Greetings from Sweden!
Here in Sweden we start our celebration on christmas eve when “everybody” views “Donald Duck and his friends wish everybody a Merry Christmas” starting 3PM every year since 1960.
Another swedish tradion is the smorgasbord we eat. This includes a lot of fish and pork products like:
Happy IF Holidays!
God jul!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
2020 has been a year when so many things have been cancelled. Festivals, trips to the theatre, the club nights and sci-fi conventions that are normally the high points of the year. I had my 50th birthday during lockdown and I’ve only been able to see my family twice since last Christmas. I won’t be able to spend it with them this year, either.
Yet Spring Thing, IFComp, Ectocomp, and the XYZZY awards all carried on as normal. There have been hundreds of new games to play and thousands of interesting forum and blog posts to read. IF has really kept me going and kept me sane during this crazy year. So thank you all, you’re an amazing community of incredibly creative people, and if anything this crisis has made us stronger. I look forward to a better year in 2021 and seeing what you come up with next. Hopefully I’ll have a game or two to release myself next year as well!
Best wishes,
Jason
God Jul på eder alla!
Merry Christmas.
Is that Gravlax? I. Love. Gravlax.
Enjoy.
Yes. It is supposed to be gravlax (I’m not sure if it is a correct translation?).
Wikipedia tells me that it is “buried salmon”. So: raw salmon (laks) in a hole in the earth (grav) with spices like dille.
A friend of my parents once brought this home from Scandinavia. Best salmon I ever had.
Scandinavia was an extremly poor part of Europe up until the 20th century. Salt was an expensive and sparse commodity so the people of Scandinavia had to be inventive in food preservation. “Gravlax” is a result of this. Another example is the fermented herring (something I don’t recommend to the faint hearted). But, I agree, “gravlax” is a very tasty variant of salmon.
Well, some have found themselves surprised. I believe Jamie Oliver pronounced it “delicious.”
Of course, on that occasion it was prepared properly, unlike those brave but unhinged attempts at eating the fish straight from the bulging tin that we can see on YouTube. Oi vey.
So did I. 
But I’ve been more fortunate than many, and I still have my health! And what you said about the IF community is very true. Its been a nice escape and steadying influence.
Merry Christmas. My Christmas card this year is a web game you can play here: Christmas Sneks. Enjoy!
#toyboxjam #tbj2020 #pico8