Among the most of commercialized holidays in America is Christmas. As soon as Thanksgiving comes to a close it seems that the "Black Friday" shopping event is an explosion of mass consumerism and Christmas related purchases. However, in Sweden it seems that Christmas related items are introduced much earlier because of the lack of any other big holiday in the fall or winter season. However, the items in the stores differ greatly, less characters on packaging and more festive and cozy design. The only character that seems to be related with Jul in Sweden is Tomten. Tomten seems to relate more to folk tales and isn't as much focused on branded presents as he is placed with imagery of Swedish landscape, barns, and farm animals. Tomten appears on the bottle of Julmust that I spotted in the grocery store starting the first week of November. I was unaware of what the product was, but after reading some information online I have found that this product is consumed more than Coca-Cola around Christmas in Sweden. Many brands sell the product, so it is less about the brand name and more about the spiced soda drink. With the slow release of Christmas related products in Swedish stores, it seems that the holiday focuses more on family gathering over meals, particularly the julsmörgås, than it does on the arrival of Santa Claus and the extra-large rolls of wrapping paper. Wrapping paper rolls are significantly smaller here, perhaps indicating that presents are not given in as mass of quantities. Overall, it seems that the 'spirit' of the holiday and the feelings it brings about are very valued, further supporting my other observations the Swedish people live far more simple and product-free lives than Americans.
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