Christmas Eve 2019 - Mom's

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Mom moved this past spring from her condo to senior living apartments which was another change in our Christmas routine. We'd spent to last 11 Christmas Eves doing cheese fondue and steaks at her condo in Edina. Her new place is as equally charming and comfortable. 

Since her move I'd forgotten we were storing her artificial tree in our basement and she never asked for it. I offered to bring it over a few days ago but she said she'd just pass on the tree for this year and would decide if she wants to do one next year. I brought over a little tabletop tree that I'd left decorated from last year. Dale was unaware of I even had it and was a little taken aback that I could produce a decorated tree like Mary Poppins magically pulling something out of her nanny bag. 

Anyway, dinner was lovely. We finished out the evening with Baba dessert. My favorite dessert from childhood which was introduced years and years ago by Grandma Jean. 

Christmas Eve 2019 - Service

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Gethsemane closed about a month ago and for the first time in 20 years Dale and I are without a church home. We have both noted the absence especially for the holiday season. We decided to attend Christmas Eve service at Bethlehem Lutheran Church which is just up the road from us.

We left the house at 3 p.m. for the 3:30 service and listened to the familiar and friendly voice of Mindy Ratner on MPR as we made the short drive to the church. It's a good thing we left when we did because when we arrived the sanctuary was nearly at capacity. We found a mini-pew just big enough for the two of us in the back rear corner. 

The service was lovely. Coming from a small struggling church that just closed it was energizing to be in a well attended church big enough to support a good sized cherub choir in addition to a youth choir. I'm sure they have an adult choir as well.

Christmas Eve 2019 - Kalle Anke

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Settled in for Kalle Anke at around 2:15 which is a little earlier than usual. 

I put in a DVD called Disney's Merry Christmas Songs which is a sing-a-long. I used to show it to the kids at a school a worked at a number of years ago. Great fun and lots of memories.

Didn't finish the DVD before heading to the Christmas Eve service but we watched some more of it afterward and before heading over to Mom's for fondue. 

There's been some concern in recent years that the tradition in Sweden may eventually go away as younger folks are used to on-demand watching due to DVDs and now streaming. It's my understanding that viewership, once at a height of around 50 percent of the population, has dipped to "only" a third of the population. However, home video has been around since the early 1980s and the tradition is still strong. I read that as recently as 2016 cell phone use dropped 28 percent and calls to emergency services fell 16 percent during the broadcast of the show. 

I find that my own version of Kalle Anke on the 24th provides a nice transition from the more secular aspects of the season to the more religious. 

Click on the link below for an article from Slate magazine on Kalle Anke.

https://slate.com/culture/2009/12/sweden-s-bizarre-tradition-of-watching-donald-duck-kalle-anka-cartoons-on-christmas-eve.html

Christmas Eve 2019

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

It's been a rather quiet and low-key day so far. Dale went to the gym this morning while I stayed home and did a little more work decorating the tree. I also got some preliminary cleaning done as we're having, Mom, John, and Noel over tomorrow for Christmas Day dinner. 

Got Athena on a nice walk. She's sleeping like a baby now. The weather is unseasonably mild. We're at 38 degrees as I write this. 

Dale and I went grocery shopping at Kowalski's yesterday but went again this afternoon for some last minute items. I'm making a sweet potato casserole for tomorrow. Mom was a little disappointed to find out I'm using canned sweet potatoes but I convinced her to cut me a little slack as it'll be my first effort. 

Holiday Season 2019 - Dale

Monday, December 23, 2019

Dale

Holiday Season 2019 - More Tchotchkes

Monday, December 23, 2019

 

Snowmen

Santas

Angels

Belsnickles

Holiday Season 2019 - Dinner with Dale

Saturday, December 22, 2019

Quiet night in. Dale and I have backed off the booze (as in none) for the last couple of weeks. We've decided to allow ourselves to imbibe over the holidays but we're not gonna go nuts. We stopped by South Lyndale Liquors this afternoon since we were out of hooch. 

I had a couple martinis and Dale had wine. 

We listened to the Randy Van Horne Singers and Ultra-Lounge Christmas Cocktails Vol. 1 during cocktail hour.

For dinner we made a salmon quiche and we watched Christmas in Connecticut.