The North Idaho Front Porch (Clark Fork, Hope: malls, airport, generators)

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Here are a couple of details from Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house when I was a kid: When the guests arrived, glögg was served, as a welcome drink. Christmas dinner consisted of a hot rice porridge with cinnamon for starters. It traditionally contains one almond, and whoever gets the almond gets a small prize, but you have to actually display the almond--if you've swallowed it, it doesn't count! I've seen the entire family eat its way through a huge vat of porridge because someone had swallowed the almond and was too embarrassed to 'fess up...Next there'd be a big pork roast with the rind left on it, all crispy, served with gravy and the red cabbage Joox mentioned, caramelized baby potatoes (and those are delicious!), and pickled beets. Some homes serve duck or goose instead of the pork roast, and some families don't serve the hot porridge, but instead make an almond-rice pudding for dessert, with one whole prize almond in it. During dinner there are few toasts, but we always have a Merry Christmas toast, and one for absent friends.

So after dinner is over, and the dishes done, the family gathers around the Christmas tree--and here's a tradition that seems to be special for Danes and Norwegians: we "dance around the Christmas tree." The tree has to be clear of the wall or window so you can actually move around it. Then we all hold hands, young and old, and start walking in a circle around the tree, singing carols. One family member would play the piano, the rest of us would sing 3-4 verses of our favorite carols which most of us knew by heart. I think we kids actually loved that tradition almost as much as getting gifts...

Then, after coffee and Christmas cookies, it was finally time for the gifts. When I was very little my granddad played Santa, all dressed up, hauling a big sack of presents. Later, when I was wise to his true identity, he would simply hand out the gifts piled up in a corner of the living room, one by one, so everyone got to see what everyone else received. That could easily take a couple of hours. Then, after all the presents were handed out, it was time for drinks, usually brandy or whisky--typically around 1 am. Sometimes that was even followed by a serving of snacks, cold cuts, and more drinking. Then it was time to say goodnight, and aunts and uncles would stagger out into the freezing night air with their gifts in large bags, and their heads slightly spinning...

And then next day, Christmas Day, we'd all get together again (the very same people! ) at someone else's home, for the traditional smorgasbord lunch, an incredibly elaborate meal with all kinds of cold cuts, herring, and lots of schnaps and beer, and toasts...

Such wonderful memories. Nice to sit here on the Porch and talk old times, guys...

[joox]

oh. I forgot about the dancing around the tree part. When I was i kid we celebrated Christmas at my mormor's house (granmother). She is even more traditional than my mother, so of course we should dance. The Christmas tree was always place next to all wall, so instead of dancing around the three we were dancing around in her house. The layout of the house was such that all room were connected so it was like a big circle.

When we stopped celebrating Christmas at mormor's we also stopped dancing. I don't really know why.

[DESERTRYDER]

Ah Christmas memmories.

We grew up in southern California so snow was a dream.
I can remember flooding our driveway on Christmas eve in the hope it would be cold enough just to see ice around the edge in the morning.
I also remember getting up early and finishing off all the adult drinks before the parents got up.
They thought I was sneaking a peek at the presents when I was really sucking up the left over single malts...
No Brain Cells fried there I'll let you know.

[KTMMan]

Originally Posted by DESERTRYDER

Ah Christmas memmories.

We grew up in southern California so snow was a dream.
I can remember flooding our driveway on Christmas eve in the hope it would be cold enough just to see ice around the edge in the morning.
I also remember getting up early and finishing off all the adult drinks before the parents got up.
They thought I was sneaking a peek at the presents when I was really sucking up the left over single malts...
No Brain Cells fried there I'll let you know.

Scares me! My extended family used to drink stuff that made race gas taste like Koolaid.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Hey, I just went to Bed, Bath and Beyond, and guess what they have, at least down here in SoCal? A big new section from World Market where they sell (brace yourselves) glögg mixture! And Julemost, too, Joox. Can't believe it! Now if you guys can find a Bed, Bath and Beyond, you have no excuse! Gotta try the glögg!

I just remembered that in Ingmar Bergman's movie Fanny and Alexander they have an entire Swedish Christmas Eve, complete with everybody running through the house hand in hand, singing "Now it's Christmas again!" Maybe like in your mormor's house, Joox?

[shades_of_idaho]

Go for it DR There is a BBand B in Nampa. Will not catch me in there. That store makes me faint. Seriously. I can not go back in there.

Many years ago we were moving on Christmas Eve and day for that matter so we stopped at local grocery store and bought a box of that roasted chicken and the trimmings. That got to be tradition for several years. Weird but fun.

CFF that pork roast made me drool. Yum yum yum. Going to look for one for this year.

Chris

[joox]

CCF: I'll have to visit the BB and B here in Idaho Falls to see if I can find any Swedish/Scandinavian looking treats.

[im5150too]

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

Thanks Joox,

Your post brought back many memories of my childhood with Christmas eve at my grandparents place. (They came from Göteborg).

So did my Grandfather! He came over in 1907, iirc.

[elousv]

Christmas present to myself!



Fun in the forest;




Great country;




Frosty;




Stunning vistas;

[DESERTRYDER]

Oh my there is another want on my wish list