
Spot mushroom.
Immediate dopamine.
Continue.
10/10 autumn entertainment 🍄

And yes, I know there is one universal rule of mushroom picking:
You do NOT casually reveal your mushroom spots.

Apparently forest coordinates are protected more carefully than personal data 😭

So… how secret are YOUR mushroom spots? 👀

1️⃣ Save this for mushroom season
2️⃣ Send it to your favourite mushroom hunter 🍄
3️⃣ Follow LikeSweden for more everyday Sweden 🇸🇪
—
Sweden · life in Sweden · mushroom picking · mushrooms in Sweden · Swedish autumn · Swedish forest · allemansrätten · living in Sweden · autumn in Sweden · everyday Sweden

🇸🇪 Autumn is arriving in Sweden, which means it’s officially time for:

🍂 beautiful colours
☕ cosy evenings
🤧 everyone getting sick at the same time
💊 …Alvedon

Because if you’ve lived in Sweden for a while, you know the meme:

Feeling sick? Alvedon.
Still sick? Alvedon.
Your entire body has given up?

“Take Alvedon… and maybe Ipren too.”

Oh. So it’s SERIOUS serious 😭😂

For anyone new here: Alvedon is a common brand of paracetamol, while Ipren contains ibuprofen.

Jokes aside, I personally don’t have much to complain about when it comes to Swedish healthcare. And when we’re talking about an ordinary viral cold, the boring advice often really is the sensible one: rest, fluids, symptom relief and time. Antibiotics don’t work against viruses, so handing them out for every cold wouldn’t help, and unnecessary antibiotic use contributes to antibiotic resistance.

Sweden is actually known for relatively restrictive antibiotic prescribing, and honestly? That part I appreciate 🇸🇪

And this is also where sjuklön and karensavdrag come into the Swedish work system: you normally don’t need a medical certificate for the first 7 calendar days of a sickness period. No need to occupy a healthcare appointment just to prove that yes, you are indeed coughing 😅

So welcome back, autumn.

May your tea be warm, your blanket enormous and your Alvedon remain unopened 🫡🍂

1️⃣ Save this for the inevitable autumn cold
2️⃣ Send it to someone who knows the Alvedon + Ipren escalation 😂
3️⃣ Follow LikeSweden for more everyday Sweden 🇸🇪

—
Sweden · life in Sweden · Swedish healthcare · Alvedon · Ipren · autumn in Sweden · living in Sweden · sjuklön · Swedish culture · everyday Sweden

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