Sunday, December 4, 2016 Here's a photo from Stortoget (Stor = big, torg = square) in the center of town. The tree is similar to the tree outside Grand Hotel, but it has large 6 cornered stars representing snow flakes. The smaller permanent trees are also decorated with lights. To the left is an artificially made snow mountain for children to play on. Some of you commented on poverty and Christmas. When I was young we had very little until my father got a decent job after completing his studies, so I can well understand your feelings. Mother worked to keep the family with money (1950s, USA). However, this is Sweden 2016. Long, dark winters and a need for light. Candles, then electric lights, are a long standing tradition, and a necessity. As for poverty, the government takes 10% of retired persons pensions to pay for beggars and refugees. This has made many retired folks live at a subsistence level. There's been a lot written about this in the media. A colleague's husband works at Forex and has noted the beggars send out of the country 25,000:- Crowns (about $3,300.-) per person per month in addition to the welfare money provided by the government. Some Swedes are now starting to discover how they are being taken to the cleaners by the Gypsy beggars. As for refugees, that's another matter. Enjoy the photo. I'll be posting a few more in the coming days! :-)