I stopped by my parent's house yesterday for a short visit. While I was there, my mom told me about her morning shopping trip. One of the places she went to was a home furnishings place called HomeGoods. My mom, always the one to find a good sale, made sure she didn't miss a bargain at the markdown Christmas aisle. Here's one of the items she saw on clearance:
Mmmhmm. That's right.
A Julbock. In Texas.
I can only wonder about the hundreds of shoppers who saw this non-native creature during the Christmas season. They're innocently shopping for some nice lights or a few ornaments only to be accosted by this thing. Their first thought must have been something like "What is it and why would I pay that much for some straw and a red ribbon wrapped in the shape of a... uh, what is it? A dog? A deer? I don't know. They sell some hideous stuff in this store."
Before you start choking on your pepparkakor, I will make a true confession. I am the proud owner of a Julbock. I even have tiny julbock decorations for the tree. I thought of giving my bock a name just so I'd have less incentive to want to torch it. But hey, it's tradition. (Having one around, not torching one!) So, looks aside, they have a place in my house during Christmas.
It doesn't show in the picture but it stands a good 3 feet tall (1 meter). It was on major markdown - for $25.
I wouldn't pay the clearance price - and I know what the thing is! Think about all those poor people who have no idea whether it's a horse or a mangled sheep. Why would they pay $50 to have it sit around their house all season when they'd have to explain its origins whenever someone demands they explain the abomination sitting in their living room.
Most people probably thought it was a very expensive chew-toy for their Rottweiler named Fluffy or an overpriced scratching post for their kitty named Killer.
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Now, it's time for the second Swedish Christmas clearance item. There are two. My mom found one yesterday and I found the second one today.
After church, I made a quick stop at the local grocery store (Kroger). I didn't have a list, so I was wandering down the aisles picking up some lunch and a few snacks. After rolling my cart down the candy aisle, I stopped. I looked. My hand covered my heart and my legs nearly gave way. The checker probably thought I had just been been shot. He was almost right.
This is what made me nearly faint:
What is this parallel universe I live in?
A julbock sighting on Saturday.
A Glögg display on Sunday.
I never saw either of these products on the store shelves in December. They only come out in January because no one buys them - except me.
I stood there admiring the display. As I did so, a gentleman waiting in line questioned my reaction. He didn't say anything, but I could see it in his face. "What's so great about this stuff? She's acting like she just won a grand prize". I told him about living in Sweden and the glögg tradition. He acted like he was listening. (I'm never sure if people are actually interested or just acting like it. I've spent so many years jabbering on about Swedish stuff to anyone who will listen. Most of the time, I get an "Uh, that's nice" response and nothing more.) Turns out this guy was listening because he told me he was thinking about buying a bottle but didn't know if it was any good. I told him it was better than having a julbock around. (I didn't really say that but I was tempted). I told him it was good stuff and he bought a bottle. I bet he's drinking some right now.
I liked the bottles in the display. I also liked the ad on the side of the display. It's bright. It's pink. It's misspelled.
Scandi - avian. The N decided it wasn't having any part of this whole glögg sale. Sounds like a new strain of the Avian flu. The Scandi variant. I can't complain. They did spell glögg correctly. It's really the only thing that matters.
This version is non-alcoholic. All the glögg imported to the US seems to be that way. Of course, you can add some to it later. IKEA was selling a Herrljunga 1911 non-alcoholic variety in December. I did buy a few bottles of it but I couldn't write about it here since I can only write about Swedish stuff I happen to run across, not the stuff I am looking for.
The markdown on these bottles is more humane than the julbock price. It's better than humane. It's downright thievery. One bottle - Grandpa Lundquist's Glögg / Traditional Scandinavian Winter Beverage - is a mere $1.50. The entire 26 oz (750 ml) in this glass container with a cute little label is only 10 kr. You can barely buy a banana in Sweden for that.
I proudly present my bounty of bottles:
My stash has an expiration date of March 2011, so I stocked up for next Christmas. I bought 10 bottles for a grand total of $15 or about 100kr. Beat that ICA.
Sweden is in the Christmas markdown aisle.
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