At Christmas, Europeans look less united than ever
There is no single market for how to celebrate the holidays
Never call a Swede as the sun sets—absurdly early—on Christmas Eve. For at 3pm the country collectively stops in its tracks to watch a bit of televisual lore. Since 1959 the public broadcaster there has served up much the same hour-long show of Donald Duck and other vintage Disney cartoons to the nation’s children and their nostalgic parents. Despite being over six decades old, Kalle Anka, as it is known, is among the most-watched shows of the year. Such is its centrality to celebrating Christmas that Swedes living abroad were once known to smuggle versions out on VHS tapes; now YouTube serves up the antique quacking on demand. Sitting down to watch old American cartoons has become as archetypally a part of Swedish national culture as extended paternity leave and couples having blazing rows at IKEA.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Bah humbug to integration!”
From the December 23rd 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare
A rise in antisemitism puts Europe’s liberal values to the test
The return of Europe’s oldest scourge
Once dominant, Germany is now desperate
As an election looms its business model is breaking down