Because we were going to spend Christmas Eve/Day in Minnesota with Colt's family, our Christmases with my family were adjusted. We had one with my family, my Grammy and Papa, and my Mama Lue and Granddad. Each one was completely different than normal, but very special.
We spent an entire afternoon/evening with my family ... lunch, opening presents, napping, watching movies, dinner, dessert. The time with my Grammy and Papa was spent at their house with a yummy salmon dinner and gifts. My Mama Lue and Granddad had Colt and I over to open presents ... just the four of us. They were all lovely celebrations.
The actual holiday was spent in St. Paul, Minnesota. A lot of Colt's family live up there so we made the drive with his parents, brother, and grandma. It was so enjoyable getting to know them, as I really had only met some of them in the midst of wedding craziness.
Over the span of the past few days, there have been a few comical moments that definitely need to be shared. If you know some of these characters, it makes them even better.
-After Jill (Colt's mom) and her cousin reminisced over a fun memory, her laughing slowly faded and she said, "Do I remember that?"
-At several points in conversation, there was mention of dead bodies. One story was about a lady who fell on a snowy night, couldn't get up, and froze to death. The other was about a woman throwing rocks at someone, trying to get his attention. She got a closer look and realized that he was dead. These are very terrible stories, especially on paper, but in the midst of dinner conversation and Christmas celebrations, they were pretty funny.
-Someone commented on my accent. Really??
-While cleaning up, Jill said, "Nana, is that your cinnamon roll in the bathroom?" :)
This family has a strong connection with their Swedish heritage. And I mean strong. It now makes sense why Colt wanted to hang his Swedish flag somewhere in our house. I looked at him like he was a crazy person. Does that match with anything in our house?? Anyway, we had the traditional Swedish dinner for Christmas Eve consisting of Swedish meatballs, lingenberries, lefsa, red cabbage, herring, sausage, and probably other things I'm forgetting. This was followed by little Elise, 8 years old, coming in as St. Lucia in a white robe, crown of candles, and treats in hand for all of us. If you're confused, join my club. I learned a lot this evening. :)
The night ended with Tom (Colt's dad) giving a little summary of the Christmas story. If you've ever heard Tom say 5 words, you know he's brilliant. He talked from the perspective of someone waiting for the birth of Christ. I know the truth and I have faith, but it's getting hard. Nothing so great has happened in a long while and I'm just starting to feel like nothing will. Tom had better words than I do, but that was the idea. I needed to hear that little message, as I feel like I'm in a waiting period like that with God.
This Christmas was spent in Minnesota with LOTS of snow, sledding, games, coffee, great meals, and family. It was my first Christmas away from home and although it was a bit tough, it was really fun.
So, Merry Christmas everyone!
I had no idea Colt was so Swedish. I mean, I suppose he looks Swedish so that makes sense, but how cool that his family celebrates a traditional Swedish holiday!
ReplyDeleteI had the American Girl doll 'Kirsten' growing up whose 'heritage' (obviously made up but it was the background of all her books) was Swedish. Anyway, she dressed up like St. Lucia in one the books - I think it was like a white dress and candle wreath head thing? Anyway, your story reminded me of that and I definitely hadn't thought about that in a long time!
Sounds like you guys had a great Christmas!