5 Pros and 5 Cons of Living in Sweden during Winter | Life in Sweden

[@LivingSwedish]

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[@paula003]

I like the idea of slowing down and embracing winter time, I believe that’s how it should be, we should adapt to the seasons 🌸

[@LivingSwedish]

Absolutely!!

[@f.goossens8118]

We're in the north. When we first moved here it was April and the sun had just returned and it was actually warm! But I also remember cold and icy days and my astonishment when, the minute the sun peeked over the horizon, my neighbours would go out and just sit or stand and close their eyes and bask in the sunlight. And it was freezing (to me). Now, after a winter in Sweden, I get it. :) Right now the sun skirts along the horizon, barely rising but still there. And when it's out, I go greet it because I know in a week or two it won't even do that. So I found myself standing out on our side porch in minus twentyeight celsius, my lashes, brows and nosehairs freezing up (sorry! but it happens!) and just basking in the sunlight against closed lids. Thinking, "this is the best way to get my vit D". I know the months of January through March are often the hardest here. We got early snow this winter, a full three foot of it in our area and it's still lying, still there, and still difficult to navigate through. And every few days the sky sends down yet another flutter of it so we watch the fresh fall obliterate the deer and bird tracks. And fill up the pathways we keep trying to clear. My antidotes to winter blues are as follows...plenty candles, log fires, warm drinks, old movies and favourite books, and generally pottering around the house making it as cosy as I can. I feel sorry for my dog, a Border Collie..coming from Scotland he is not used to such low temps or the deep snow. He loves the snow, but his paws suffer badly and he's come near to frostbite on them more than once. We bought him dog boots but he simply won't keep them on, argh! I'm still waiting to see the Northern Lights here (which I did see in the Orkney Island I lived on for twenty years) but I'm patient. Right now, people have fairy lights and lit stars in their windows and over their outdoor trees and it looks magical. Jul blessings to all. I hope for a peaceful and cosy time for everyone. Stay safe and warm.

[@ingvartorma9789]

Thanks for your video and now a fact then tip. You say at the beginning that you have felt the cold there in Stockholm but you have not been up in northern Sweden and felt the real cold: I live in Kiruna where the air is dry and you live in Stockholm where you have the sea a car away and the air there is humid. So if it's -10 degrees in Stockholm, it feels colder than when Kiruna has -10 degrees precisely because of the air difference. So for it to feel equally cold in both places, so when it's -10 degrees at your place, the temperature at mine must be -18 for it to feel equally cold for you and me in our cities. A tip for how you and your family should dress and not need several layers of clothes. You go to a sports store and buy thermal underwear that athletes use, they are thin but very effective at keeping you warm. Of course they are a bit more expensive than normal underwear, but you get dressed faster, stay warm but still move. When you say that the traffic is slower when it snows, and this is mostly the case in the south of Sweden, this is because you don't have as many vehicles south to clear the snow as in the north, and you are more used to clearing snow up in the north than in the south Sweden. Then what affects the whole thing is that in southern Sweden people do not listen to the warnings to be careful or to stay at home, but instead go out into traffic and become an obstacle for those clearing the snow. IF there is a warning up here not to go out or drive the car, then we stay at home and if we have to go out, we leave the car at home and go. Then because we have more vehicles for clearing snow and that they start clearing the snow up here at 4:00 in the morning, they have had time to do a lot when the people have to go to their jobs and schools. As well as up here in Norrbotten, we know that the snow comes around October - November, so this is how you change to winter tires at the end of September and the beginning of October. Southerners only change when the snow has arrived and then it is too late. It's funny that you also like the winter and tips on what has become common up here in the north during the winter is that many people have got fireplaces to have an open fire in and have it in the yard, you have these summer chairs out and you put reindeer skins on them these or anything that keeps the back of the body warm and sits around this fireplace. Others who have larger plots get barbecue huts (google it and you will see what these look like), in the middle of the krill hut there is a fixed fireplace to make a fire in and above there are scort stones that take the smoke out. Around this fireplace you have benches to sit on, so you can enjoy the warmth and light from the fire and you can also grill or cook over an open fire in the winter. You use these barbecue huts mostly in the winter and they come in different sizes and you can actually sleep outside in the barbecue hut. Finally, regarding how the climate has affected the winters. Kiruna has always had the first snow and usually gets a lot of snow, now for the 3rd year in a row, they further down have received snow before Kiruna and they have received more snow further south than we have in Kiruna. Visssa already has around 60-70 centimeters of snow (the amount Kiruna normally has at this time), now we have around 25 centimeters of snow in Kiruna. They are colder further down in Sweden than what we have in Kiruna, we only have around -5 and -7 degrees and if it gets colder, it is only for a few hours. So it's completely up and down when it comes to the cold and amount of snow in my city Kiruna. The last time we had a lot of snow was the winter of 2019-2020, when Kiruna received a total of 325 centimeters of snow. The last prolonged cold we had was February 1999 when the temperature hovered for 8 days between -29 and -32 degrees. The time before we were cold was in December 1985 when it hovered between -35 and -39 degrees for 3 weeks. So I haven't worn long underwear since 1999.

[@Jonteponte71]

Hehe. "Hygge" is a danish word. And if we can, we avoid adopting anything danish here in Sweden ;) The comparative word here is "Mys" or "Mysa". As in "Fredagsmys" as every family with children probably do on Friday evening nowadays!

[@Gert-DK]

A tip from Denmark. Eat kale. The one I am thinking of is called "Grønkål" in Danish. It is a superfood. Experts say to underline its importance, that without that kale, Scandinavia would not exist. It has everything you can dream of, look it up. Besides being super healthy, it is doing OK with frost. I remember from my childhood, that my father just shoveled some snow on it, to help it to survive. I don't know how much frost it can handle, -5 C I guess will be fine.

[@JohnPaul-158]

God eftermiddag! Thanks for sharing! Hope you had a good weekend

[@LivingSwedish]

Thank you! I had a lovely birthday weekend :)

[@JohnPaul-158]

@@LivingSwedish HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HUGS

[@citizenkane4831]

Yes but it get brighter and brighter after the winter solstice. That is the 21 of december. We might need the extreme cold like -20 or colder but some mineus degrees is necesery so the snow is on th ground. It brightens up the days. Better frosty snow than that slush that cover the ground everywheree you go down in the souther part of sweden. And it makes the days so gray and dull. But yes of course there are lots of fine things in the winter. Love to watch St Lucia, julbord and the glögg.

[@Tim_Nilsson]

Don't know what kind of winter clothes you have for your children but overalls makes life easier for everyone. Easier to put on than thermal trousers and a jacket. The children might even be able to dress themselves.

[@LivingSwedish]

Yeah, true! I should stick to overalls but the older one has her own taste ;)

[@Tim_Nilsson]

@@LivingSwedish Ah yes that's a battle hard to win. ;) My mother prior to her retirement was a kindergarten teacher and they absolutely prefer the overalls. xD

[@Gelis8]

Agree that winter would be shorter. December and January are just right. But we don't rule over the seasons, so just like the situation, which you seem to do very well. For my own part, the snow came to early this year, not good. Hate shoveling snow, lucky I have a snow thrower. We have a corner lot with a large garage driveway and are required to shovel the sidewalks.

[@LivingSwedish]

I feel like I'm shoveling every 5 min 😅 But it looks soooo amazing, I love it! ❄️

[@robertjonsson5750]

I think we swedes are more used to the cold. Just a winter jacket and your'e fine.

[@mariepalmgren8986]

Totally agree with the person from Kiruna. I live in both Stockholm and the North. I freeze a lot in Stockholm but almost never in the North. I got horrified when you said that your kids stay indoors at Kindergarten. Normally kids are outside for 1-2 hours in the winter at Kindergarten. Of course if it is very cold they are inside. But in Stockholm they should be outside every day. My advice- change Kindergarten.

[@karllarsen8797]

@mariepalmgren8986, Why do you freeze a lot in Stockholm but almost never in the North? Is it because Stockholm is more windy causing you to freeze more often than in the North? Can you name the town in the North you have lived in the past so that I can check Google Map to see how far north you were?

[@LivingSwedish]

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[@andreibaboi]

First of all, great channel. In the winter in Sweden it's the perfect time to be lazy :). I'll be moving to Sweden soon, permanently. I work from home like you so I plan to move somewhere near Sundsvall, in the countryside. How are the roads outside of cities in the winter when it snows? Did you had any problems so far or with a good set of studded tires you can go anywhere (on road). Thanks and thank you for all your content.

[@ESPirits87]

As a native Swede of 36 years who has lived in the woods for the whole life i can assure you smaller roads outside the city or town / village center is being taken care of where we have the Trafikverket which is an authority which maintains roads in the winter. If you have a small road to your house away from the bigger one you can just talk to a neighbour farmer and they will help you plow it, friendly reminder, always be kind to farmers, i can't tell you how many times we needed help from them.

[@andreibaboi]

Hi@@ESPirits87and thank you for your answer. Being nice to the farmers won't be a problem, I always try to be nice to everyone and what I've seen while staying in Sweden it isn't hard because people are nice and friendly. I don't know if I'll have many neighbors, I'm looking for a remote house at the edge of the forest but I plan to gat a big tracked snow blower and I hope it will do the job. Anyway, if the roads are maintained, I don't think I'll have too much trouble with the snow, I'm used to it, we used to have it here too when I was younger. I have other things about living there I'm more concerned about.

[@LivingSwedish]

I saw you got a response already. How exciting for you to move to Sweden soon. All the best :)

[@andreibaboi]

@@LivingSwedish Thank you. Yes, I'm extremely excited to move there.

[@super_yummy]

like 129 nice video

[@NickDog593]

Do you feel safe there?

[@LivingSwedish]

Yessss :)

[@eje59]

❤🎉😊

[@LivingSwedish]

😊