Short November, Long December YOCHA STUDIO |
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OK, here we are again, another November rolls around and this year in Uppsala, and Sweden overall, it has presented itself much as expected. And as the end of 2023 swiftly approaches, we’ve decided to make this a ‘double month’ newsletter for November and December - so let’s go! November Checklist: Snow? – Yes! Cold? – Yes! Grey skies? Yes! Fog? – Yes, now and then! Icy roads and footpaths? – Yes! Winter tyres fitted on car? Yes! First car skidded into a ditch on icy roads? Yes! (Must have neglected the previous point) First Xmas lights and shop window displays? Yes! (See below) Happy cross country skiers delighted to ditch their ‘roller skis’ for real ones? -Yes! Sun? – No! Hope for the future? Well…er…hopefully! December Checklist: See above – plus Christmas!! |
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Even though we’re covering two months, everybody (including us) is kind of busy at this time of year, so we’ll try and keep it, just like November, short and sweet … well short at least. So, what’s been going on over the last two months? First up, Yocha Studio is now a proud member of Uppsala City, an organization of more than 200 members working together to promote the city of Uppsala all year round. Formed nearly 30 years ago, Uppsala City supports businesses and organizes events to ensure that visitors and locals get the most out of all this beautiful city has to offer. Events in November included “Allt Ljus på Uppsala” (All lights in Uppsala), and Yocha customers were more than happy to take advantage of special offers on our hot drinks to help keep out the winter chill. |
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Another event, running right up to Christmas, is the “Julskyltstävliing” (Christmas Display Competition). If you pass the Yocha shop front these days, you may notice a red Christmas tree made from recycled cardboard and an origami white crane hanging in one of our windows. Why a red tree and why a white crane? Well, as Christmas is not a traditional Asian holiday we’ve decided to try and combine elements of a western Christmas along with some Asian motifs. Our tree is red because that’s the colour associated with good fortune and success in many East Asian cultures - and who doesn’t want a bit of good fortune at this time of year? We call it a “Growing Tree” because we’ve hung some of our wishes for the next year on it and invited our visitors to do the same with theirs. In this way the tree will grow and grow, the more the merrier! And the white crane? Again, in many East Asian countries the crane is a symbol of peace, something we could all do with more of these days. Our crane has the word for peace written on it in all the languages we know and we’re also asking our customers to write peace in any languages they know too. It may not be the most beautiful Julskylt in Uppsala, but it just might be the most sincere one. |
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And by the way, if you’re looking for even more cranes, we have some lovely crane themed notebooks and notepad blocks for sale. A great way to feel peaceful when you’re writing those shopping lists! |
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In other culture related events, since we introduced them last year our popular Mahjong workshops have become a regular feature of Sunday mornings at Yocha and this month was no exception. In fact, we held not one but two workshops on this fascinating Chinese table game, one by special request. For those not familiar with this quintessential tea house pastime, it involves elements of bridge, dominoes and dice and combines luck, skill and tactics. Yocha founder and major Mahjong fan, Fang Danrui, led the workshop as usual, explaining how the game is played on one of the very few automatic Mahjong tables in Sweden! |
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On December 10th we held a Kung Fu Tea workshop at which several different types of tea were brewed, sipped, analysed and enjoyed - a great way to close off the year with our very last workshop of 2023. |
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Of course, December has been a busy month in the run up to Christmas, with customers looking for unique Yocha gifts for their loved ones. And by unique we mean these items really are not available anywhere else in Sweden. That’s because we import these carefully selected products directly from China and Japan. And it’s looking like December is going to be even busier for us as our next consignment from Asia arrives at the end of the month, including several exciting new lines which will be available right after the new year! So, if you want to find something different, whether for Christmas, New Year or any other time of the year, you know where to look! We’re sure there will be some happy faces as presents of tea sets, gift boxes, and beautiful Asian design items are unwrapped on December 24th (or for some December 25th!) Now, it just remains for us to thank all our customers for supporting us this year, and especially those who added their wishes to our ‘growing tree’, may all our wishes come true! As always, if you aren’t able to make it to the Yocha Studio store in Uppsala, whether for a warm drink, lunch or a workshop, or to make a wish on our “Growing Tree”, you can still check out our website www.yochastudio.com or social media channels for the latest news on all our Asian design products available for purchase online - all with delivery to your door. Till next year Best wishes from a hopeful Yocha Team. WISHING YOU ALL A PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS AND HOPEFUL 2024! |
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