A Different Christmas. The story begins in a dark cold night where a poor man sitting near the sidewalk and wonder. How the Christmas this year will be. He just sits there and wounder and look around in the beautiful store front where it’s was decorated with an elegant shiny christmas tree decorated with gold, red and white colors and the Christmas tree star was like a sun that brings the man warmth. Under the tree it was various of colors, forms, and sizes.
The man see that something was different in his neighborhood. They have tent setup with a kitchen and there were people cooking and the smell of the food was delightful. There was a warming place for people to sit and talk. He has never seen that people care about those who are just wondering and live on the street. He was now also overjoyed like the others from earlier and started to tear up.
The end
Near the entrance it was a nutcracker that stood there to guard the entrance. The family that walks in and out of the store seems rather overjoyed by the present that they bought. And all the children were overjoyed by the candy from the nutcracker. And the choir outside was sinning with a euphonious voice so you almost start to sing along. The poor man stands up and was ready to move but he has nowhere to go. The christmas for him is just alone in the alley way. He stops to move now. He was getting chilly. He starts to walk to his “home” place, and he walk in a slow pace and faded away from the crowd.
Side Note: Christmas is different for everyone I just wanted to give respect to those who don’t have anything. For we all think that everything is good for Christmas but is not.
Christmas movies When Christmas is just around the corner and the cold keeps you from going outside, what’s better than to snuggle up in a cosy blanket, with a cup of hot chocolate and a good oldfashioned Christmas movie? Something that isn´t as fun is when the hot chocolate becomes cold and the blanket gets too warm, because you can´t decide what movie to watch. There is just too many to choose from! Therefor I have put together a list of my favourite holiday movies, that makes you want to bake gingerbread and that gets you in the Christmas spirit. I will rate the movies from 1-5
And I will rate the movies 1-5
, based on the movie’s Christmas spirit.
, based on what I think of the movie overall.
Klaus (2019) “A selfish postman and a people-shy toy maker initiate an unlikely friendship. Soon they spread joy to a cold city in desperate need of a light in the dark” -Netflix This movie pleasantly surprised me. When it came out on Netflix last year, I didn’t want to watch it at first, since the animation kind of scared me away, but I am very happy that I finally did. This movie has everything you want in a Christmas movie. It’s happy, it’s sad, it’s snowy, it’s funny, you name it! I have never seen another movie like this before. In the movie universe, the story about Santa Claus does not exist, until a toy maker and a postman start secretly handing out toys to children, to bring some joy into the bitter inhabitants of their small fishing town and together they become Santa Claus. Even though I´ve only seen it twice, it is already one of my favourite Christmas movies.
Elf (2003) “Buddy the “Elf” doesn’t fit in with the other North Pole elves, so he travels to New York to find his real father and spread some Christmas cheer.” -Netflix “Elf” is a comedy starring Will Ferrell as Buddy the “Elf”. In this movie, Buddy’s newfound father is the Christmas-hating antagonist, but thanks to Buddy, his faith in Christmas and kindness is restored. This concept is nothing new, we´ve seen it before in the stories about Scrooge, where a mean and vicious old man meets a ghost that shows him what will happen if he doesn’t change his behaviour. The Grinch is another example of a similar concept. But
“Elf” has taken this classic concept and turned it into a hilarious comedy. So, if you want to watch a new funny take on a classic concept this movie is for you.
the Polar Express (2004) “In this heart-warming story, a young boy gets new faith in Christmas when he gets to travel by train to the North pole on Christmas eve.” -Netflix With the help of music, Christmas spirit and a heart-warming plot, this movie has definitely earned the title of a classic. “The Polar Express” is the perfect movie to watch on the holidays. It’s perfect for the whole family and it has a lot of important messages. It shows the importance of friendship and how not everybody has the same opportunities. Today Christmas presents play a big part in most people’s Christmas celebrations, which is not fun for everyone. In the movie we meet the character “lonely boy” whose real name is Billy. Billy is a shy boy who comes from a poor family, but thanks to his newfound friends he becomes braver and, in the end, he finally gets a Christmas present. The main character Chris is starting to lose his faith in Santa Claus when he wakes up by the sound of a train coming his way. This character teaches us the importance of believing. Another important character is “Hero Girl”, who teaches us the importance of kindness and being understanding of other people. If you feel like watching a sweet and cosy movie, this one is for you.
Some honourable mentions: Home Alone (1990)
Pettson & Findus – Tomtemaskinen (2005)
Nightmare before Christmas (1993)
A Christmas Carol (2009)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
The Grinch (1966 or 1999)
Maila Fjällsby
New year’s recap By Love Hedbom
It has been a turbulent twelve months up here on the north pole and most of us are happy to finally see it end. In fact, we here at Northpolenews are so eager that we are making the new year’s recap a few weeks early to make it feel like it’s already over. Ignite the fire, get a nice cup of chocolate, and get comfortable in your armchair for this is the annual recap by Northpolenews. Normally the first week of the year is full of hope. The happy Christmas buzz has still not subsided, you are free from work and school, and you still haven't failed your new year's resolution. But instead of having a calm and collected first week like the normal year, 2020 quite literally started ablaze. The Australian bushfires were still raging, killing an estimated 500 million animals in the end, America drone strikes Baghdad international airport killing general Qasem Soleimani which leads to the Persian Gulf crisis and death of 56 people, and chocolate shortages meant that the elves’ one free week was completely ruined. Later on the 30th, the WHO declares the coronavirus a public health emergency. Most of us up here in the north didn't think much of it, after all, we are in one of the most desolate and isolated places on earth, and we had problems of our own to worry about. Global warming had hit the populated areas of the south pole particularly hard and consequently, large numbers of penguins were now seeking refuge up north. Santa Claus the 5th, loving and just as always, decided that it was our duty to do what we could. And so the nation scrambled to build housing for the migrating penguins. Considering that all the penguins needed to
suit up was a clip-on tie, they soon became the go-to recruits for office jobs. Minor protests arose around February due to fears that the penguins would take the jobs of us elves but nothing major came out of it and things soon started to calm down. But as one internal crisis was solved, we looked outward to see the world in chaos as the WHO declared covid 19 a pandemic on March 11. And as you all know the coronavirus soon managed to make its way up to us. Thanks, Jared. A turbulent time followed. The first instinctive reaction was panic. But as the polar bears, reindeers, and penguins realized that they weren't even close to being human, the panic soon changed to teasing of the ever more sick elves. It spread through this part of the population like wildfire and so the north pole went into quarantine together with the rest of the world. After that things stayed relatively constant from April through August. But constant does not mean good. After the lockdown, the corona cases were slowed but were still happening, and as everything fun got cancelled in the old world, so it also did here. All elves were banned from participating in the annual snow wars and candy eating contest, while everything from Eurovision to the British academic film awards was cancelled by the humans. It was an extremely tough time for the elves even resulting in unrest in some minor towns like Snowtown and Northville. But as with everything in life you get used to it. Most felt done with the year right then and there, but the worst was still to come. As I'm sure none of you has managed to miss, Santa was shot down above Fort Greely for suspicion of smuggling. As the
morning broke, so did the news and once again panic swept the nation. The devastating news coupled with the raging elf population resulted in several violent riots breaking out across the north pole. The arctic council quickly scrambled to have a new election. Between the pandemic and the fact that the last election was over 240 years ago, the logistical problems were many. But in the end, an election was held. Adam Crumpleberry faced off against John Hall. The campaigns were fierce, but the final decisive moment came when Mr Hall denied global warming the same week as one of the most extreme glacier carving this century, resulting in his own house being swallowed by the sea. Barely had Adams changed his name to Santa Clause the 6th before he enacted several sweeping reforms. Penguins were now allowed to work in the present factory while sick elves received two months of paid vacation. All of this in order to make up for the nearly seven months of consistently missing the monthly quota of presents. The situation still seemed hopeless considering the deficit in presents, but as luck would have it salvation would come from an unlikely source. With Trump’s defeat, the number of trolls exploded, and since Santa considers trolling to be just behind murder in the national ranking of naughtiness, millions of people were transferred to the naughty list overnight. And this brings us to today. With these recent reforms, the increase of trolling, and the factory running around the clock it looks like the present might just be able to come out on time after all.
White chocolate Christmas cheesecake Ingredients For the base ▪ 200 g │ gingersnap biscuits ▪ 100 g │ unsalted butter Cheesecake filling ▪ 200g │ white chocolate chips or chocolate bar chopped ▪ 480 ml │ double cream ▪ 200 g │ icing sugar ▪ 2 tsp vanilla paste or extract ▪ 500 g │ mascarpone ▪ 1⁄8 tsp │ orange extract (or use your favorite) To decorate ▪ White chocolate truffles ▪ Milk chocolate buttons ▪ Festive sprinkles
No bake white chocolate cheesecake is the perfect lastminute festive dessert. By adding your favorite flavorings and toppings you can make your own cake suitable for different occasions. It´s the perfect time of the year to gather your family and enjoy a lovely dessert together.
Step 1: Melt the chocolate slowly in a ceramic bowl and place over a pot of barely simmering water. When completely melted set aside to cool slightly. Step 2: Crush your cookies in a mini food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the melted butter and mix. Step 3: Line your tin with baking paper and tip the cookie crumbs into the tin. To make the cookie crumbs evenly packed, use your hands to press down. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling. Step 4: Mix together the cream, icing sugar and vanilla. Don´t overmix! Put 200 g of the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and put in the fridge. Put the rest in a bowl. Step 5: Mix the mascarpone cheese with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl until it has softened. Add the cool melted white chocolate and any extract. Mix again! Step 6: Add the filling over your chilled cookie base and level with a spatula. Tap the tin on the counter so that it settles. Put in the fridge for 8 hours. Step 7: Decorate your cake with white chocolate truffles, festive sprinkles or use fresh fruit such as raspberries. Enjoy!
Merry Christmas
A silent night There was once a man in his early 30s on a fateful bus, trying to get back to his beloved family on a Christmas Eve. As heavy snow crashed violently into the window by his seat, he stayed unbothered and instead relaxed due to the motion of the quiet bus. His eyes started to give out and the image of what he expected to await him at the end of the destination became clearer. He smiled softly and fell slowly into the world of dreams but was sudden woken up by an explosion. He looked out the window but as if the darkness of this ill-lit night has swallowed the bus whole, he saw nothing. Despite that, he could still feel how the bus was unstably making slight turns as it was going uphill, and the gentle turns turned all more violent. His heartbeat was racing as fast as the bus’s uncontrollable speed and with his own eyes, he saw the traffic barrier. Unfortunate enough, he also saw the bus’s front beyond the metal protector. Gravity waited not one second to fulfill its role and the awareness of freefalling inevitably made his life flash before his eyes. The vision was blurry, and the headache was agonizing. As he was regaining his consciousness, he unstably crawled up along the bus’s aisle out of instinct. The already broken glass from the windows broke into even more smaller pieces and the adrenaline kicked in. Through his heavy eyes, he made multiple eye-contacts with the unfortunates. The windows to their souls were wide-open and each and one of them displayed the desire to live on. He made his way out of the once-in-a-lifetime horror attraction through the broken windshield and kneeled soullessly. The once transparent snow was now a red carpet, but the coldness eventually knocked him back to his senses. Prized as a gifted forensic pathologist, he quickly made up a to-do-list in no time. He set his wounds and warmth as the priorities, conquered his fear, and ransacked through all the baggage of the passengers. The first-aid kit which he always brought in case of an emergency came in handy and from the victims, he took food as well as clothes. Once everything was looted, he went into the woods, blend in with the darkness in hope of reaching the mountains foot before freezing to death. Under the snowstorm that showed no sign of calming down, the unlucky and lonely soul fought his way forward against the icy winds and biting snowfall. The pain
reached the spine and the journey that had only been a few minutes, was to him an eternity on the ninth floor of hell. With the moon covered, granted just barely enough light, he struggled finding his path through all the giant pine trees but as his efforts were rewarded, a cabin was right in his sight. He dashed right to the door and slammed it open, hoping that the nightmare would end here, but there was no fireplace welcoming him. The cabin he entered seemed to be abandoned for a long time ago judging by the spider nets that have occupied the place, but the man stayed optimistic and closed the door. He thought that being inside would still mean suffering from the cold but at least not the constantly inflicted pain by the nature. He looked around for tools that might increase his chance of survival despite knowing the state of this place, and as he was walking, he discovered a map painted on the wooden wall. He brushed away the nets and tracked the way between this cabin to the bridge that would lead him immediately to a big road. Happiness filled the entire cabin, but paranoia accompanied the thought. There was no guarantee the map belonged to this terrain or was just a silly painting made by its former owner. He debated in silence between the two options and decided that even if he would die, he tried his best to fight against the odds. He took a deep breath, stood face to face to the door and reentered the harsh embrace of winter. The pace of his walking was much faster this time. His whole body was filled with adrenaline out of excitement. He walked just as he memorized and since the surroundings on his path was drawn on the map, he felt a bit of relief. In no time, he reached the bridge and to his surprise, the test of today did not end there. The bridge was a suspension type, vulnerable and swinged lightly in the wind, not to mention some wooden planks were missing. But having been through what seemed like hell, he saw it as a mere problem and started to walk bravely to the other side. Expected to see asphalt as the first thing, he jumped over a couple of the last few planks and looked up just to be greeted by a high wall of rock. He looked up even further, but the slope covered what might be beyond the wall. The eyes of his stayed right at the spot, water that could no longer be differentiated as tears or melted snow, dropped down his face. His stare then got fixated to the only light in
the sky and although he was simply standing there, the tension in the atmosphere raised. In that tranquility, he roared out a cry that pierced through the quiet night, expressed all his bottled-up emotions, and prepared to die. He lay down on the snow mattress, not caring anymore about the cold but a strong light projected from the top of the rocky wall. He heard voices and sat up instantly to scream back. There were no voices replying but instead, a rope was thrown down. Without having to be instructed, he grabbed the rope and started to climb and eventually conquered the last obstacle of his escape. Impulsively, he started to thank his saviors who claimed to be the rescuer team, over and over and as suggested by them, he hopped into the car to warm himself up. The middle seat in the back was where he was happily sitting, overjoyed over the fact that he could finally feel warmth from other people. The car’s heating machine was up to maximum, so his body swiftly recovered its normal temperature and for that, he was even more excited. He no longer was reminded of the coldness as all senses were functioning properly, but he then noticed a special smell in the car. Thinking that it was because his nose was frozen to the ultimate, he paid no mind, but his profession reminded him of a familiar yet uneasy scent. He inhaled deeply and discovered the origin of the smell which was from the back of the car and when the thought crossed through his mind, he realized the bus that he took would not arrive at the bus station till the morning. Khai S
Does Santa exist or is he imaginary? Santa, lovely Santa. Three hundred and fifty-one days we wait for him. Waiting for him to show up in our chimney with presents heavily hanging on his back. Waiting for him to bring us joy and the love that Christmas includes. Wait for the expectations to become real. But isn’t it weird, the same Santa in the whole world? Is that even possible? Who makes the presents and why do I have to buy presents every year? We have many questions but not many answers, but the biggest question must be, is Santa real? Lately, I have been a little bit split about the question if Santa exists or not. Now when the Christmas-season is approaching, and all houses are filling up with these lovely imitations of Santa. I can’t stop myself from thinking about it. Think about the scenario that a real person every year is collecting wish-lists from humans and 3 weeks later on Christmas Eve, they have become reality. For me, it seems too good to be true, even though I really wish Santa exists. But in our world, it’s not reasonable that Santa is a real person. First, Santa must therefore be immortal because he has been with us humans since forever. Second, no one has ever seen him in real life, and third, how can he manage to give presents to every person who celebrates Christmas? I know it’s boring and destructive to think of Santa in this way, it completely ruins the Christmas spirit. But to be honest, am I wrong? The second thing I have been thinking of is: If Santa exists, why do I have to buy presents every year? For me, this is a little bit funny. Every year since I was born, I have always been forced to buy presents for my relatives. Santa has never bought them for me. Every single year I have been standing in the shopping-mall with my eyebrows wrinkled because I have no clue what to buy for my family for Christmas. My parents have also as long as I can remember bought the presents on their own. Yes, I know, they have always told me that “It’s from Santa”, but I can tell you when I passed 5 years old, I understood that the presents that were hidden in the wardrobe were not from Santa. I know, sad but true. So maybe I’m a terrible person and Santa doesn’t want to help me and my family with presents, but I can´t find a reasonable reason why I must buy my own gifts every year. The only reason is that Santa doesn’t exist…. After reading the text above, you may feel a little bit sad, crushed, and beyond hope. I understand that, it was never meant to ruin your Christmasspirit. To be honest, Christmas is my favorite holiday and all I could wish for is that Santa exists and that he lives far away somewhere in the north pole. If a person is thinking of Santa, we usually see an old man with a big white beard, red clothes and a big belly filled with delicious food. We imagine him as a kind-hearted and a lovely man who never wants to hurt anyone. Maybe that is the nice thing about it all. Santa is in our minds and our imaginations make him so real, make the spirit so real and noticeable. It’s
up to every single person to decide if Santa exists or not. The ignorance if he exists or not is a little bit exciting. So where do I want to come with this? To be honest I wish as much as you do that I had an answer to this difficult question: IS HE REAL?? As I wrote in my last argument, I think it’s up to every single person to decide if Santa is real or not. It is not realistic that Santa exists, but in our mind it is. We can make our imaginations real. We can dress like him and act like he was there. Santa maybe existed sometime long ago and the memory of him is printed in our minds and that is why we really wish that he is real. I could be writing forever about this and never come to an end because I don’t have an answer, it’s up to you. So, in your opinion, is he real? Hanna Karlsson Na19A
4. Christmas Tree Water
1. Stabilize the Tree
If you have a real Christmas tree then do not add anything else then water because other things who has chemicals in it could be really dangerous if the dog drinks it.
It does not matter what type of tree you have, just make sure it is stable so when your dog wave its tale it does not falls to the ground.
5. Lights
2. Decorations
Place light loops and lights a little higher up in the tree so the dog does not have access to it. In the lower part of the Christmas tree you can hang decorations of plastic, wood and paper that do not break easily.
Do not chose glass ornaments, instead buy plastic. Because the dog can be harmed if the glass ornaments breaks.
6. Placement Place the tree in a safe place where the dog does not have access to it or has to run around it to reach his food or water bowl.
3. Chocolate Maybe you like to decorate the tree with chocolate because it looks nice? But it is so easy that the dog eats it without you knowing and that is dangerous. Because it is toxic to the dog. Try to stay away from hanging up food in the tree.
Ingrediens • • • • • • • •
20g Parsley 1 Carrot 1dl Cheese 2msk Olive Oil 3,5dl Flour 3dl Corn Flour 2tsk Baking Powder 1,5dl water
Directions Set the oven to 175 degrees
Step 1 Mix parsley, carrot, cheese and olive oil in a bowl.
Step 2
In another bowl, mix flour, graham flour and baking powder, pour over the carrot mix.
Step 3
Add water until the dough holds together and can be rolled out.
Step 4
Roll out the dough on a floured table and cut with gingerbread molds. Lift on to a baking sheet.
Step 5
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes.
A Christmas story There once was a young boy who’s heart was filled with greed, His parents were rich and so he lived without any need, Sadly, this made him cruel in his heart and it went to his head He was mean to all from morning until he went to bed But one day as the evening was not very bright Outside the house he saw a peculiar sight It was a man all dressed in red and white He was guiding himself with a lantern light Sure it was Christmas eve But the boy felt a sudden urge to leave Although the urge was strong he did not dare Instead he was left with Santa’s mighty stare There he was this great saint Nick He was handing out gifts- a toy, a cup, a broomstick The boy was suddenly filled with joy He said to himself « Oh boy, oh boy!” And so, out he asked « where is the presents to me ? » Santa claus said :
« To the one with a heart pure and nice many gifts will be given But to the one who is mean and cruel a gift is forbidden » The boy inhaled a deep breath and took a sigh The joy was gone and he let out a cry He knew too well how cruel he had been But that it would punish himself, he had not foreseen Filled with sorrow he sat all alone And behind him he heard a familiar tone ”It is not too late, my dear boy If you start being nice you could still get a toy” And so it was, the boy learned a lesson very wise From this day forward he would be forever nice
The end
Swedish Christmas treats with recipes Since Christmas is coming up, we are having a special Christmas weekly theme. Here are some of our favorite Swedish Christmas candy to enjoy during the upcoming holidays!
Swedish candied almonds Ingredients:
1. 200 grams sweet almond 2. 1 ½ dl sugar 3. ½ dl water Instructions: Roast the almonds in a dry hot frying pan. Meanwhile, boil the water and sugar in a saucepan. Add the almonds and cook until the almonds start to snap and sugars. Stir constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the almonds onto a baking sheet. Separate them carefully. Let cool and enjoy!
Ingredients: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
2dl sugar 2dl whipped cream 2dl light syrup 2msk cocoa 2msk butter
Instructions: Cook the sugar, the whipped cream, the syrup and the cocoa all together in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Let the batter simmer until the temperature of it has risen to 125°c. Stir regularly. The cooking time can vary depending on the width on the saucepan.
Memory or reality The snow has settled in the town, it’s a lovely winter evening and the delicious scent of roasting chestnuts and mulled wine drift through the air. Outside the windows you can see the children playing as the snow falls slowly to the ground, it's Christmas. In a small cabin in downtown Krakow, the Polish war veteran Withold Kowalski sits in his big cosy couch while the radio blasted the new song “Don’t stop ‘til you get enough”. While he jammed to the new song by Michael Jackson, he began to think back to how last year's Christmas went. His memory was a bit hazy from all the drinks he had last year, but he remembered that no one wanted to sit next to Kichaj. The reason why no one wanted to sit next to Kichaj was because he always sniffed so much. So, the person who sat next to Kichaj was Senny. He was the only one who didn't complain about the sneezes simply because he was always tired. While Withold sat in his couch he looked at the open fire in front of him. He felt a bit of sadness because the woody, smoky warmth and the crackling sound from the fire made him think of his fallen brothers in the war. When they sat in the middle of the forest alone, with a fire that kept them alive against the cold while the Nazis surrounded them. Christmas had therefore always been an important time for him since the war time. He learned that he would always appreciate his loved ones and never take them for granted. Withold suddenly felt a strange smell, it smelled like something getting burned so he got up from his warm, cosy and comfortable couch and went straight to the kitchen to look after his lovely Swedish Janssons temptation. He looked in the oven and his Janssons temptation was no longer a temptation, rather a burned gratin. But he wasn’t going to let anything ruin this Christmas. He continued with his Christmas decorations, he changed the tablecloth to his wife's own sewed Christmas cloth, he put up the candlestick in the windows and dressed the Christmas tree. After he was done with the decorations, he looked for the ham that he noticed he forgot to buy, so he went to the supermarket to buy some fresh Christmas ham. After a twenty-minute car ride he finally reached the store. He walked into the store and went directly to the meat counter. On
his way to the meat counter, he saw one of his old friends. His name was Raymond Reddington. Raymond was so happy to see him and with his cold Polish voice he said “Long time no see, I guess” Withold answered with “Yeah, the time flies by, I guess”. Raymond asked Withold if he had anyone to spend the time with during Christmas. Withold looking troubled answered “Yes of course I have my family that I will spend Christmas with”. Raymond looked even more troubled and took a deep breath and told him “Don't you remember what happened to your family?”. Withold was choked by the question and answered “Brother, what do you mean my family is coming to me tonight to celebrate Christmas”. Raymond asked him “which family?”. Withold said “Raduje się, Kichaj Senny, Wstydliwy, Gderliwy, Odurzony, Mądrzejszy”. Raymond felt sorry for him and said “No, your whole family died in a tragic car accident”. Withold felt the air leaving his body and suddenly felt empty inside. He dropped the ham on the floor and left the store as a question mark. He took his car and went home. When he parked his car he just looked down at the river and saw how the whole Krakow downtown was reflected. With heavy steps Withold walked toward his house, but before he went, he checked his mailbox. In his mailbox he found a letter. The letter was from the hospital in Krakow. He took his mail and went into his office. In his office he saw different newspapers from 1979. The articles were about how his family had ended up in a car accident which in turn resulted in their death. He opened the letter from the hospital and read that he got a new time for the treatment of his Alzheimer. He went into the kitchen and opened the fridge and saw how the juicy Christmas ham was laying there. He was so shocked that he needed to sit down. So, he went to the dinner table and took a seat. He looked around the table and realised that every place on the Christmas table had a name on it. There were actually seven different names. He read them out loud and once again he realised that the seven different names came from the Disney film, Snow white and the seven dwarfs. He was so sorrowful because he knew that the seven different names came from the movie, but the difference was that the name was on Polish. He got up and left the dining table and went to his couch. On his way towards the couch, he slipped and struck his head to the floor. He fainted and when he woke
up, he was in the hospital and Christmas was over.
The Christmas imposter Christmas was just around the corner and all around in the neighbourhood you could see snowmen and Christmas decorations. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” they say, well said, thought Robin while he shovelled snow out of his driveway. Robin would celebrate his first Christmas without his family this year because of the worldwide pandemic. But he was still optimistic about Christmas, actually he was thrilled about it, especially now when it is the 24th of December and all his friends are coming in just a few minutes. When he had shovelled all the snow to the side of the driveway, he got a notice from the local newspaper. Apparently, a mysterious shapeshifter had been seen in town and people warn about the mysterious man. “Nothing I must worry about” said Robin to himself. But little did he know, it was the opposite for him.
When all Robin’s friends had finally arrived, a sudden scream was heard. Everybody was heading to the scream and when Robin arrived and his friends arrived, they saw he that the big Christmas tree was all ruined, the balls where in thousands of pieces on the ground and the tree was laying on the ground. Reta was Robin’s old classmate and they had been friends for years now, and it was her scream that had just been heard. She told him that the Christmas tree was ruined when she got in the room and that she hadn’t met nor seen anybody before. Robin thought it was strange that nobody had confessed yet, so he asked who it was, but nobody answered. Then somebody mentioned the mysterious shape shifter that the news talked about earlier that day, “It must be him who messed up the Christmas tree!”. Robin was a bit sceptical, but who could it be but the shape shifter? He told everyone to henceforth keep an extra eye open because this night was a special one. He took a big breath and continued, “We have a shape shifter among us”. As the clock showed twelve, another scream was heard. Robin and his friends ran to the scream for a second time. This time all the meatballs were on the ground. Robin first thought of the 5 second rule and tried to pick them up, but something was wrong with the meatballs, they were sticky and when he licked on them, they were sweet like... syrup. Somebody has been pouring syrup on the meatballs before dropping them. Then Rebecka pointed and said, “I know who it is!”. Her finger pointed at Rita, the one next to him. Rebecka continued, “I saw her pouring syrup on the meatballs and when she discovered me watching her, she got scared and accidently dropped them on the floor. Reta dropped her jaw, but before she could defend herself, she got thrown out of an upstairs window. Unlucky enough it was snow which made her fall not as damaging as promising. But not much later another scream was heard, Robin and his friend were running to the scream a third time. Apparently, the mysterious shape shifter had not been caught yet. But then Robin realized something, if we didn’t get the guilty one last round then Rebecka, who accused Rita, must be the guilty one and she was probably doing a self-report. He spread his theory and those around him agreed on the opinion, and not long after Rebecka was thrown out of a window.
The Christmas party continued wonderfully and no more screams were heard after later that night.
Marcus, Hassan and Hugo
Likeable like Christmas An adult man waited to receive his suitcase it was about noon when he left the airport. His name was Lukas and he looked like a foreign tourist with a black camera around his neck that had found his way to this beautiful and big city. He went out from the airport hallway and took a taxi to the hotel, the city was new to him, he had not seen it before. In a while, he looked out from behind the window of the car and took several pictures of the squares, statues and of people. He was so engrossed in photography that he did not notice the passage of time, the taxi driver stopped next to the hotel and Lukas went to his hotel. The next day, which coincided with March nineteenth, he decided to visit the city to get to know about the people and culture of this city. Eagerly and happily with his camera in the hand was his method visiting different cities. While he was busy with photography suddenly, he noticed that the market was crowded. Everyone was shopping something. He became curious and thought that maybe it could be something like Christmas, this was just a hypothesis whispered Lukas to himself, anyway he began to shop the things that other people were shopping too. In the next street he shopped a green plant, and from the next place he shopped two Flowering fish, he continued to shop the same things as other people from every station. He turned to a beautiful flower market, he continued to choose his bunch of flowers, fresh and fragrant flowers. He went to the seller and asked him about Christmas as he thought that everything was like Christmas. The seller said people are buying items to start the new year, something that was called Nowruz. He explained about the celebration of the new year. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on twentieth March. It is celebrated as the beginning of the new year and by more than three hundred million people all around the world. Nowruz plays a significant role in strengthening the ties among peoples based on mutual respect and the ideals of peace and good neighborliness. A few days before Spring, people are getting prepared to celebrate it. First, they clean the house which means removing dirt and disease from the house. They buy Nowruz items, each with a symbolic meaning. Nowruz items should be seven things, all of which start with the letter S. For example, apples, Samanu coins, greens, garlic, vinegar, Oleaster, and other things that can be placed on the haft-sin(sevens) table are fish, nuts, fruits,
and pastry, and the special food that families are eating on during Nowruz’s night is pilaf vegetables with fish. When Lukas brought the flowers of his choice to buy, the salesman who seemed to be a kind person asked him to celebrate Nowruz with his family. Lukas, who now knew why people were preparing for the first day of spring, eagerly accepted the young man's invitation. The family and Lukas sat down around the haft sin table and celebrated the Nowruz. They ate the special Nowruz meal that involved Vegetable pilaf with fish, nuts, and pastry. In the end, Lukas stood up and took some souvenir photos of that memorable moment. Amina Jafari
By: Laura Weinander
A Magical Christmas “Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, ring the Hogwart bell” The singing of the school choir echoed through the castle, filled the Great hall with merriness and enlightened the day for the countless students, taking notes under the lectures of Professor Binns and watching Professor McGonagall transfigurate mice into snow globes. At last, all classes of Hogwarts were dismissed – the holidays had begun. Some were going home to their families, and a rambunctious atmosphere of holiday-greetings and last-minute packing filled the air. Outside was a frost-covered landscape. The great lake was frozen solid and some daring first-years had found their way out on its slippery surface. Snow continued to fall from the grey skies, it came in feather-like flakes and landed softly on the already covered ground. As the sky began to darken, long queues of excited witches and wizards lined up, waiting to ascend into the wagons, pulled by thestrals. But of course, most students could not see the creatures pulling the carriages. For them, the mean of transport was yet another well-kept secret of the school. They were driven to the Hogsmeade train station, where the Hogwarts express awaited the joyful holidaymakers. Back in the castle, a trio of second years remained in the Gryffindor common room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all cozied up in front of the flaming hot fireplace. A silence as deep as the snow on the grounds had filled the air, but rather than finding it gloomy, Harry enjoyed the calmness. As twilight arrived, they played wizards chess and gobstones and the air was filled with a tone of delight. At last, they had all started yawning a bit too much to stay up any longer, and so the boys went up to their dormitory, and Hermione to the girls’. - Merry Christmas, Harry! Harry woke by the sound of Ron’s excited voice. Immediately, the warmth of pure happiness filled the little boy with dishevelled hair and a lightning bolt scar. He put his glasses on and thought to himself how lucky he was. He got to spend Christmas along with the people he liked the most, at the one place where he truly felt at home. As he got out of bed, he noticed that his duvet was
noticeably heavier than it had been the night before. He then came to the realization; he had gotten presents. With light footsteps, they could hear someone ascending the stairs. A moment later, Hermione showed up in a scarlet red night gown, wearing slippers and showing off a big smile. - Merry Christmas! She approached Harry and gave him a friendly hug. Then she turned to Ron, but there seemed to be an invisible wall between them. An awkward silence left them not knowing what to do, but Harry quickly broke it by asking Hermione about what gifts she had been given. In the meantime, he started unwrapping the pile of presents that laid on his bed. In one of them, a particularly lumpy one wrapped in a forest green paper, something knitted appeared as he opened it. He unfolded it and found himself holding an emerald jumper. The front was adorned with the letter H, in a mustard yellow nuance. - Oh no, she has sent you a Weasley jumper, Ron moaned. - Your mom made this? Harry asked, feeling both astonished and endlessly grateful that Mrs. Weasley had made something for him. He instantly put the jumper on. It was incredibly warming, an absolutely splendid quality considering the weather. It had snowed for days and there seemed to be no end to it. The three friends continued the joyful unwrapping and later went down to the Great hall to get themselves some breakfast. Harry enjoyed a bowl of Scottish syrup porridge whilst Ron feasted on sausages with tomato ketchup. They ate as if they had never seen food before, and the meal left them almost unable to walk out of fullness. The trio put on their winter cloaks and went out in the glittering snow. It had not yet begun to darken, but the sky was steel grey and the constant stream of precipitation from the previous days had created a misty, damp aerosphere. But the moody weather did not stop the friends from playing snowball fights for several hours. The time went faster than usual, they thought, as it usually is when you’re having fun. Eventually, they started drabbling towards the castle, stamped off the snow from their soaking wet boots and shook off their cloaks. Finally, they stepped into the castle and rushed up the stairs in order of once again warming themselves in front of fire. The Great hall, illuminated by torches upon the walls and decorated with sparkling garlands, whose corners were inhabited by bushy trees filled with flaming candle lights, was quite empty in comparison with the usual crowding. The four tables, each belonging to one of the Hogwarts’ houses, were now
moved so that everyone could sit together. Gathered on the right-hand side were the professors of Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall had tied a red ribbon around her updo, which was sitting a bit more loosely than usual. By her side, sat Professor Dumbledore, his usual wizard’s hat switched to a midnight blue, star covered one. The three friends took seat. The dining table in front of them was sagging under the weight of the thousand different golden dishes, filled with enormous amounts of all kinds of foods. There were roast turkeys, buttered peas, endless amounts of thick gravy and cranberry sauce and both roasted and boiled potatoes. Harry had never seen anything close to a Christmas dinner like this. As they had served themselves as much as the porcelain plates could hold, they started enjoying the food. Around the table, a jolly aura set in. Students and teachers were talking to each other like old friends. Christmas crackers popped all around, and they weren’t at all like the cheap muggle ones: these crackers set off with a loud bang, enough to awake a sleeping dragon. They all laughed when Professor Dumbledore pulled apart a particularly large one, from which white mice escaped. While every other person in the room thought about their presents and how much dessert they would be able to devour, a feeling of melancholy settled in Harry’s chest. No matter that this was the best Christmas that he could remember – he was still alone. There were no parents, wanting nothing else than to take him home for the holidays. No one writing him a letter, asking about school and life in general. Conclusively, he was alone. Not wanting attention, he put on a façade of having the same jolliness as the surrounding students had. But his sudden gloominess did not go unnoticed. As the night went on, a certain silver bearded, crooked nosed and very wise professor kept a close look on Harry. When, finally, the soiree came to an end, he approached the scrawny, sad looking boy. - Have you enjoyed the feast, Harry? asked Professor Dumbledore. Harry was about to answer what should be answered by a 12-year old boy, but stopped himself when he looked up in Dumbledore’s eyes. They emitted a warmth and kindness, but also a piercing sharpness. He had the kind of gaze that passed right through one’s soul. Harry sighed deeply. - I just can’t help thinking about my parents. I want to be with them, not spending the holiday’s at school, he confessed. - Of course, Harry. I am quite certain that we all would wish for you to spend Christmas elsewhere. That desire is completely expected for a boy
your age who, like you, has walked the darkest paths of life. But I need you to remember something. - What, professor? - It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, Harry. Your desires must not make you miss out on the life that is happening right here and now. Harry, feeling less anxious than he had done before talking to the headmaster, climbed the endless staircases that, apart from a few detours lead up to the Gryffindor common room. As he told the portrait of the Fat lady the password (“Christmas tree”), the door swung open and he was greeted by his friends. Once again, the gratefulness struck him. He might not have gotten to spend Christmas with his family, but being accompanied by your best friends in the whole wide world wasn’t too bad either. Once again, they sat down in front of the fireplace and started playing a game of wizard’s chess. Outside, the moon shone brightly, illuminated the snow-covered castle.
Christmas is around the corner and nothing would be better than a Reindeer DIY! It is also a wonderful gift for loved ones.
What you need: A jar, sweets (brown coloured candy is recommended), brown paper, pipe cleaner, a small red ball to use as a nose, eyes, and a ribbon.
Step 1: Fill up the jar with sweets.
Step 2: Cut out brown paper and tape or glue it onto the jar.
Step 3: Glue on the eyes and nose.
Step 4: Use the pipe cleaner to make antlers. Tape or glue them on the lid of the jar. Lastly, tie the ribbon around the lid. The perfect present is done!
Caroline Rinnsjรถ
Malaysia Devil’s Curry (Kari Ayam Debal)
History: The Kari Ayam Debal or “Devil’s Curry” as it is also called is a specialty of the Kristang people, who is a group of people of mixed Portuguese and Malaccan descent living in Malaysia and Singapore. The history of this fiery chicken dish dates back all the way to the Portuguese conquest of Malacca in 1551. The name of the dish most likely comes from its extreme spiciness, as well as the fiery red color of the curry.
Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • • •
1.8kg chicken thighs (fat trimmed) (1.8kg) 80ml vegetable oil (80ml) 1 onion (peeled and thinly sliced) 30g ginger (peeled and julienned) 5 medium potatoes (peeled and cut into bite size pieces) 1 tsp mustard powder 1 tsp red pepper flakes 396g chicken 480ml water ½ tsp sugar 2 tsp salt 2 tbsp white vinegar
Spice Paste • 10 red jalapeno chilies • 1 habanero pepper • 2 large onions (peeled) • 90g ginger (peeled)
Instructions 1. Lightly sprinkle some salt and pepper onto chicken pieces. Place on a baking tray and roast in a 190°C oven for 50 minutes. Remove and set aside. 2. Blend all spice paste ingredients with as little water as possible into a fine paste. 3. Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add sliced onions and julienne ginger. Fry until lightly brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes. 4. Add spice paste and continuously stir until fragrant and oil separates, about 8 to 10 minutes. 5. Stir in potatoes. Sprinkle over mustard powder and chili pepper. 6. Add chicken or beef smokies and stir well to ensure they are well coated with spices. 7. Pour in 480ml water, reduce heat, and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes. 8. Add sugar and salt followed by roast chicken pieces. Stir to get chicken coated with gravy. Allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes until chicken and potatoes are tender. 9. Stir in vinegar and turn off heat. 10. Serve with steamed rice.
South Africa Hertzoggie
History Hertzoggie, or Hetzogkoekie as it is known in Afrikaans, is a South African dessert that originated in the 1920’s. It was originally baked by the politician, Prime minister, and Boer War general J.B.M Hertzog’s supporters as a way to show their political support, as these treats were Hertzog’s favourite.
Ingredients 250 ml all-purpose flour 15 ml sugar ½ tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 65 g cold butter 2 egg yolks 25 ml water Ingredients- coconut meringue 250 ml desiccated coconut 100 ml sugar 2 egg whites
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease a patty pan tray. In a mixing bowl sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together and rub in the butter with your fingers. Add the sugar, egg yolks and water and knead to form a soft dough. Roll the dough out to half a cm thickness and cut with a 7 cm small cookie cutter. Press the dough into the tray and fill with jam.
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peak stage and add the coconut and sugar. Add a tablespoon of the coconut meringue to cover the jam.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the hertzoggies are golden.
Mexico Pozole
History Pozole has been known to us Europeans since all the way back in the 16th century, were it was mentioned in the Florentine Codex, which was a 16th-century ethnographic research study in Mesoamerica by the Spanish Franciscan friar Bernardino de SahagĂşn. Since corn was a sacred crop to the Aztecs this dish was mostly made on special occasions. As this was an Aztec dish made on special occasions, the meat used in the dish was human. In Aztec fashion, prisoners were killed by getting their hearts ripped out and the body was chopped and cooked with maize and served up to the whole community. Though, after the Spanish conquests, cannibalism was outlawed, and the human meat was exchanged with pork.
Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • •
4 medium onions 7 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil 4 tablespoons ancho chile powder 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican), divided 1 2,7- to 3 kg bone-in pork shoulder, cut into 10- to 13 cm long pieces, some meat left on the bone 1,2 litres (or more) low-sodium chicken broth 4 cans diced green chiles, drained, 200g 5 large garlic cloves, minced 4 teaspoons ground cumin 4 cans golden or white hominy, drained, 425g 4 limes, each cut into 4 wedges Thinly sliced green onion Chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation Preheat oven to175°C. Thinly slice 2 onions. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions to pot and sauté until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oregano; stir to coat. Sprinkle pork with salt and add to pot. Add 1,2 litres of broth. Bring to boil. Cover and transfer to oven. Braise pork until tender enough to shred easily, about 2 hours. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to large bowl. Pour juices into another large bowl. Refrigerate separately uncovered until cool, then cover and keep chilled overnight. Discard fat from top of chilled juices; reserve juices. Chop pork into 1,5 cm cubes, discarding excess fat. Thinly slice remaining 2 onions. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 7 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder, remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oregano, diced chiles, garlic, and cumin; stir 30 seconds. Add pork, reserved juices, and hominy. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer 30 minutes to allow flavours to blend, adding more broth to thin, if desired. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cool. Cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing. Ladle posole into bowls. Garnish with lime wedges, green onion, and cilantro.
United Kingdom Crunchy butter caramel/butterscotch
History: Historians have found evidence that the word “butterscotch” has been used since 1848, in the market town Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. A few years later, in 1851, butterscotch was sold commercially on many places around Britain. In the late 19th and early 20th century this sweet’s popularity increasingly spread across Europe and the US. Today it is one of the most well know candies in the United Kingdom and it is common to eat during Christmas.
Ingredients for 75 pieces with a cooking time of 45 min: 2 dl cream, 2 dl syrup, 2 dl sugar, ¾ dl almonds that is peeled and chopped, 4 tablespoons crust flour and ½ spice measure baking powder.
Instructions: Mix cream, syrup and sugar in a saucepan with wide bottom. Cook the mixture on a stove at 125 degrees Celsius/ 257 Fahrenheit for about 30 min or until the mixture get tough. Stir from time to time. Pour some of the mixture into cold water. If you can roll it into a ball, the crackers are complete. Add almonds, crust flour and baking powder. If the batter is too hard tough add baking powder or if the batter is too loose add more crust flour. Later pour the batter in equal amounts into small tins. Store the butterscotch in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and with a greaseproof paper between each layer.
There’re always two types of people. Christmas music – enjoyable all year around Christmas is a holiday of joy, food and a wonderful time for music. Music we all know of and have heard since we were children. Music that brings us strolling down memory lane - Joyful music we sang in school and at home, teachers playing instruments and the children singing from the top of their lungs. Christmas truly is a wonderful time for music, but why won't we play it all year, at all seasons, for all the months? What if we played Christmas music all year around? Music is proven to be stimulating for the human brain, non the less, Christmas music. The horse with the jingling bells, the red nosed reindeer and the decorated halls are all songs we have known since forever, songs that make the holidays joyful and exciting. The songs about animals and decorating bring light into the darkness that is winter and fill you with joy. Who would not enjoy that feeling all year around? The Christmas holiday is a holiday for the Christmas spirit, a spirit of kindness, forgiveness and generosity. The Christmas spirit should be with us all year around, and if that would be the case, then there would not be as much misery in the world. Wars, fights and the pandemic would all be helped by some joyful music. The music that brings the Christmas spirits makes us all a little sentimental and a bit more sensitive, therefore the wars might not be as brutal and awful. The fights on the streets and in our homes would be helped by the kindness that is Christmas. But how is music supposed to help with the pandemic? This year, 2020, has been an awful year of loneliness and depression all over the world. With the memories that come with joyful Christmas music the feeling of being alone and depressed might not be as tough. Unfortunately, many people do have bad times during Christmas. Some still got haunting memories from their childhood. There is always time to make new, better and brighter memories with new people, maybe a new family. Or finally letting Christmas be something
funny, after years of suffering. A lot of former addicts and people raised by addicts see Christmas as something bright and good, either because they got the power to be sober and have a “white Christmas�, or because they are finally free from the hell that is addiction. During the holidays, music is a big part, and it brings a special kind of feeling, a feeling we want to have all year around. In conclusion we should play Christmas music all year around to bring a new joy to the world and life. A joy we before only felt during Christmas, but if we start enjoying the music all year around, we will feel the joy all year around. By: Rudolf
The discord of Christmas. What is one of the most annoying things a human being can be exposed to? Without hesitation you thought about Christmas music, right? Especially when played two months before December: yuck! If not, this text will make it crystal clear. Because if your answer didn’t match mine then I have a feeling that you simply don’t have a problem with the music being played whenever. Which is why I’m going to present to you, why Christmas music should be limited to December and if not only, Christmas Eve. The first problem starts as early as in October, right after or in some disturbing cases, even before the arrival of Halloween. While of course making a passive-aggressive exception for the so-called human beings that insist on playing the horrific Christmas tunes all year around. By playing Christmas music without any limitations and knowledge of when it’s okay to play, brings a sort of greedy feeling towards the Christmas holiday. For example, in autumn when the weathers getting cosier and you’re getting into the mood for horror films and candy, then you’ll hear some Christmas freaks playing Christmas songs and your whole mood is ruined. The formal Christmas spirit simply overruns the other holidays and steals their spotlight. Which simply is unfair! I speak for the equality of all holidays! With the crucial problem out of the way, we’ll be met by the second one. Not to be underestimated. The Christmas classics are getting old and with the pace of, some unique people, increasing the frequency of these songs’ playtime, it surely doesn’t look bright for the upcoming Christmas moods. Plus let’s be honest, the good old “Christmas classics” were only good as childhood memories, and now they just trigger bad memories. One could easily ask the question: “Why is this happening?” and let me tell you, it’s all because of these Christmas fanatics. They always take the liberty of choosing when and which kind of Christmas songs they want to play, with so much ego, that they are unable to see behind their own likings. And still, it’s me you all are going after whilst these criminals (so-called Christmas fanatics) are walking the streets untroubled. We shouldn’t keep on playing these outdated Christmas songs, just throw them back to 2010 where they belong. Whilst on the track (pun intended) of Christmas songs, many would often argue that Christmas needs to have a build-up and that the Christmas tunes provide this. That Christmas needs to set in, going in slow first of December
(or October as a horror-example) and ramping up towards the 24th of December. I understand that the Christmas songs promote the Christmas spirit that’s also a part of the so-called winter aesthetic, which is aspired to be achieved, as well as it, from a marketing perspective inspires people to start buying Christmas gifts. Which leads us to a more serious topic. Christmas isn’t for everybody. Many may think of Christmas as a holiday that everyone should love and long for all year around. But that is only selfish to assume. If you think about it, many families have a very difficult time celebrating the holiday and getting along with relatives and family members is not always as easy as it is for you. By forcing this “Christmas spirit” upon everyone because of ignorant assumptions doesn’t show empathy nor sympathy towards those who have a tough time celebrating Christmas at home, and isn’t that’s what Christmas is all about? To be kind to one another. Which includes showing love and understanding and therefore, respecting each other. Because according to me, I don’t remember Christmas being a holiday that’s supposed to spread the feeling of anxiety. So be a decent human being and take responsibility. To sum things up, by listening to Christmas music whenever you want and therefore force the Christmas spirit down everyone’s throat, ignoring the fact if they like it or not, you’ll not only steal the spotlight from EVERYTHING and mostly every holiday before and after Christmas, you’ll also ruin and stretch the music much further and in the process spread a huge amount of anxiety. By: The Grinch
Made by: Agnes Fridfelt & Loke Samuelsson Alm.
Sugar cookies
With the holidays just around the corner it´s time to start preparing all the Christmas delicacies. I´ve noticed that almost all of the popular foods and pastries are very rich in flavor, so what´s better than a gentle vanilla flavored sugar cookie to break it all off a bit? Not only are they delicious but also fun to make as a Christmas activity with family and friends. Let your creativity out and decorate them however you like with icing and sprinkles. In addition, they also make a perfect little gift, just put them in a nice glass jar and you have an amazing homemade present. Ingredients for cookies
Instructions
Let the butter sit in room temperature for a while, then mix it 450g Butter with sugar and stir until they are completely mixed together. Add 4.5 dl Sugar the vanilla concentrate and eggs and mix, then add baking 2 Eggs powder and continue stirring. Finally add a little flour (about 2 2 tsp Vanilla concentrate dl) at a time. Roll out the dough until it´s a few millimeters thick (liquid) and take out cookies with gingerbread molds or something 4 tsp Baking powder 13.5 dl Wheat flour similar. Bake at 175 degrees for 6-8 minutes (varies a lot (+some extra for the depending on the oven + size and shape of the cookies), take rolling) them out when the first cookie starts to get a little color on the edge. Let them chill for a bit and then you can decorate them if you like. Ingredients for icing 4 dl Powdered sugar 3-4 tbsp Water 2 ml Lemon juice Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, food coloring and 1.5 tbsp of water to a bowl and mix until you have a smooth glaze. If necessary, add half a tablespoon of water at a time until you get the consistency you like. Remember that it needs to be a bit thicker if you want to spritz out the glaze on your cookies, and you also need a spritz bag with a narrow toll. Otherwise you can just drizzle the icing over the cookies or spread it over them, then let the icing set for 30 minutes.
Merry Christmas! Made by Lucie
THE TWO Vibrant colour and wonderful views, birds chirping and folks a' singing, scent of bakery and adventure, all things that Sir S.J. Frivolous longed for, yet seldom had. Spencer, as friends and relatives called Sir Frivolous, was a very peculiar man. An elderly man interested in all things science, he was of average stature and did not boast an ounce of excess body mass. Down by the river in a desolate valley of Great Britain he lived. From his dilapidated wooden house, and on through the dense forest which consisted of curious trees and mildewed vegetation, lied a path of gravel, slithering on, making its way through the landscape. It was by this path that the man made his daily strays and wanderings. And this path, now visible only in the livid luminosity of the heaven’s eye, has been greatly affected by the elaborations stemming from the frivolous mind of Sir Spencer. His ideas had often touched upon the very existence of us humans, and had usually had their foundations in concepts too complex for the comprehension of any ordinary man. Nature was, to him, the ultimate truth, and he despised all things not made in its image. The life of Sir Frivolous was at the beginning filled with joy and as a child he enjoyed spending time with other children, but his wrinkled brow, his crooked lips, and the exhausted state of his hands, later combined to tell a glooming tale of fallen prosperity and depression. Observations of nature, and everything she holds, was resolved to be his lifework. His lifework, however, did not entirely rely on the sole thoughts of Spencer. His gifted, short-witted, yet rather sharp-minded companion, who too showed great interest in observations of nature, bore the name of Edward Particeps. These observations, driven by the two, included the study of Cetacealogy, the acquiring of intelligence regarding a certain niche of marine mammals, of which Spencer and Edward were the pioneers. Recent discoveries suggested that an unknown and unseen species of the Balaenoptera family of whales dwelled in the nameless lake at Mt. Insaniam. It was Spencer who made that remark, and this newly anticipated species was nicknamed “Giants” by his companion. The Giants had made themselves visible to no man, but since both researchers were in agreement, and taking their broad intellect into consideration, it is not foolish to suppose these Giants to be true. One day, when the white carpet lay quietly on the otherwise grey path and the soft song of birds sounded; Edward walked outside to find Spencer staring unshaken at a specific point amongst the clouds. Not a single wind was blowing, providing an uncanny contrast to the baffled expression on Spencer’s face, and his surely unusual posture. His mouth was wide open, and the eyebrows raised
to their limits. Having marked these aspects of the morning, Edward noticed that his companion had not once blinked. Suddenly, Spencer let out a singular scoff of wonderment, whence Edward’s eyes were fixed at the clouds as well. A bypassing hiker experiencing the spectacle simply scoffed at them and continued up the river. When the sun had set, they both rushed inside, eager to document the extraordinary and unbelievable event. Faster than Edward could fathom, the words “Possible Contradiction: New Discovery” were scrambled by his intelligent friend on a sheet of paper. Spencer J. Frivolous handed the pencil to Edward and said “Illustrate, Edward. I am brimming with excitement and confusion and cannot properly draw.” While Spencer was boiling his coffee Edward dropped the pencil, and the coffee mug came flying down, at what they heard. Outside, not so far away, they fancied the incredibly loud sound of some approaching thing. A sort of highpitched noise of a nature which affected Sir Spencer and Edward Particeps deeply. Rushing out to identify the source of this oddity, they viewed on the far-left corner of their eyes an immense grey shape, flowing violently with an incomprehensible speed. Spencer snatched his pencil from his pocket and asked Edward for the sheet of paper, prepared to document in detail this obscurity, when they were suddenly drenched in the frigid cold water. For the immense grey shape was now but a meter in front of them flapping its monstrous fins at the pair and vanishing with great velocity. “Giants!” shrieked Edward Particeps, soaked in water, observing his friend struggling to stand. Assisting his friend, Edward suggested they should walk up the river for further investigation. Filled with wonder and courage, they began their ascent up the river, which they knew would lead them far away. The two had seen much in their lifetime, though nothing could compete with what discovery they were about to embark on. A discovery of the utmost peculiarity, an obscure discovery which no man could foresee. For many hours they wandered up the ascent. Soreness filled their old legs, sweat in a considerable profusion flooded, the distinct smell of this primeval forest had arisen. To their right, the active river streamed with no regard for human hearing. To the left, they could glimpse the rising of the sun. In front of them more trees were standing. Suddenly they heard that insanely loud sound which they had previously heard. After making eye-contact, they dashed towards it, in sure knowledge of its source.
Stumbling one after the other, they entered the domain ahead of them, where a lake was situated, and scattered across the enclosing landscape were a number of picnic tables. Here, people were eating peacefully and discoursing in a calm manner, unaffected. The beautiful songs of various birds filled the atmosphere, the relaxing sound of crickets existed in the locality, the voice of a hiker, who kindly greeted them, was there. But over all else, that extreme and impious sound from the lake. An absurd amount of water suddenly came spurting out, and the sounds became even louder. The two pioneers stood awe-struck, unable to move. An audible mass of blubber and grey loomed out of the dark, drafting up towards the clouded blue. Casting shade upon the pair, they arose like arrows in the sky. A happening, certainly not of garden-variety. Terrified and at loss for words, the companions stood, rooted to the spot. In this utter cataclysm, the surrounding people kept eating and discoursing peacefully, in ignorance of the overwhelming occurrence. There seemed to reside an unsettling tranquillity in hideous contrast to the ongoing turmoil. Suddenly, the spell broke. “Spencer!”, exclaimed Particeps. “We`ve got to depart from this purgatory at once”. Whereby the two jolted down the hummock, ramming a pair of unsuspecting hikers. Spencer proclaimed, “excuse this inelegance, but you see, the Giants, they walk in the air!”. “What utter nonsense do you speak of? There are no giants at blame.”, said one of the hikers. “You two lunatics,” said the other, “I am taking you into custody, for I am a Federal officer, you see.”. “And you, sir,” said the first, pointing a finger towards Frivolous, “You are to be interrogated at the Psychiatric Ward.” Darkness had now settled. “I declare you, Spencer J. Frivolous, a sufferer of schizophrenia and a public nuisance. I hereby strip thee of thy research licence”. “What about my colleague, what about Edward!”, shouted Spencer. “No more of this nonsense. Guard, take him to his cell.” Spencer was escorted out into the adjacent corridor, when he heard Edward say “So, they are locking us up. Bloody bastards.”. Spencer, a little scarred, responds “Oh! There you are Edward. Where have you been?”. To which, the guard simply scoffed “So it starts again.”. Authors: Liam and William, from Na19A
How to make Swedish mulled wine
During winter there’s one drink in particular that keeps the Swedes warm. This beverage is known as GlÜgg, and has been a Christmas tradition in Sweden since the 1890s. In this article I will show you a recipe on how to make this delightful drink. The recipe is written by John Duxbury, a Swedish food enthusiast who lives in the UK. Summary Makes: 1 bottle (700ml) Time needed: 10 minutes (and at least 24 hours for the flavours to infuse)
Ingredients 100 ml (1/2 cup) vodka 3 cinnamon sticks 10-20 thumb sized piece of ginger (peeled) 1 tsp cardamom pods ½ a Seville orange (peel only) 1 bottle of red wine 220 g (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar 1 tsp vanilla sugar 1 tsp raisins 1 tsp almonds (blanched and peeled)
Method 1. Pour the vodka into a small jar. Add the cinnamon, cloves, ginger, orange peel, and cardamom. Cover and leave to infuse for a few days. 2. Strain the mixture through kitchen paper or a coffee filter into a saucepan. 3. Add the wine and sugars. Heat slowly, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour into sterilized bottles* and keep until required. 4. Heat gently before serving, but don’t let it boil. * Sterilize by washing bottles and then placing in an oven at 120C for five minutes. Serving suggestions Place a few raisins and almonds at the bottom of each glass, then top up with glögg. Glögg and pepparkakor (ginger snaps) and/or lussekatter (saffron buns) go well together.
Author: Anders Gustafsson, NA19A
The Grinch ruined Christmas Christmas has been the greatest and most loved holiday as far as we can remember. The tradition goes way back in time. Every December the Christmas spirit spreads over the globe and all homes light up by decoration and Christmas trees. Everyone is happy and excited for the best day of the year, Christmas day – 25th December. What would happen if Christmas didn’t exist and we had to go through this dark and cold time of the year without the warming, loving spirit. This happened one time, 100 years ago, when the globe got infected by an awful virus infection, and Santa Claus himself got ill, only a few days before Christmas. I think you all know that Santa lives at North Pole and work together with his elves to gild all children wishes and make the year the greatest. Without the joy and spirit which comes from Christmas, the beginning of the next year would come with depression, and it was what almost happened when Santa got ill. I will start from the beginning. The year was 2020 and since late February, a frightful virus called covid-19, had spread nearly all over the globe and infected a lot of people. The world was suffering and maybe Christmas was even more important this year, when people needed that unique spirit. Santa and his elves worked harder than ever and luckily the North Pole had not been affected by the virus. Wish lists came from children with Santa’s own postman, but what he did not know was that the Grinch, who wanted to ruin Christmas had poisoned all letters with the virus, and when Santa later opened them, he also got infected. As an old man he thought being tired and having a sore throat belonged to his lifestyle, and that’s why he that day, on the 15th of December, went to bed a bit earlier. When he woke up, he realized this wasn’t the ordinary way to feel, even for a man as old as him, who just turned 150 years old. He knew that somehow the horrible virus had even come to him. It was not as easy as it could have been, if it would happen any other time of the year. Now Santa Claus couldn’t do his work and the working elves at the factory were slowing down, which they really did not have time for, with 9 days until Christmas. Mrs. Claus did everything she could to cure her husband, but this virus had made him very ill. Soon it was the 20th of December and the factory had even closed. When Santa could not work, the elves did not know what kind of toys to produce. Some elves were also out looking for the Grinch, as they got the news it was all his fault. Mrs. Claus was very stressed and did not know what to do, she tried all methods and read all books she had to learn how to get rid of this infection, but she didn’t succeed. The elves who had been out looking for the Grinch returned, and they were not alone. The Grinch had been hiding under a cliff a few miles away and he was angrier than ever when he was brought to the house of Mr. And Mrs. Santa, which according to him, was the darkest place in the world. Later that day, he met Santa and laughed at the sight of his illness. At that time, he thought his plan had succeeded and Christmas would be canceled! Santa Claus who was so ill he barely could speak, asked the Grinch why he did this. His answer was as he expected. The Grinch wanted people to be as sad and angry as he always has been. He also told Santa, which may have been a mistake, that he knew how to cure people from the virus because he had a liquid magic cure. The second after he tripped himself, he started to run out of the house, but an elf stopped him with her magic powers. The Grinch slowly and very sullen walked back to Santa’s bedroom. He thought Santa would do something terrible to him, because he had ruined his career as Santa Claus. But what he did not know, was that Santa wanted to help the Grinch. He wanted all people to be happy, even the ones who had betrayed him. Therefore, he offered him a deal. If the Grinch gave Santa his liquid magic cure, Santa promised to give the Grinch the best Christmas he had ever had. A Christmas where the Grinch would celebrate with delicious food and presents. At first, the Grinch just laughed at this
deal, because he thought it was impossible to make him like and even want to celebrate this awful holiday. But after a few minutes of musing with Mr. and Mrs. Claus convincing him, he agreed to give it a try and handed over his magic cure. On the 23rd of December, the elves had resumed to work, and Santa Claus was livelier than ever. They had many wish lists to read, gifts to produce, a sleigh to polish and fill, reindeer to prepare for a long trip, and a new Christmas outfit to make for Santa to wear on his most special day of the year. Therefore, they had to work twice as quick as they used to when the factory now had been closed for three days. Mrs. Claus was very anxious about how this would end, so she rushed around handing out gingerbread to everybody in the factory. She even stayed in the stable with the reindeers to make sure their preparation for the night went well. With no time for sleep they worked until sunrise on 24th of December when they all were so tired, they barely could keep their eyes open. Luckily the elves just made their last Christmas gift, which would be sent to the Grinch, as they promised. Elves, Santa, and his wife spent their last hours before their trip with some sleep, Christmas games and a lot of delicious food Mrs. Santa had made. When the sun set, they knew what to do, because this Christmas ended as great as all previous years and Santa flew away in the dark night together with his reindeer. The next morning all children had a gift waiting for them and the Christmas spirit had not been ruined. Even the Grinch loved this day.
Elin Petersen, Na19a
A Christmas Present of Guns and Steel from Sweden to Denmark Is it advisable for a high school student to express his views on the topic of Sweden’s foreign policy and the state of the world? I believe for many reasons that it indeed is. While Christmas and its spirit are approaching us, it is in our best interest to stop in the wake of Christmas shopping and celebration to consider the direction in which humanity is heading. We are at the moment facing the most difficult challenges of human history. Climate change is becoming increasingly more pressing—forcing us to change our way of living. The border between truth and narrative—has since the beginning of the postmodern era, paved the way for pseudoscience and so called “fake news” – thereby erasing its borders. The notion of a liberal democracy has progressively been challenged by a new wave of nationalism and as a result enforced catastrophic political policies impacting us both globally and locally. These all issues evidently raises questions. What are the solutions? What are the necessary political actions we need to take? What does this even mean for the future of the human race? It is easy to raise such questions, but difficult to give definite answers. I will however, give my best to as accurately and as intellectually honest, respond to these conflicting issues. I have at many times, considered the establishment of a global supranational union, or even such a nation. The mentioned crises and socio-political issues are determined to be continuous on a global scale. This pressing fact is to a degree contradictory to the current world order—that is to say the geographic borders which encapsulate what we refer to as a nation, dictated by its culture. Because of the unalterable nature of a nationstate is to further its own people’s interests with only varying degrees to further the rest of the world’s interests, it is thereby a fact of nature that the very foundation of the cultural nation is flawed in order to maximize the efficiency of global cooperation to solve the grand world problems. It is evident therefore, that the formation of such a nation is a moral imperative in the current state of the world. This fact however, quickly raises the questions of how the process of such an establishment is to be done. The most prevalent is in my opinion on how we overcome the social boundaries which so heavily guide us in our general pattern of behavior—restricting us to act for the better of society.
To give a specific and conclusive answer to that question however, is of great difficulty. I will however shine light on the very driving instinct of social constructs and thereby try to give an answer. A human – unlike any organism on the planet – engages in numerous social contracts in the presence of civilization. In the current society, we are able to trade a piece of paper – that inherently has no value – for food, that does have an inherent value, namely that it provides us with energy to sustain ourselves. A universal acceptability for religion has also been present throughout human history. We accepted (and still to a large degree still accept) holy scriptures and irrational world views as truth, even when proven the contrary and that as a consequence has partially slowed down the evolution of human society. Social contracts, whether bad or good though, have after all united the human race and has eliminated most of what philosophers regard as the unnecessary suffering and dissatisfaction of the humans in the Western world. Bad social constructs have been eliminated by embracing science with the foundation of logic and has been forwarded by only a small, but persistent intellectual elite. It is time we listen to the scientific establishment and utilize the state apparatus through the means institutions, with the sole goal of creating an environment in which the disingenuous social contracts are dismantled and the just ones encouraged. But what happens when, social contracts are abused, when a nation uses narratives, to paint a false picture in order to instead, divide society? What if I told that there is a force on this planet, that actively works against the greatest interests of the world? What if I told you this force was a nation and that this nation openly refuses fundamental science, controls its population through the means of media and has for the last decade infiltrated numerous governments and has henceforth, crippled the so called liberal democracy and replaced it with self-oriented autocrats? What if I told you that this nation is the Kingdom of Denmark? Surprised? I was too when I came to the realization it was Denmark all along. To give a specific example, the prime minister of Denmark, Mette Fredriksen, recently said in an interview during 2020 “It is surprising indeed. The earth is definitely […] flat, […] science is […] not […] real […] and I am a big fan of […] fascism”. This statement is the very expression of the human who has fought in vain, a human who has striven for so long to achieve an inner satisfaction, free of pointless conflicts, and a human who at the same time, has lost hope for objective truth and our scientific heritage but instead have become a subject of fear. A fear that has prevented it from acting on what truly is better for the world—replaced by primitive opposition. Her statement is the very symbol of the whole Danish nation.
I asked how the social boundaries were to be overcome in order to form an effective organization to deal with the world’s current problems. It has become clear, that the Danish nation is acting in a direct opposite manner in which the world should be heading. It is time to break the social boundaries which we are subject of and come into light of civil disobedience in order to save the world from Denmark. It is time, to break the force which has actively worked against the goals of the world. It is time to perform a full mobilization and enact a military invasion, with the goal of totally disbanding the Danish government and wiping the Danish culture off the face of the earth. I proclaim on the behalf of the world and in honor of our forefathers to the Swedish government, would you like to save the world? Then it is time to act.
The glorious assault of Copenhagen conducted by The Swedish Empire (1659)
Author: Simon Shafiq Ahlgren
Santa On A Diet During the quarantine in 2020, when the corona virus spread like snowflakes from the sky. Santa couldn’t go to the gym and practice his normal day cardio. So, he basically just sat like a couch potato inside his workshop consuming tons of gingerbread and Christmas porridge combined with hundreds of gallons of mulled wine. Santa gained so much weight that he couldn’t climb down the chimney. This was the biggest problem in Christmas history, as the kids may not receive their gifts because of Santa’s fat lazy ass..But the hope still lived, that Santa had a plan.
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