happy santa lucia day

Happy Santa Lucia Day! I've been convinced this is the best holiday by far by my Scandinavian roommates. Per tradition, Elise brought in fresh banana bread and coffee to each of our rooms on a plate with a candle lit {I might add, this was/is one of our advent candles from the living room which just adds a little hilarity.}

The tradition comes from early Christian times, I'm told, but per the Wikipedia page, there are several variations of the story. My roommate has done this since she was a little girl, with her mom they'd get up before dawn and serve coffee and treats to the rest of their family before they got out of bed. 

In short, it's a day to recognize the early church, service to one another, and light overcoming darkness.

Have any of you grown up with this tradition? It was totally new to me but old hat to some of my friends. At any rate, if it entails coffee before my feet hit the ground in the morning, I'm game.