How to celebrate Swedish Christmas:

Things You’ll Need:
Christmas Gifts
Advent Calendar
Televisions
Christmas Trees
Candles
Hams

Step 1: Remember Lucia on December 13. She was an Italian saint who was killed for her religious beliefs.

Step 2: Attend a procession called "Lussetåg," which is led by someone dressed as Lucia. Known as the Queen of Light, she wears a white dress with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head.

Step 3: Begin your celebrations with the start of Advent, four Sundays before Christmas. Light one candle every week to mark the coming of the holiday.

Step 4: Watch television and listen to the radio to find out the theme of this year's Advent calendar. Have your children use the calendar to count down to Christmas.

Step 5: Cut or buy a Christmas tree. Some families wait until just a few days before Christmas to decorate it.

Step6: Decorate your home with evergreens and with Christmas flowers such as poinsettia, tulips and hyacinth.

Step 7: Plan your big celebration for the day of Christmas Eve.

Step 8: Prepare a smorgasbord for your family that includes "Julskinka" (Christmas ham), sweet-and-sour red cabbage, meatballs, "prinskorv" (small sausages) and "gravad lax" (salmon with dill).

Step 9: Serve "Julgröt," a Christmas porridge with one almond in the recipe. According to tradition, the person who gets the almond in his or her portion receives good luck for the coming year.

Step 10: Make "glögg" - or "gluhwein" - a favorite Christmas treat of mulled wine. Serve it with pepparkakor (gingerbread biscuits, see below for recipe).

Step 11: Watch Disney re-runs on TV at 3pm.

Step 12: Expect Tomten (Father Christmas) to arrive later in the afternoon with gifts for the kids. Each package will have a riddle attached, offering clues about the gift hidden inside.

Step 13: Gather your children on January 6 for the Christmas tree plundering. They will dance around the tree as you take it down and throw it away.