Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

The turkey and its stuffing

@brittarnhild

When Terje was about four years old, he, his little brother, his mother and father, his uncle and aunt and two of his small cousins, were all stuffed into an old ford and drove the three hours to Kristiansand. They were to meet greataunt Anna and her husband Carl on the ship coming from America. Anna and Carl had lived in the US all their adult lives. Now they had retired and wanted to return to Norway, and the tiny little village of Moi where Terje was born and grew up. The trip to Kristiansands and the huge Amerikabåten, "America ship", and especially the sight of Carl´s American car being hoisted down from the ship, is one of Terje´s first vivid childhood memories.

Carl died a few years after coming back to Norway, but tante Anna was still alive when I became part of the Lindland family in 1978. I loved tante Anna, her villa overlooking Moi, all the books and old folk art furniture she had brought back from "over there", and most of all I loved the dinner parties she gave. What a pity I never asked her for any of her recipes!!!

 

It is New Year´s Eve today.Terje and I will have a party tonight and we have just put the huge turkey in the oven. Turkey is a new dish in Norway, but for the Lindland family it was introduced already around 1960, with tanta Anna returning home from America. Every family have their own family tales. One of the Lindland family tales is when tanta Anna wanted to buy her first turkey in Norway. A nephew drove her to Stavanger, the big city a couple of hours away. There she walked into a butcher´s shop, asking for a turkey. As tante Anna had brought the turkey tradition with her from the US, she had no Norwegian name for the bird, which is kalkun, so she simply asked for "a turkey". No one in the butcher´s shop had any idea what she was asking for, the nephew had no idea and tante Anna, a bit confused, continued to ask for a turkey. The butcher wanted to be helpful, and told tante Anne he knew a place where he was sure they could help her. He explained the way, tante Anna and the nephew followed the instructions, and ended up in a tay store!

The tale don´t tell if tante Anna got her turkey that day :-)

 

Over the hyears turkey became a beloved dish in the Lindland family, and lucky for us, my father in law asked tante Anna for the turkey stuffing recipe. Terje and I wrote down the recipe from father in law´s recipe book already the first hyear of our marriage, and now we use it every New Year´s Eve when we stuff our own turkey.

I simply can´t wait for tonight´s dinner :-) 

Still in the "romjul"

@brittarnhild

A few glimpses from The House in the Woods as we still are in the middle of romjula

Leander is leaving today, so I have taken the chance to put up a little red berries tree.......

.......he wants to eat them all.

 

Romjul, the 13 days between Christmas Eve and Epihany

@brittarnhild

Christmas in Norway, the main celebrations are in the week between Christmas Eve and New Year.......and a few days into the new year.  Actually till epiphany, on January 6th. The tree is up and enlightening the livingroom, The Christmas decorations are out, Christmas cds on the player, Christmas food on the table.......and when Øystein is home, he loves to serve hot, spicy mulled wine.

New board games are always popular gifts under the Christmas tree. In the picture you see Marta, Marius, Ingrid, Silje and Øystein playing Ticket to Ride.

 

How do you celebrate romjula/Christmas?

 

Christmas means a full house

@brittarnhild

We have a full house this Christmas with every bedroom in the house occupied. Torgeir was the first one to arrive, from Stockholm. He got a deal with his company to work in the company´s office here in Trondheim the week before Christmas, so he came already the 15th of December. He flew back to Stockholm today, and will continue to Minsk in Belarus tomorrow for a few days. Those of you who follow him on instagram and facebook will see that 2018 will be another year filled with great adventures for him. Ingrid, Marius and Leander came on lillejulaften, and will stay till over New Year. Marta also came before Christmas and spend some nights here, som in her own apartment.

Øystein spent his first Christmas away from home, celebrating with Silje and her family. They are back in Trondheim now, and tonight they are coming here for dinner, and a sleep over.

The garden is also busy. Snowmen, birds, squirrels, deers.......

 

I love the Christmas season :-)

 

The Magi and their gifts according to a two year old

@brittarnhild

I have a little nativity which is perfect for Leander to play with. The other day he and I acted the tale about the birth of Jesus together. Leander finds it very exciting that the nativity have a baby, a mother and a father, and he loves the small animals in the manger. But when the magi comes he does not agree with me when I tell about their gifts. Gold, frankincense and myrrh? What are those for gifts?

Leander has a much better idea. He wants baby Jesus to have the best there is, and offers him a tractor, a fire engine and an excavator!

 

:::::::::::::::::::::::

While writing this post I find a very interesting article about frankincense on internet:

Still others have suggested that the gifts of the magi were a bit more practical—even medicinal in nature. Researchers at Cardiff University have demonstrated that frankincense has an active ingredient that can help relieve arthritis by inhibiting the inflammation that breaks down cartilage tissue and causes arthritis pain. The new study validates traditional uses of frankincense as an herbal remedy to treat arthritis in communities of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where the trees that produce this aromatic resin grow. Did the magi “from the East” know of frankincense’s healing properties when they presented it to young Jesus?

A perfect morning for skiing

@brittarnhild

It is the week of Christmas, or romjula as we say in Norway. We still have a full house, and every morning we are up early with Leander. Blessed moments.

These morning hours are still pitch dark outside, but as light return, and Leander´s parents woke up, Terje and I took our skis and went out into the forest for cross country skiing.

When winter is like this, there is nothing more beautiful on earth. And lucky us, it is all just outside our back door.

A couple of hours like this, and we are ready to get beck home, starting the next meal.
today we will serve halibut for four generations.

 

Snowballs for a lantern

@brittarnhild

There are many different types of snow. I have heard that sami people who own reindeers have more than 300 different words for it. In the Norwegian language snow is snow, or rather snø as we say in Norway, but we do have quite a few words to describe if the snow is dry, wet, icy, new, old and so on. For the moment, with temperatures around  Zero Celsius, which is the freezing point, the snow is kram,  which means that it is perfect to work with. Not kram enough to make snowmen though, but perfect for small snowballs.

Small and big hand together can form quite a lot of snowballs, putting them together. First a small circle. Then one on top of the other.

And soon you have a lantern to light up the dark, arctic Christmas night.

 

I am living a dream

@brittarnhild

Yesterday it rained, but when I was awake some time during the night, I heard the ploughs were out to clean the roads and I knew a winter wonderland was on its way.

I am dreaming of a white Christmas.......a white Christmas is here :-)

The Christmas sheaves is hung, and the tits are already busy eating breakfast.

A look over to the neighbour and the Christmas lights on their coop.

Logs ready for a long winter.

The kitchen window seen through the backyard. Inside Terje has started to prepare tonight´s Christmas dinner.

Am I living a dream?

 

Lillejulaften, the day before Christmas Eve

@brittarnhild

Finally the day is here, lillejulaften, the day before Christmas Eve. The day we decorate the Christmas trees in Norway, the day we hang out the Christmas sheaves for the birds, the night we have our traditional lutefisk party here in The House in the Woods.

Christmas Eve is the night when we go to a Carol Service, have our Christmas dinner, open our gifts and dance around the Christmas tree. Christmas Eve is Christmas.

We had a little early start the other night, the last night of the Christmas market in Trondheim. Our daughter in law Silje, sings in a small group and they gave an outdoor concert at the market. We came, the whole big family, to listen, and afterwards we went out to have dinner together.

Then it feels like another early start today, on lillejulaften.

 

And.......another early start.......a Christmas gift from me to you.......

 

.......I hope to be back b logging on a daily schedule here in The House in the Wood.

 

In those days.......the little shepherd boy Samuel

@brittarnhild

My new nativity is finished.

The latest addition was born last night, the little shepherd boy Samuel, and his dad.

Over the holidays I hope to add some sheep, and may be a few other figurines.

The story has been ready for more than 2000 years.
In those days.......

But the shepherd boy Samuel´s story is not written yet.

In those days the little shepherd boy Samuel.......