A Little Bit of Norway

My daughters want to celebrate Lille Julaften, or "Little Christmas Eve" on December 23rd: a holiday tradition revered by my Norwegian Grandmother.

Leading up to this we will be lefse rolling and possibly making Krumkake or Berlinerkranser, Fattigman or Sandbakkels. My daughters have requested lutefisk. Why?????

And I'd love to put on a lovely Smörgåsbord. Too much for one day! Uff da!

My Grandmother would not understand this American impatience to do everything at once. Her dinners were never over the top spectacles, but simply and beautifully prepared, graciously served love feasts.

Grandma Rebecca and all the Grandchildren

That is why I miss them so much. Why my daughters are tired of hearing about them and want to start their own traditions.

But it will take some doing to get my inner Norwegian jump started. I need to go to Norway. Or the next best thing.

I need to go to the ScanFair just two weeks away! With music, crafts and many Norwegian delicacies.

And to remember Grandma I will need to spend some time by the water. As a child she lived in Southern Norway, on a farm next to the lake where she fished in the summers, and in the winter learned to ice skate by pushing a chair across the ice!

One reason Oregon attracted so many Norwegian settlers is because it is so similar to Norway's rugged beauty. I'm sure we'll find the perfect lake.