The Giant Lamp of Malmö.

Our team flew to Malmö yesterday to join our developers in the Malmö office for a julbord. We had some time off in the afternoon and since we had been sitting most of the day (first in a taxi, then on a plane, then in another taxi, and finally in meetings) some of us went walking. Among other sights we saw this giant lamp in the middle of Lilla torg.

The local shops have put up their Christmas-themed window decorations and trees in Spånga torg have acquired lights.

Every afternoon I cycle through central Stockholm. Every afternoon Stockholm City’s Christmas lights programme makes me all tingly and happy.

I love the way they have gone “all in”, with beautiful LED lighting all along the major streets in the city centre. (Somewhere between 600,000 and 700,000 LED lights – the various sources differ on the exact number.)

I love the breadth and variety: glowing red orbs, sheets of light, trees draped in lights, even LED-covered reindeer shapes. It may not be high art but it is heart-warming.

I wish I had the equipment to take some proper pictures of it all. You can see some photos on Stockholmsjul’s Facebook page.