The strangest of all
Christmas customs
Surely concerns the Swedes.
The nation sits down to
Watch it's TV
Every Christmas Eve.
But it's not
Their Queen's speech
Or seasonal fare
That grips the watching
Swedes.
They all sit down
On Christmas Eve
To watch
A Disney reprieve..
On 24th at 3pm
All Sweden's
Gripped by TV.
They all switch on
To watch Donald Duck
Cartoons from Walt Disney.
"Kalle Anka
och hans vänner
önskar God Jul."
Or "Donald Duck
and his friends
wish you
a Merry Christmas"
The strangest
Of all Christmas customs
Is Swedish
I'm sure you'll agree?
NOTE: Kalle Anka has been airing without commercial interruption at the same time on Sweden's main public-television channel, TV1, on Christmas Eve (when Swedes traditionally celebrate the holiday) since 1959. The show consists of Jiminy Cricket presenting about a dozen Disney cartoons from the '30s, '40s, '50s, and '60s, only a couple of which have anything to do with Christmas. There are "Silly Symphonies" shorts and clips from films like Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and The Jungle Book. The special is pretty much the same every year, except for the live introduction by a host (who plays the role of Walt Disney from the original Walt Disney Presents series) and the annual addition of one new snippet from the latest Disney-produced movie, which TV1's parent network, SVT, is contractually obligated by Disney to air.