On Marrying a Foreigner...

From The Sunday Times Magazine, "How it feels to... marry a foreigner" by Christina Patterson

"Falling in love with someone from a different country, culture or religion can bring a lifetime of joyous adventure — but it is rarely plain sailing"

"I never liked the fish. I didn’t understand why we had to have pickled herrings on Christmas Eve, or why we had straw decorations on our Christmas tree instead of nice shiny baubles, and white lights instead of coloured ones. I certainly didn’t understand why, 12 days before Christmas, I had to wear a white nightie and a crown of battery-operated candles and carry a tray of ginger biscuits and sing a song. My mother just said this was what you did in Sweden and that she wanted us to know what Christmas should be like".