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
Christmas Extraordinaire Christmas Extraordinaire Christmas Extraordinaire is Mannheim Steamroller's sixth Christmas album overall and the group's fourth Christmas studio album. The album was originally released in 2001. The song "O Tannenbaum" features a lead vocal by Johnny Mathis. Five of the album's tracks were included in the group's 2004 compilation "Christmas Celebration". On June 21, 2004, "Christmas Extraordinaire" was certified Triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of three million copies in the United States. As of November 2014, "Christmas Extraordinaire" is the fourteenth best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the U.S. in the Nielsen SoundScan era of music sales