Gluten-Free Joy from Sweden [A Blogging By Mail Update]

When I pulled up in front of my house today I could see a big package sticking out of the mailbox. "Could it be my Blogging By Mail package?" I wondered. Indeed, it was... And it came all the way from Stockholm, Sweden! It felt like what I can only imagine [Christian] kids feel on Christmas morning. I couldn't wait to tear it open. Inside was a lovely note from Kristina of Clivia's Cuisine telling me about Swedish Christmas traditions and explaining in detail the contents of the package:

• A sweet coarse-grain mustard
  
• Dried organic apricots from Turkey
  
• A polkagris, a traditional Swedish peppermint candy
  
• A box of gluten-free pepparkakor - Swedish ginger snaps! They are incredibly crisp and full of flavor. I don't speak Swedish but I got the sense from the ingredient list they were made of rice flour and potato flour, but mostly just a whole lot of sugar and margarine. So tasty!
  
• Spice mix for making glogg (Swedish mulled wine), as well as Kristina's recipe for making it, and instructions on how to make an alcohol-free version.
  
• Loose herbal tea, the ingredients of which I haven't figured out yet - They are listed as Vinbarsblad, Citronmeliss and Abrodd. Anyone know Swedish?
  
• A wooden Christmas tree bottle stopper
  

I have to admit I worried that whoever I was matched with wouldn't understand the "gluten free" thing and would send me lots of things I can't eat. It was such a treat to get a package full of things I can eat. Thank you, Kristina! The package was the highlight of my day, and I can't wait to taste everything. It will be a miracle if the pepparkakor last more than 24 hours!