I love these end of the year opportunities to post some pictures that didn’t quite make the cut or didn’t quite fit in to our challenges. This year was no photography year for me – not much traveling either – rather a painting year. But here they are, my last chances!
The opener/header shows a Madeira interior from one of our hikes in June. There were fewer traveling days than usual this year, let’s see what the new year has in store for us.
Little ones – Vedema frog and babies. A favourite day out in April.
My garden in flower. A moss lover I am, a tiny worlds lover. I found these photos in a folder from August 2025. They were untouched – so, a perfect fit!
I will end with a frosty Autumn picture from the lake and the last one from my forest, when the beeches were already fading. I love that colour though, and miss it now when all leaves are gone and everything is grey and dull.
We want to announce that this is our last post of the year as Lens-Artists will be taking the final 2 weeks of December off and will return on January 3.
THANK YOU for all your Holiday Fun posts! Now it is time for the 2025 fun too! Thank you all for making this year, 2025, brighter and more hopeful – I believe that is one of the best reasons to keep a blog, to connect and communicate. For me, it’s a vital source to constantly revive faith in mankind. So, until we see you again – stay safe, be kind and enjoy the Holiday Season.
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and may the New Year be Happy and Healthy for us all!
Ann-Christine
The Holiday Season is approaching and many of us celebrate at the end of December. But there are many different holidays over a year, and celebrations don’t look the same anywhere. This week we invite you to share some Holiday memories with us! Shared joy is double joy – as we say in Sweden.
Pick any fun and/or happy memories from holidays you enjoyed – your own or others´, at home or abroad – I know they are hiding in your archives! If not – new pictures would be great! You can concentrate on one holiday or on a couple of them. I have chosen Christmas, as it will soon be on our doorstep.
Christmas is one of our major holidays in Sweden, where we engage in our families, play boardgames, bake and eat together, dance and give each other a present or two. In our family, we make rhymes to every parcel. Then, on Christmas Day, some people attend early morning mass.
Here are some family memories:
Making buns for Lucia, December 13, is a must. Before our children moved out, we used to gather family and friends to join in the baking. This is the starting point for the Holiday Season.
It is a common tradition in the south of Sweden to visit our neighbouring city, Copenhagen, to have fun for a day or two around Christmas. They have Tivoli, an amusement park with everything you could wish for! Or we pop over the waters southwards to Poland, where the winter markets often are spectacular, but you can also find small and cozy ones. If we are lucky enough to have snow – so much more fun!
Winter fairs and markets are everywhere, where artists and farmers can sell their work and produce. Most people in Sweden have their winter holiday between December 22 and January 6.
Ever since I was a child, we have made ginger breads – a traditional, fun baking for the whole family. The small children though, tend to eat half of their dough before it reaches the oven…
This year, Myra was old enough to really enjoy baking and decorating them. (And eating them…) Laughter and music, candle light and Holiday Fun together!
A big thank you to Beth for last week’s Wings – a theme that made us come up with lots of beautiful pictures and new creative solutions. Now we are looking forward to learning more about your traditions and Holiday Fun! Please link to my original post and remember the Lens-Artist tag so we can find you in the reader.
Hope to see your joyful posts soon, and until then – stay well and be kind.
Next week, on Saturday, December 13th, we’ll host our annual Last Chance Challenge, inviting you to share any photos you took in 2025 that haven’t been part of our earlier challenges!
Leya 
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