There is a place in Göteborg where every American runs when they are looking for things like Vanilla Extract (12 bucks a small bottle), Crisco (10 smackers a small can), dill pickles (1100 pennies a stork adorned jar) or refried beans (5 dollars). We go there knowing that it will not be cheap. And we know that satisfying a craving is worth every penny sometimes.

I was there on Tuesday with a close friend. I dragged her in there for moral support while I got Thanksgiving supplies. Basically, I went armed with a person who would say, "Well, of course you need that. It would not be Thanksgiving without it!" And she did it like a champ. Cranberry Sauce, Stove Top Stuffing and Cornbread were hastily flung into my basket. Then, we had a problem.

There it was. The mother of all MUST HAVES. The thing I needed more than anything else and could not live without. My arm went up to reach for it and I realized once again that it is hell being short. It was just out of reach. So, I did the jump grab, the tippy-toe reach and tried shoving my fingers through the bottom of the grated shelf to push it forward. Just as I was reaching for a pen to shove through the grate for added UMPH, she pointed out calmly that there was a step stool about 10 feet away. Hysterical! So, in the end I very non-climatically got my: CAN OF PUMPKIN PIE FILLING!

Christmas kick-off in Gbg

Am I jumping the gun by posting a blog about Christmas lights two weeks before Thanksgiving? Well, yes. Yes, I am. But then, the guy who was hanging them up in the city this morning is getting paid to make people start thinking about Christmas and we would not want him to get into trouble. Or?

The funny thing is that usually Christmas lights before December 1st make me totally grinchy. They did earlier this year too. But today, I was in town and I looked up and saw the blue lights lining the street and a blue star hanging near Arkaden. Then, I turned and saw the giant tree lit up in Nordstan. And I felt at home with it. I am not sure if it is me getting used to the fact that the Swedes start hanging lights in September, if I now understand the need to cut the new darkness with festive, happy lights or if I am just feeling like this year the world (and my little world) needs Christmas to start on November 13th.

Hmmmm...A Christmas blog before my What I Am Thankful For blog has even been started. Going with the flow is kinda fun!