𝐔𝐏𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 - 𝖠𝖫𝟥

𝟎.𝟏.𝟐 - 𝖧𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗒 𝖤𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋

➤ •၊၊||၊|။||||။||၊|• 0:12
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

Easter at the Lindblad house was always a big deal, though it wasn't filled with church services or hours of reflection. For Arvid and his family, it was more about spending time together, laughing, eating way too much food, and, for the younger cousins, running around like maniacs until they crashed somewhere around 4 p.m.

Arvid woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon frying in the kitchen. His mom had been up for hours already, prepping food for Easter. Even though they'd all be eating lunch together, she liked to make a big breakfast to start the day. It was tradition.

"Arvid, hurry up and get down here!" his mom called from downstairs.

"Yeah, yeah, coming!" he shouted back, rolling out of bed. He grabbed a hoodie and pulled it on before heading down.

In the kitchen, his mom was flipping pancakes, the sound of sizzling butter filling the room. The kitchen window was cracked open, letting in the spring air. His dad was leaning against the counter, sipping his coffee.

"Morning, champ," his dad said with a grin.

"Morning," Arvid mumbled, still waking up.

As he sat down at the table, his mom slid a plate in front of him, piled with eggs, bacon, and pancakes. "Eat up. It's gonna be a long day."

Arvid took a bite, already thinking about the rest of the day. They were expecting a lot of family to come over around noon. His uncles, aunts, cousins, and his grandma would all be there. It would be loud, for sure. But there was one cousin in particular Arvid was looking forward to seeing.

Lukas, his 7-year-old cousin, was always fun to hang out with. Even though he was younger, Lukas had so much energy, and Arvid loved messing around with him. He'd probably spend most of the day entertaining Lukas while the adults talked about boring grown-up stuff.

After breakfast, Arvid helped his mom set up for lunch. The table was already covered with Swedish Easter decorations—colorful feathers in vases, bright yellow tablecloths, and a huge bowl of boiled eggs ready to be painted.

By the time noon rolled around, the house was full of people. His grandma arrived first, her arms full of pastries. Then his uncles and aunts piled in, everyone greeting each other with hugs and loud voices. Lukas burst through the door not long after, grinning from ear to ear.

"Arvid!" Lukas shouted as soon as he spotted him, running up and giving him a high five. "Wanna play?"

Arvid laughed, ruffling Lukas' hair. "Let's wait until after we eat, alright? There's no way we're getting out of lunch."

Lukas pouted but nodded, following Arvid into the living room where the rest of the family was starting to gather.

The adults were busy chatting, catching up on everyone's lives. Arvid sat down on the couch, listening half-heartedly as his uncle talked about some big work project he was stressed about. He noticed his grandma eyeing the TV, and before long, she was flipping through channels to find something to watch.

They landed on some old Swedish Easter variety show, with music and comedy skits. It wasn't exactly entertaining, but it was tradition, and no one dared to change the channel.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the food was ready. The dining table was covered with plates of food—pickled herring, boiled potatoes, gravlax, eggs, and, of course, meatballs. It was a massive spread, and everyone dug in.

Arvid loaded his plate with potatoes and meatballs, ignoring the pickled herring as usual. He glanced over at Lukas, who was making a face as his mom tried to get him to try some of the fish.