Christmas in Sweden is still symbolised by a barrel of ale, or a drinking horn. So the emphasis on food and drink traditions was originally a pagan trait of the Christmas celebration. The Christmas tree is a custom that was imported from Germany in the 1880s. The foremer tradition of giving joke presents, often a log of wood, was replaced during the late-19th century and 20th century by Christmas gifts given out by the Christmas goat ("Julbocken") or, especially later, Santa Claus ("Jultomten"). The Christmas celebrations in Sweden usually starts with the first Advent in the end of November. However Christmas decorations and
Allen Tannenbaum Allen Tannenbaum Allen Robert Tannenbaum (born January 25, 1953) is an American/Israeli applied mathematician and presently Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics & Statistics at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is also Visiting Investigator of Medical Physics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He has held a number of other positions in the United States, Israel, and Canada including the Bunn Professorship of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Interim Chair, and Senior Scientist at the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He received his Ph.D. with