Our Norwegian Christmas.

First, let me say that we really missed having Patricia with us on this trip. Her heart made it so she couldn't join us and it made our hearts sad. We tried to keep her informed with pictures on Facebook and Pappa often skyped her, but still it would have been better to have her there.

The only other thing that didn't go perfectly was that Ryan got sick on Christmas eve, with the stomach flu, a fever and a cold. Poor guy. Thankfully he only passed it on to 2 others, I was worried we'd all get it, but we didn't.

Oh, there was one other thing, but it turned out well. When we were in Kragerø, the family we were staying with had cats, which Emily is very allergic too. Thankfully tho, they have a loft above their garage which was where the kids slept and no cats had been in there. And they have a wonderful room near their pool which had a fireplace, so we were able to hang out there to play games and relax.

So other than those things, this trip turned out to be wonderful, magical, awesome and near perfect!!!! I loved it so much. I have been to Norway 3 times and LOVE it, and it was incredible being able to share this with our kids and Pappa Tore. Erik and I hadn't been to Norway since I was pregnant with Kari so it's been a long time, 23 years.

It was a bit chilly traveling to Norway in the winter, but I really enjoy the snow and we were prepared for the cold. So many things about Norway in the winter are awesome. Norwegians love to celebrate Christmas (Jul). They use candles everywhere, many stores have candles outside their doors, maybe to show they are open. Whatever the reason it looks so welcoming.

They also love to decorate their homes and stores for Christmas. At one point we saw a wonderful winter display of Christmas things and thought it was a store that sold decorations; when we went in, it was a pet store! Another time that happened for a hardware store, but they actually did sell some. I love all the little Christmas elves (Jule Nissen) that they often decorate with. In fact Erik had a competition with everyone guessing how many were at Hilde's and there were 119. They often put up Christmas curtains too. I'm sure you saw many of the great decorations in my pics.

Another things Norwegians like to do at Christmas is make cakes. We got to try some very yummy cakes that our family had cooked: Crown cake and cream cake and meringues and almond cakes and cheese cakes and oreo cake, etc. So yummy. They don't just serve you one kind, it's always 2 or 3 kinds along with small cakes-cookies!

Another awesome thing about Norway in December is snow. We hit that just right. There wasn't much snow in Oslo, some ice tho the first day walking around the town. The roads were pretty clear driving down to Porsgrunn and that night after we'd arrived we got at least 8 inches of amazing powder. There were lots of iced waterfalls along the roadside too.

We stayed in 3 different places and each one was unique, but all 3 included family members. They were all so generous and kind and fun! Most spoke English quite well and even if they weren't as comfortable, we were able to communicate and enjoy all of them. So great for our kids to see the extended family they have in Norway and to hear many stories of their ancestors. What a blessing indeed.

I'll tell more about specifics in the next post. God Jul!