Julmarknad at the American Swedish Institute
I love the holidays. One of my favorite holiday traditions is a new one, it’s visiting the American Swedish Institute for Julmarknad. The Best-Good Friend and I buy treasures made by local artisans in the craft market and then take our time exploring the Turnblad Mansion. During the holiday season, the mansion’s rooms are decorated to celebrate the holiday traditions of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden. This annual Christmas Rooms celebration is truly the “Only in Minnesota” holiday experience they strive for.
It was easy to get in the holiday spirit walking the rooms. Norway’s design screamed of holiday cheer:
And Iceland’s made me want to curl up by the fire with my knitting (do you see the sweaters in the picture?):
Sweden’s room made me think of the fairytale “The Ice Queen” that The Mother used to read me:
And I tried to figure out if anyone would notice if I took one of the straw animals home with me, aren’t they cute?
The Turnblad Mansion takes my breath away, don’t forget to look up because there’s more to see than the Christmas Rooms:
This tea set by Minnesota artist Marnette Doyle was on display in the sunroom. Isn’t it beautiful?
We wondered if we could recreate this look in our dining rooms:
I love a display where squirrels are king:
What are your favorite holiday traditions?
