Santa Lucia

I haven't thought about this for donkeys years, and yet for some strange, unknown, inexplicable reason, it popped into my head this morning when I woke up, on the very day it relates to.
In the late 70's, I worked for a Swedish company that had a factory in South Wales
The director of the plant, Franz, was Swedish, spoke fluent German and Portuguese, (although I have no idea why that sticks in my mind}, and was the epitome of an honest businessman, a somewhat rare happening these days.
On Santa Lucia day every year, the whole factory was given an extra long morning break, and were treated to Santa Lucia cookies brought in from Sweden ,coffee, and candles were lit all around the cafeteria signifying the upcoming return of lighter days
I was like most if not all of the employees,, "wtf is this all about? Who TF is Santa Lucia?"
It has brought back such pleasant memories of Franz, his Yorkshire wife Margaret, and dinner parties at his house for just the four of us. 
They introduced me to gravlax, accompanied by schnapps, and many other "foreign" dishes all of which seemed so exotic and way out of my sphere of reference at that time.
He sent me to see the head office in Sweden and the satellite plant in Finland, which I now realise as the beginning of a chapter of my life 
which eventually brought me to Canada.
So, as the Swedes say, Glad Lucia
I apologise for wittering on about this, I just wanted to get my memories and thoughts down on paper. And yes, it's AI, my thoughts and memories were more important than a photo of my stapler.

It's Friday the thirteenth, I hope it's a good one for you.

Ah well...