Julaften

        After settling into our Norwegian home for the holidays--hanging out with the kids, and bonding over pizza, popcorn, and movies--Alina and I were very excited to spend Christmas with Anne Tone and her family. In Norway, Christmas is mostly celebrated on December 24th, with a nice Christmas dinner and presents in the evening. 

        The morning of the 24th, Helge (Anne Tone's husband) drove Alina and I to town to pick up some packages. Both of our families have sent gifts for the wonderful people who took us in for the holidays, but the post has been extremely overwhelmed, and nothing is arriving on time. Alina was notified that her package was being held in town, and I saw that mine had arrived at the depot, so we thought it would be a nice Christmas miracle if we could grab them in the morning. We ended up on a wild goose chase, as each place we went sent us somewhere else. In the end, we came back home with only some toilet paper we'd picked up--no packages, so I guess we'll be giving New Years gifts! 

        When we got back to Aurebekk, Alina and I got ready for the celebrations. I didn't realize that it's traditional to wear a Christmas dress--Alina bought hers last week, but I had to borrow a skirt from Sofia which I wore with a nice sweater. For lunch, we all ate risgrøt--a type of rice porrige. There's a Christmas tradition where you put an almond in the grøt, and whoever gets it wins a marzipan pig. We were all eating our grøt--with butter, cinnamon and sugar--when I suddenly bit down on an almond! Rather than marzipan, the prize was a super cute pig that Lea had made.

        After grøt, we all got ready for church. Due to covid, they were having two services at the local church, with a max of 50 people in each. We met some of the rest of the family there, but we all had to sit apart to comply with the restrictions. It was a nice service, and the pastor was very engaging with the kids as he told the story of Jesus. I was able to understand most of it, and we also sang a few Norwegian Christmas songs that we had learned in school. As we sang, I was shocked at the sound--both the organ and the singing, because there was something extra about it. It wasn't until afterwards that Anne Tone told me that someone was playing the saw--using a bow on a two-man saw to make a haunting, musical sound. So cool! Here's a link to what I'm talking about. 

        The day was far from over, and when we got back to the house we began preparing for Christmas dinner. We ate a delicious meal of pinnekjøtt (traditional Xmas salted meat), potatoes, lefse, veggies, and venison. Usually, the family would all get together to celebrate, but this year it was just us and Anne Tone's family. The adults enjoyed the meal, but the kids were impatient to finish because they knew that presents came next! For desert we ate riskrem--Alina's new favorite food, made of the leftover grøt--and chocolate mousse, along with an assortment of Norwegian Xmas cookies. 

        When it was finally time for presents, the kids went at it, opening as fast as they could--dolls, legos, and board games galore! I really wasn't expecting anything, but they just kept handing me gifts! It was so sweet! Alina was also shocked at how many gifts she received--from people she had never even met, wishing her a Merry Christmas. I think we both felt the love, and it felt a bit more like home. The most amazing gift was a hand-knitted sweater from Gunlaug. After I opened it, Alina and I just sat and stared at it, absolutely in awe. It's beautiful, and fits perfectly. I don't think I'll ever take it off!! 

        While it was definitely different than the Christmas I'm used to, I'm so glad that I was able to experience this amazing Norwegian Christmas, surrounded by a such a kind and loving family. It's something I'll never forget!