Why we especially love autumn and winter at our house in Småland
When people think about a holiday in Sweden, most probably picture summer first. Long days, lakes, red wooden houses and evenings that never seem to get properly dark. We completely understand. Swedish summers are beautiful, and our house is usually well booked during this time.
And yet, it is in autumn and winter that we experience a completely different side of Sweden. Quieter, more elemental and sometimes a little more challenging. Here, the seasons do not simply bring a change in temperature. They shape everyday life, the light and much of what happens both outside and inside the house. Perhaps that is exactly why we love this time of year so much.
When autumn suddenly begins to glow
Autumn in Småland is not simply grey and wet. Of course, there are rainy days, muddy paths and mornings when a second cup of coffee seems far more appealing than going outside. But in between are weeks when the forest glows in colours that almost look exaggerated in photographs.
The leaves turn yellow, orange and red, the light sits lower in the sky, and even paths we have walked countless times suddenly look different. Mushrooms appear everywhere. We recognise some of them. With others, we wisely limit ourselves to looking and taking photographs. Our knowledge of mushrooms is not yet reliable enough for Swedish woodland adventures followed by dinner.
Everything changes on our property too. The apples on our trees are ripe, and the air smells of damp earth, fallen leaves, mushrooms and fruit. It is difficult to describe because it is not one particular scent. It is more of a mixture that immediately tells you: autumn has really arrived.
We collect apples, check which mushrooms have appeared overnight and sweep up the leaves, even though there will be just as many on the ground again the following morning. The Swedish autumn has very little respect for a job well done in the garden.
And yet, this time of year does not feel like work. You naturally spend more time outside, look more closely and notice changes that are easily overlooked in everyday life.
In Sweden, the seasons still feel distinct
One of the things we especially love about Sweden is that every season seems to keep its own character. Summer is bright and lively. Autumn is colourful, earthy and quiet. And winter really is winter.
That may sound obvious, but it no longer feels that way to us. In Germany, the seasons often seem to blend into one another. In many places, winter is more like one long grey stretch of rain, wind and the occasional few days of snow.
Småland feels different. Of course, there are mild winters here too, and a continuous blanket of snow from December until March is by no means guaranteed. But when winter arrives, you notice it. In the snow, the light, the cold and the fact that many everyday things suddenly require a little more planning.
There are mornings when the first thing you need to know is how much snow has fallen overnight before making any further plans for the day. Sometimes it is only a few centimetres. On other occasions, there can be as much as 60 centimetres of fresh snow. Then the day does not begin with a leisurely walk, but with a snow shovel, warm gloves and the question of where exactly the path was yesterday.
It is more demanding than a winter that mainly exists in the weather forecast. At the same time, it brings you closer to nature again. The weather is not simply something to talk about. It has a direct effect on how your day unfolds.
When darkness returns at three in the afternoon
One of the biggest changes during a Swedish winter is the light. On the shortest days, it does not become properly light until around nine in the morning, and by approximately three in the afternoon it is already dark again.
It takes some getting used to. You look at the clock in the afternoon, see the darkness outside and your mind is convinced that the day must surely be over. In reality, it is only 3 p.m.
But the Swedes have a lovely way of dealing with the darkness. Lamps stand in almost every window. Not harsh ceiling lights, but small table lamps, illuminated stars and warm sources of light that can be seen from outside. Especially in the smaller villages, this creates a very particular atmosphere.
When we drive through Målerås in the late afternoon, windows glow everywhere in the darkness. The houses look warm and lived in, and even a cold winter evening feels less unwelcoming.
Perhaps that is one of the differences we notice compared with Germany. The darkness is not fought as if summer needs to be artificially extended. Instead, people make their homes cosy. Lamps are switched on, candles are lit and the fire begins to warm the room. Winter is allowed to be winter.
By now, we also have considerably more lamps in our windows than we used to. Some Swedish habits are surprisingly easy to adopt, especially when they make a home feel cosy and do not involve reading complicated instructions in Swedish.
Minus 25 degrees is a different matter
The lowest temperature we have experienced at our house so far was around minus 25 degrees Celsius. That is quite different from a few frosty nights just below zero.
At temperatures like these, everyday life changes. You do not simply put on warmer clothes. You pay much closer attention to how the house is heated, whether the pipes are protected and how quickly the rooms cool down. The car and the paths around the house suddenly take on a whole new importance too.
Our house was built in 1947. It therefore does not have the same energy efficiency as a modern German home built to current standards. Our house in Germany is much newer and, from an energy perspective, naturally very different.
Although at minus 25 degrees, we sometimes wonder whether our heating system in Germany would really cope more confidently or simply give up in a sulk. Fortunately, we have not yet had to find out.
What we do know is that an older house in Sweden needs to be actively kept warm during winter. Our air-to-air heat pump does much of the work, and we also have a wood-burning stove. Even so, warmth here is not something that simply appears invisibly from the wall without requiring another thought.
You become very aware of how much energy is needed to keep a house warm in extremely low temperatures. You bring in firewood, check the temperature and gradually learn which rooms warm up more quickly than others. It can be less convenient, but it also feels more honest.
Why we still return every few weeks
We regularly spend time at our house during autumn and winter. Usually, we travel to Småland for a few days every four to six weeks.
We would love to visit more often and stay for longer. In reality, however, we are tied to our son’s school schedule and my husband’s job. I can work remotely, but unfortunately, he cannot. A spontaneous decision to “just stay for another two weeks” therefore tends to work better in theory than in practice.
To make it easier to extend our stays, we have set up a workspace in the house. I can connect my laptop and work as normal. This means that not every visit has to be limited entirely to annual leave or school holidays.
In the future, we are considering creating a second workspace in the other bedroom. That would allow two people to work at the same time without having to banish one another from the room whenever a video call begins.
Remote working is not the main reason we travel to Sweden. It is simply a practical way for us to combine work with more time at the house. I can work in the morning and still be there with my family. After work, we can take a walk through the forest, light the fire or sit together in the kitchen.
It is not a day off. But it still feels different from a working day at home.
A house that wants to be lived in
We love our house and would like to spend much more time there. At the same time, we know that this does not currently fit easily into our family life. School, work and the distance cannot simply be organised away.
Especially during autumn and winter, we notice how sad it feels when the house remains empty for longer periods. A house feels different when people are living in it. When coffee is made in the morning, wet shoes are left in the hallway, the fire is burning and the windows are lit in the evening.
That is why we would be happy for our house to find people during this time of year who appreciate it in the same way we do. People who do not simply want to visit for a few days, but can imagine living there for a while and getting to know Sweden beyond the traditional holiday season.
Not because every autumn or winter day is romantic. There is rain, darkness, snow, cold and sometimes quite a lot of work involved in looking after the house. But that is all part of it.
Closer to nature rather than separate from it
Spending time in Sweden during autumn and winter feels grounding to us. Perhaps because life becomes a little more basic and immediate.
When it is cold, the house needs to be kept warm. When a lot of snow falls, it has to be cleared. When darkness arrives early, the rhythm of the day changes. And when a storm moves through the forest, you do not simply hear it somewhere in the background. You notice it.
You begin to live less alongside nature and more with it. The weather is no longer a small piece of information in an app, but something you respond to. At the same time, you become much more aware of the beautiful details too: the first ripe apples, the smell of the forest, the first snow or the warm light in the windows when it has long been dark outside.
Perhaps that is exactly what does us so much good. Not because everything in Sweden is easier. It is not. But because so much of it feels more immediate.
Autumn glows. Winter is dark and sometimes extremely cold. The house requires attention. And yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, we feel so connected to it.
At this time of year, Sweden does not only show us its cosy side. It also reminds us that we do not live outside the seasons. We are part of them.
And for us, that is one of the most beautiful things about this country.
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