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
A Gala Christmas in Vienna A Gala Christmas in Vienna A Gala Christmas in Vienna or Christmas in Vienna V is a DVD released in 1998. Plácido Domingo, Sarah Brightman, Helmut Lotti and Riccardo Cocciante perform traditional, European and American Christmas songs in Vienna, Austria. The orchestra was the Vienna Symphony, conducted by Steven Mercurio. The CD album of the concert reached No. 26 on the Austrian charts. It also charted in Germany, Belgium (in both Flanders and Wallonia), and the Netherlands. A CD of the songs was also released. "Entertainment Weekly" gave the video a C+, writing that "as long as gorgeous-voiced stars like