Good Evening. I've been enjoying a good Advent and Christmas season here on the farm. I had some family here Christmas Eve, and they stayed until the afternoon of Christmas Day. Christmas Eve was quite the same as has been the tradition for most of my life. I ushered in church at the candlelight service, then we all had a later dinner and opened some gifts, as well as playing rummykub and a dice game for dollar gag gifts later. Christmas Day we had homemade cinnamon rolls and julekage (Norwegian Christmas cardamom bread) with our usual rolled oats with dried cranberries for breakfast. I made a non-traditional dinner, lasagna and salad, because none of my family except me and my sister enjoy Norwegian lutefisk anymore. They don't even eat pickled herring! For shame! It all worked out, but I miss the old days of lutefisk, lefse, and the whole Norwegian atmosphere when my parents and grandparents were all living.
Here are a few pictures of Christmas at home.
This was my third attempt at making lefse. It turned out good. I think what made the difference was my change from whole milk to heavy cream. It turned out a little more tender and softer to the taste.
A good amount of snow fell this past week, not quite on time for Christmas, but still it's good to have a little snow cover for those of us who worry about sewer lines and drainfields freezing up.
Yesterday was COLD.
But it warmed quite a bit today. New Year's Eve should prove to be very cold though. This is a good time to catch up on reading and some tv. For me that would be old-time favorites on ME-TV.
An important time for me to give some special attention to animals who depend on me and remembering those who have left.
My Christmas lasts until Epiphany, so I'll be moving slow through the holiday. I hope you all enjoy a Blessed and Happy Christmas!
Phil
The pictures are beautiful, and sounds like you had a really special Christmas. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I hope you and your family have a great New Year! And enjoy the remainder of Christmas!
DeleteIt's nice to get a peek into your home and see how you've made it festive. Your Christmas sounds full of warm traditions.
ReplyDeleteHave a happy and blessed New Year!
Same to you! Have a good New Year!
DeleteI was just thinking this morning about Christmas the way my grandparents celebrated it; so different from the modern commercial version. The tree went up right before Christmas and didn't come down until Epiphany, midnight Eve service until my grandfather wasn't comfortable driving at night, and many traditional foods. Ours weren't Norwegian because we aren't, but I remember my New England born great-grandfather loving his traditional Christmas oysters! Now the stores start pushing "Christmas" on us in September. It just doesn't feel like real Christmas anymore. Great post Phil.
ReplyDeleteI find myself less hurried when I start Christmas only the week before and enjoy it through the season, and not to have such high expectations. I'm sure yours has been nice!
DeleteWhat a great post filled with family, tradition, photos of your lovely decorated home and the beautiful snowy countryside around your farm.
ReplyDeleteYou have me wanting to try some new recipes.
It is 74 degrees right now at 7:33 a.m. yesterday it got up to low 80's and more of those temps are expected through the week I think.
May 2019 be a wonderful year for you Phil ~ FlowerLady
Thanks! It wouldn't be bad to have those temps for a day or two, but there will be plenty in the summer. Merry Christmas!
DeleteYour home is beautiful, and I love your decorations, lovely to see a post from you Phil, all the best for 2019.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I hope you are having a nice Christmas and an even better New Year!
DeleteYour home looks very welcoming, festive without going overboard. Candlelight services were part of my Christmas experience for many decades, especially during the years when I could attend at the church of my childhood, although by then my regular worship was at a different church. Our local congregation is quite scattered over two time zones, so we don't 'do' Christmas Eve.
ReplyDeleteIs the traditional dish you made a sort of potato pancake?
Enjoy the remainder of the season through 12th night/Epiphany. Keeping yourself and the animals warm, good books, and maybe a seed catalog or two help to keep winter at bay
Yes, it's a potato flatbread with flour, cream and butter. It is made by both Norwegians and Swedes. We eat it with just butter, but some put butter and brown sugar, which is too much for me. I like the time from now to Epiphany, all relaxation and working on projects, hobbies, reading and tv. Then the time comes for basic food, some good homemade chicken broth soup with veg or potato and dumpling soup.
DeleteYour holiday traditions sound so wonderful and your photos are so heart warming! Wishing you a blessed and happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope you have a Blessed New Year.
DeleteEnjoyed so much seeing all the photos in and outside of your house. I can tell you know how to make a house a real home. So lovely. I could move in and be totally comfortable! I don't have one drop of Scandihoovian (!) blood but do like lefse. My husband (what does he know?) says it tastes like soft cardboard so I don't make it. Of course, he says much the same thing about my Scottish grandmother's shortbread which I grew up on and crave around holiday time.
ReplyDeleteWishing you health, contentment and happiness in the New Year!
Maybe you should make a batch of shortbread and lefse on the same day and see what he says. I would like to hear it!
DeleteNo herring? I love it, lutefisk not so much. Christmas looks wonderful at your place! I heard it got real cold. Aloha summer for a few more days for us!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy! I think you maybe missed the coldest days. It's raining further south in Mpls.
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