Christmas Season 2025/2026 -The Fifth Day of Christmas:

 Monday, December 29, 2025

I'm still sick. Krumkake helped me feel a little better. Mom showing some improvement today from yesterday made me feel a LOT better. I was too sick to go to the hospital but Dlae was able to go visit. Although she's still experiencing some pain she was more lucid and in better spirits. I talked to Sam, Becky, and Pete today about how she's doing. 

Lot's of lying around today. Didn't have energy to do much else. Contacting Sam and Pete and some of Mom's friends were my big accomplishments. Watched Rudolph.  I've seen this a GA-zillion times but there was something about the nostalgia and familiarity of it that was incredibly comforting. OK, so the gender roles in this thing are glaringly stereotypical and outdated (at least for people of a non-fundamentalist stripe). However, that said, I knew exactly what was going to happen. With all the chaos around being sick and Mom faltering it was nice to experience something that would bring NO surprises!! My brain just wasn't in a place to handle ANY twists or turns...

I also have a copy of the Rudolph book I had as a kid. The text is stilted but the pictures by Richard Scarry are very charming. 

Sylvester spent a lot of time with me today. I don't think he has any idea of what and emotional support he is. I appreciate him helping to regulate me.

Finished Lady Ferry, a ghost story for Christmas illustrated by Seth, this morning. I really enjoyed it. According to the teaser on the back of the book: "When Marcia is sent to stay with relatives, she's drawn to their houseguest, Lady Ferry: a mysterious old woman who wanders the gardens, with an impossibly long memory. Everyone has rumours to share, and Marcia soon wonders if Lady Ferry is cursed to live forever - or if she's even alive at all." I'd like to think she was a ghost. The story did a good job of conveying how old memories can be longingly fond but also rather nostalgic with a wiff of meloncholy.

Christmas Season 2024/2025: The Third Day of Christmas - Krumkake, Barbra, and More

 Friday, December 27, 2024

Nice relaxing morning. Have a mild cold that’s making me feel a bit washed out. Told Dale that today felt like a usual Christmas morning for us. Lounging around in our robes, reading, and getting breakfast for ourselves. I had some krumkake with my morning coffee. 

Dale went to the gym this afternoon but I continued to read, blog, and lounge around. It felt quite good to do so. Not a lot of food in the house due to us being away for a while so I made some macaroni noodles with butter. 

Listened to Barbra Streisand's A Christmas Album this afternoon. Mom didn’t have this one when we were growing up but I picked it up for myself in the mid-80s on cassette tape. Can’t believe I’ve been listening to it for about 40 years now. It was the first time I’d ever heard the lead in for the song White Christmas which is often left off. You know, “The sun is shining, the grass is green, the orange and palm trees sway, there’s never been such a day, in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it’s December the 24th and I’m longing to be up North…” I think it’s included more often now on recent recordings. However up until this version I had never heard it before. Anyway, I was thinking about this intro while in Arizona for Christmas especially since John and Dianne have an orange tree in their back yard. I was surprised how well I did without the cold and the snow this year. Anyway, now we’re back home and there’s a little bit of snow on the ground. It’s raining out now so it’s a little messy looking but I guess ya can’t have it all.

I’m on something of a Barbra roll today since I also listened to her other Christmas collection, Christmas Memories. It’s got quite a few selections that are far from being over-recorded including A Christmas Love Song, Snowbound, Christmas Lullaby, and Christmas Mem’ries all of which I really enjoy listening to. And I love her version of It Must have been the Mistletoe which I find surprising hasn’t been covered more often. 

Watched Meet Me in St. Louis tonight with Dale during dinner. We usually watch this in November to tie together the time between Halloween and Christmas. This is one of my all time favorite films. Dale and I always have so much fun watching and we never seem to tire of it. Notable that the story took place only 40 years prior to the release of the film. Currently it would be 120 years ago!  It would be like making a movie now that took place in the 80s.  In fact I first watched this movie just about 40 years ago with my gay college buddies as a kind of anti-Superbowl party. We watched the movie at my friend Paul's house in the family room. His dad was sweet and kind and gave up the big tv and offered to watch the game in the bedroom. 

I was curious about the house used in the film so I used AI to find out the following information: " The 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis was filmed on a soundstage at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in Culver City, California. St.  Louis Street: A street lined with Victorian homes built for the film on Lot 3 of the MGM backlot. The. street and the Smith family's house were demolished in 1972. The house was later used in the film Cheaper by the Dozen." I've heard the land was sold and that there are condos there now.

Dale picked up some eggnog for me at the store today. I drank some as we finished the movie after dinner.  

Christmas Season 2023/2024 - 4th Day of Christmas: Cold, Cookies, and Cigars

Thursday, December 28, 2023

The Fourth Day of Christmas

Not too much colder than yesterday but it felt a bit more raw. 

The weather didn't keep me from stepping outside for a cigar. 

Still no snow on the ground. 

I've slowly been working away at the box of krumkake we've had around since Christmas. These were from Lunds and were as good as Mom's which is really saying something.

Christmastide 2021/2022 - 2nd Day of Christmas: Quiet Morning

Sunday, December 26, 2021

I've really enjoyed the quiet mornings I've experienced this Christmas break. Today was no exception. 

Along with my morning coffee I had some of the chocolate chip cookies Mom brought over last night and some krumkake I got at Kowalski's. 

Holiday Season 2018 - Krumkake

Sunday, December 9, 2018

After church Dale and I headed over to Mom's to make krumkake. She hasn't made it in years and asked me last week if I'd like to come over and help. Of course I said yes!

Pictured above is a krumkake iron exactly like the one Mom used to have. She's made them for as long as I can remember - every year for a long time and then more sporadically. I think she quit making them after Dad died. The iron shown above could be used on a gas or electric stove burner. I don't know how well they'd work on more recent ovens with  glass tops. Anyway, a friend loaned Mom an electric one which is pictured below.

I helped Mom put the batter together. 

I was in charge of getting the batter on the iron and closing it. Holding it shut for about 45 seconds did the trick. 

Mom took care of getting the cookie off the iron and rolling it. The whole process was pretty quick with two people. Having a double rather than single iron didn't hurt either. 

The recipe Mom used was a "new" one. I have that in quotes because the recipe came out of a Star Tribune Sunday Magazine newspaper insert from back in 1988. Mom saved it all these years with the intention of someday trying it. Well, someday came today.

The recipe comes from a woman named Hilda Kringstad and is not too different from the one Mom has used for years. The difference is that Hilda's recipe calls for using whipping cream that's actually been whipped before adding it to the batter. Regardless, these krumkake were much better than the ones I've gotten at the grocery store and at the very least equally as good as the ones from the recipe Mom used for years!

Dale loved the krumkake too. 

I'd say Mom's and my endeavor was a success and it was great to relive a wonderful old holiday memory.