Lucia, Celebration of Light
Saturday, Dec 13, 2025
Elsa Espeland
Lucia, 2025
Meet our 2025 Lucia: Elsa Espeland
Elsa Espeland, who recently turned 17, was born and raised in Santa Cruz. She is currently a junior and honor student at Santa Cruz High School, with a strong interest in the sciences—especially biology—and is considering a future career in the medical field.
Elsa has been part of the Lucia celebration since she was four years old and is deeply honored and thrilled to serve as this year’s Lucia. Her first year participating, she and her twin sister, Saga, were gingerbread girls, and ever since, the sisters have looked forward to being part of the celebration each year.
Elsa grew up speaking Swedish at home with her mother, Jennie, who was born and raised in Sweden. She has traveled to Sweden nearly every other year to visit family, and speaks and reads Swedish fluently. Her father, Michael, is of Norwegian heritage, giving Elsa strong Scandinavian roots on both sides.
In Santa Cruz, Elsa enjoys spending time at Steamer Lane, her favorite surf break. She is a member of the Santa Cruz High School surf team and competes regularly. A lifelong animal lover, Elsa has been riding horses since she was little and continues to take weekly lessons. She loves spending time with family, friends, and her dog, Teddy. This past summer, Elsa volunteered as a Junior Guard Captain and also gives her time each spring to Ride a Wave, an organization that helps children with disabilities enjoy fun-filled days in the ocean.
Tusen Tack to our Contributors
Jennie Espeland, Veronica Lundquist and Jenny Folkesson – Organization
Veronica Lundquist – Leading the children’s songs
Zaida Singers – Performers at the event
Beau Smith – Master of Ceremonies
Nathan Gonzalez – Piano
Jan Nordin, Greta Hutchison, Dennis Uyematsu – Musicians
Helene Payne – Refreshments and kitchen organizer
Alexander Pedersen and Bryan Chambers – Julbutik
Lucia’s Attendants and Star Boys – For a beautiful pageant
Parents – For all their help and support making this event possible
Cookie bakers – For the tasty homemade treats
Scandinavian Cultural Center of Santa Cruz – Sponsor of the event
Scandinavian Cultural Center of Santa Cruz 