Return to the Holidays-Part 3- Deck the Halls

We have just begun the month of March. Soon, daffodils will be blooming by the hundreds on Daffodil Hill, not far from Sacramento. Yesterday, we had an hour of snow, a little rain, and this morning, sunshine. Denmark is just starting to warm up The pheasants are gathering around the bird seed that we sprinkle by the leafless bushes in our backyard. I think that all the little animals are beginning to celebrate. Rabbits jump over the snow and ice to eat the little green sprouts that are just beginning to grow.

All the moles in Denmark have left hundreds of ugly bumps of dirt as they get their first taste of soft dirt. (I don't know whether moles eat dirt). Here in Odense, moles do make "Mountains out of mole hills."

While I wait for spring, I want to hang on to our long white winter...and memories of our one and only Christmas in Denmark. When we leave at the end of July, we will have enjoyed two springs, and two summers, but we will only have one winter to remember. We hope that it lasts a bit longer. This is our "Winter House."

And this is our "almost spring house." I better hurry with these holiday posts before you think that it is still snowing in July. I have lots of memories and stories to tell before we leave at the end of July. Hope that I have the time to tell them.

As many of you know, I play Christmas music all year around here. Join me with a collection of Jule memories, from Scandinavia. Here the Jule tide was celebrated long before it became "Christ's Mass."

In the beginning of December, the darkest month of the year, the Danes begin to "deck the halls" and windows with candle light and tiny ornaments. Centuries before Christmas, these dark days were known as "Jule." (Yule) .During, what is called the winter solstice, fathers and sons dragged the biggest log that they could find into their cottages. As long as the Jule log burned (about twelve days) there would be a great feast and party. While the Candles burned in the windows the chilly darkness stayed outside.

During this part of December we began to gather old Danish Christmas things from some of our favorite "Genbrugs" (gen-brew) or thrift stores.

We found the most wonderful bargains. In our favorite Genbrug...we found two tables full of Christmas Past. We filled two baskets with hand sewn table runners, lights (very expensive when new), hand crocheted Christmas doilies, and white Scandinavian paper stars. When we got to the counter, the cashier didn't want to count each item. She charged us $15 for both boxes full of Christmas treasures. She had no idea how many great ornaments, candle holders, wire, and Christmas textiles that we had found.

The Early Morning Seminary class gave us this candle advent calendar. Each day we lit a new candle.

I created a wall hanging advent calendar with Genbrug Christmas fabric and clothespin numbers. We have no fireplace for a Jule log, but we filled our little cottage with lots of color and lights. Our danish cat had never seen such a warm, cozy Jule.

At one Genbrug we found a tiny tree covered with straw stars and topped with a little glass bird with a broken tail and a broken beak. If you look closely you can see a tiny doll with curled ribbon hair. I found some clothes pin santas and a traditional straw goat.

Click on this picture and you will see lots of little Danish memories that will come home with us.. some of them we will leave out all year. The elf with the fury face in the right bottom corner was a memory from Tivoli in Copenhagen. Our cat likes to attack its real wool beard.

The red and white striped elves joined us from the Hans Christian Andersen village long before Christmas. They all gather around several Danish Flags..a favorite Christmas decoration here.

Our Christmas tree was topped with a glittered star from the Pajama Day at the Stitchin Post in Sisters, Oregon.

The ribboned ornaments were given to me by my mother...pins that she loved to wear. There were white paper stars, a locket with photos of Stephanie, Tina, and Nick that I gave mother years ago. There were paper angels with tiny faces and little brass cones that the Danes fill with Christmas candy.

Our table was set with small trees, and an embroidered table runner from our Pajama Day at the Stitchin Post.

Our good friends, the Benny Madsen family, gave us some real candles and silver candle holders to hang on our little tree. We brought a planter in from our backyard for the base and covered it with a lacy table cloth.

This little nativity was here in our window when we came with a ceramic Easter bunny. The little chubby danish doll came from our Genbrug. I found two little straw pigs to go with her.

This straw star of David was a perfect decoration for our door window. Love this snow scene in our backyard.

When Kathy was here, she organized Brother Riedel's German books according to the colors of the rainbow. (thank you Kathy- we didn't know what to do with a library of German Books)

We hung two Danish stockings up and put the most wonderful little tree next to our Christus. The tree is a hand blown green glass tree, with individual glass ornaments. It is a gift from the Riedels, our friends and landlords.

Last summer, brother Riedel asked us if we wanted this bright red old fashioned chair in our very beige cottage. We love it... especially during the Christmas Holidays.

Many of these little treasures come from the Genbrug. I purchased the felted balls on our candle holder from the Stitchin post. When I was looking for something to give to our Elders, Sisters and friends for Christmas,

Cindy told us about the gifts that they gave in Siberia. They bought pairs of stockings, put one inside of the other, and then filled them with treats. We did this...white stockings for the girls, and black stockings for the boys. It was a great idea. Thank you Cindy and Doug. We get lots of ideas from Siberia.

During the darkest time of the year, we had a very warm, happy Jule. Candles and twinkle lights can still be found when we drive through Odense at night. We all want to hang on to the warmth of the Holidays.

--Karsten Rasmussen (a new member this year) at a Christmas ward party

In the next "Return to the Holidays" post you will meet "Santa Lucia" and see a thousand torches of light on the streets of Odense.

Return to the Holidays- Part 2- Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow !

---JJ and Elder Francis

For months our good friend and neighbor, JJ, has helped us learn all kinds of things about Denmark. He has taken the missionaries out on one of his school's boats. He has taught us many things that he has learned as he prepares to be a captain of his own ship someday. He knows the sky, the stars, and the weather. Many times he lets us know, before the weather man, what kind of day it will be.

The first part of December was crisp and green. Our weatherman and future sea captain, prepared to return to his home in Greenland for the holidays. He has been a member of the church for almost a year, and he was anxious to get his Patriarchal Blessing before he left for home. We decided to take a two hour trip to Esbjerg where the Patriarch was available to give him a blessing. It was a beautiful, "blue sky" day.

After church, we took our "Seaman" JJ to visit the giant four white "Seamen" along the Esbjerg sea.

(See our story about them in April, 2009 blog post)

It was sunny but there was a chill in the air. The sky was full of the most unusual "cloud sandwich"... a flat white layer of clouds on the top with a dark, ominous cloud on the bottom.

Our weatherman called this a weather front caused when hot air meets cold air- creating a cold front.

Little did we know the power of JJ's words.

When we returned home to Odense our home was still green. We began to get busy decorating for Christmas and planning a traditional Danish Christmas with our friends.

We were very comfortable as we began to "Deck the Halls." Even our borrowed cat enjoyed the mix of warm and cool air of the Danish winter. We have loved the seasons here.

(This is JJ with his two sisters, Melissa and Thresa, and his artist grandma- Thalitha)

JJ left for Greenland to be with his family... but before he left, he put a Christmas message in our mailbox. (Click on the letter to enlarge it).

He prayed that Santa would bring a "Tiny bit of snow" so that we could feel "the warmth the
Christmas brings."

While he was flying over Iceland, on the way home, his prayer was answered...The snow began to fall. Our cat is less than a year old, and she had never seen the snow. She spends a lot of her time on our window sill or walking on the fence railing to avoid the wet, cold snow on her feet. She has white furry feet- and no warm boots.

The snow covered our yard.

It covered the old blue car and prevented us from picnicking and outdoor barbecues. (Not that we have been doing that lately).

At one point we had to get to the center. We planned an "International Christmas Night" and there was a lot to decorate and cook. Once we tried to go down our white road. When we got to a small hill we began to slide backwards...so we came home. We were buried in snow.

Carl tried to sweep the snow off of our car. But it just kept coming.

What a beautiful sight. Thank you, JJ, for your prayer. I don't think you have any idea how far a "tiny bit of snow" goes here in Odense.

We were snowed in for two days. We cancelled our International night and just settled into our cozy indoor mission home. There is nothing like a few surprise snow days, especially at Christmas time.

When the sun finally came out we found wonderful icicles dripping from our roof.

-- Sister Hatton, Liljenquist, and Stewart

The sisters rode their bikes out to see us. They found our giant icicles.

When we returned to the center there was no place to park.. and many members took and early Christmas Holidays. A few houses down from our Church is The Greenland House where students from Greenland live and where we can buy dried seal (not so tasty) and other unusual Greenlandic foods. Little "Greenlanders" come there once a week to study their language. They built the first two snowmen that we have seen here.

You know that JJ was flying into Santa territory when he flew home. On the way, there was a bit of turbulence, and the pilot announced that a sled had landed on the plane. In walked Santa himself with balloon animals and Christmas cards for all.

JJ spent several months in Greenland. He went to a traditional event on December 23rd, when all the people in town gather at the cemetery with candles. They place their candles on their family graves and sing sweet hymns in remembrance of their loved ones- at midnight. At the top of a small hill, traditional Christmas music is heard by the city choir to welcome in Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve they dance around their tree which is covered with real candles.

On a shelf in their home is an old Christmas couple with sheep's wool hair and woven shoes.. sold at Christmas time by a local neighbor. I want to order one of these little couples for my mantle next year. Behind them is the red and white flag of Greenland.

In almost every window in JJ's town you can see a large lighted star. When New Years begins to arrive the sky is filled with fireworks all over the city. He comes from quite an amazing place. Maybe next year we can all gather in Qaqortoq with his Dad (the mayor of three southern Greenland cities) and JJ's great family for a delicious Christmas feast.

I hear that Greenland has had quite a warm spell this winter. I think that JJ brought the cold back with him when he returned to Odense.

We have had the longest, "snowiest" winter in history this year. This is our snowy street in front of the Riedel's home (the owner of our little cottage and JJ's apartment- behind their house).

It is February now and the snow just keeps falling. We haven't seen the ground since JJ prayed for a "Tiny Bit" of snow to warm our lives. We have loved this weather...we love the change of seasons here. Our furnace stopped working a few days ago, and even then, the snow and our good friend JJ, continues to warm our lives.

We took a walk a few days ago by the Odense river - in the middle of town. For a while it was frozen over and the birds had a hard time finding food. But the swans and ducks are floating down the river now. I think that spring is on its way.

Until then, we are so grateful for our white, snowy mission. We have been truly blessed.

Join us in the next post- another "return to the Holidays." I want to remember our Holidays here in the land of Denmark. Even though the snow may begin to thaw and the daffodils return. I want to remember these precious days.

Love and miss you all. Have a great February