Inspired By: Swedish Christmas

One of my favorite holidays comes from my heritage and my Swedish grandmother, her legacy still lives on as we hold tight to the traditions that have been passed down through the generations. Every December 13th on Santa Lucia Day, in the early morning hours, I was always awakened by the sounds of my mother singing a traditional Swedish Christmas song while carrying a tray of hot cocoa and pepparkakor cookies. The beauty of the candles and wreath on her head seemed magical at those moments. It was always one of my favorite parts of December and unfailingly came as a sweet surprise each year. Today, I too carry along the tradition with my little ones and even still the memories of these moments evoke such warm feelings.   I loved waking up my own sleepy little babies this morning as the sun was rising and sharing with them the heritage that my mother also gave me.  All dressed in white and with the wreath of candles on my head, my sweet Milla asked me if I was an angel.  There may only be so many instances in her life where she thinks of her mother as such but for now I will hold on to that...

These are the feelings that bring me the most inspiration. Last weekend I was able to weave together all the elements that are dear to my heart in this special holiday to share with Green Wedding Shoes.  The smells of Swedish desserts, Swedish meatballs, and hot chocolate have brought the memories soaring back. Paintings by Carl Larsson and rosy cheeked girls with braided hair have been dancing in my head. Pretty packages with dala horses hiding within, lit candles, green wreaths of fresh pine, and wood logs waiting to provide warmth are some of my favorite things for this ever so special day. What made recreating all of this extra merry is that I was fortunate enough to recreate the memories with my mother from Twigg Botanicals as we worked side by side. 

Head on over to Green Wedding Shoes to view the inspired shoot we created with a great team of talent! Enjoy the inspiration boards below and we'd love to hear about any Christmas traditions that you have with your family.

xo
Heather