Nu’ det jul igen

Dansk (english below):

Sikke en skøn jul vi har haft! Vi startede faktisk julefejringen midt i adventstiden, da Grandpa og Liz skulle på ferie hen over julen. Så d. 6. december var vi samlet hos dem sammen med onkel Johnny til hygge, aftensmad og masser af gaver. Skønt at kunne fejre det med vores amerikanske side af familien igen. Julen er fyldt med traditioner og måske det bliver tydeligere når man er væk fra det vante og kendte. Ingen klippedage, nissevenner, julemarkeder, julefrokoster, julekoncerter, snaps, gløgg, juletræsdans, Disneys juleshow eller ”Det’ jul, det’ cool” bare for at nævne nogle. Blandet andet derfor blev optakten til julen, på mange måder, også anderledes end vi plejer og i hvert fald markant mindre stressende, da der var færre ting der skulle ”klares” og arrangeres.

Der er flere highlights som foruden de tidligere nævnte julekalendere mv, blandet andet konfekt og småkagebagning, skøjtning og peberkagehuse. Men jeg vil gerne fremhæve to særlige oplevelser som vi ser tilbage på med stor glæde.

Den første var min fødselsdagsgave - en koncert med et af familiens ynglingsband ”For King And Country”. Allerede tilbage i juli hørte vi, at de skulle spille to julekoncerter i Minneapolis d. 10. og 11. december, men efter lidt (meget) betænkningstid besluttede vi os for ikke at købe billetter - troede jeg. Mary havde andre planer og på selve dagen, tog hele familien til koncert (selvom Benjamin egentlig skulle spille koncert med skolebandet - han spiller percussion). Det blev en fantastisk oplevelse som vi kunne dele som familie og så var julestemningen i hvert fald banket op ad.

En anden større oplevelse var også midt i december hvor flere børn og unge fra kirken opførte stykket ”We Knead a Little Christmas”. Alle kunne børn kunne være med og der blev øvet til ”børne-/juniorkirke” om søndagen og om onsdagen i forbindelse med fællesspisningen. På mange måder mindede det om de stykker som Mary og Gospelteens har lavet med skuespil, kulisser og sang til back track. Så det blev faktisk ret ”nostalgisk” for Mary at sidde på bænken og se på for en gangs skyld. Vores børn ønskede ikke at være med, så vi kunne alle nyde stykket og budskabet - hele to gange, både til generalprøven og til gudstjenesten hvor den blev fremført. Stykket var både sjov, rørende og med et dejligt julebudskab. Jeg ved ikke om Mary allerede er gået i gang med at oversætte stykket til dansk, men i hvert fald havde hun svært ved at sidde stille på bænken og bare nyde og lytte😊.

"We Knead a Little Christmas" MPCC 2025

Selve juleaften to vi til gudstjeneste i kirken ”Westgate Church” som ligger tæt ved Marys kusine (Sam) som vi var inviteret hjem til kl. 17.00. Vi fik sunget mange skønne julesange med et moderne udtryk, så selvom vi desværre ikke kunne deltage i gudstjenesten i ”vores” normale kirke (Maple Plain Community Church), så blev juledagene skudt godt i gang. Herefter gik turen videre til kusinen hvor, traditionen tro, alle fra Marys mors side af samles. Vi var (igen) ca. 30 i alt til en hyggelig aften med overdådigt sammenskudsgilde til aftensmad og dessert. Aften bød også på pakkeleg, som altid er en oplevelse i sig selv. Selvom vi havde set flere af familiemedlemmerne i løbet af de sidste måneder, var der også nogen vi endnu ikke havde være sammen med, så det var dejligt at været og få snakket sammen igen.

Christmas service at "Westgate Church"

about a 1/4 of the Christmas Eve feast

Pakkeleg /Dice game

Glædelig jul / Mary Christmas 2025 

d. 25. startede stille og roligt og drengene fik åbnet deres ”stockings”. Vi havde inviteret Johnny til brunch og herefter åbnede vi gaver. Resten af eftermiddagen slappede vi af, legede med nyt legetøj og så Vikings spille. Endnu en skøn dag som blev afsluttet med kalkun og risalamande til aftensmad.

Silas got the almond in the Risalamande

Så selvom tingene ikke var helt ”som de plejer” denne december, så må vi sige at vi har haft en dejlig juletid med meget mindre stress og mere tid til at være sammen med hinanden.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas at Grandpa and Liz' house

Konfekt

Pebernødder og brundkage bagning

Gingerbread house #1

Gingerbread house #2

One of many Christmas movies 

Grandpa and Liz' stopped by to say farewell

Obligatorisk Risengrød d. 23. december (nu også med Mac'n'Cheese)

English (translated by AI):

What a wonderful Christmas we’ve had! We actually started celebrating Christmas in the middle of Advent, since Grandpa and Liz were going on vacation over Christmas. So on December 6, we gathered at their place together with Uncle Johnny for some cozy time, dinner, and lots of presents. It was lovely to be able to celebrate with our American side of the family again. Christmas is full of traditions, and perhaps that becomes even clearer when you are away from what is familiar and well known. No paper-cutting days, “nissevenner” (secret Santa friends), Christmas markets, Christmas lunches, Christmas concerts, snaps, mulled wine, dancing around the Christmas tree, Disney’s Christmas show, or “Det’ jul, det’ cool”, just to name a few. Partly for that reason, the lead-up to Christmas was in many ways different from what we’re used to and, at least, noticeably less stressful, since there were fewer things that needed to be “taken care of” and organized.

There were several highlights which, in addition to the previously mentioned Advent calendars, etc., included making candy and baking cookies, ice skating, and gingerbread houses. But I would like to highlight two special experiences that we look back on with great joy.

The first was my birthday present—a concert with one of the family’s favorite bands, For King & Country. Back in July, we heard that they would be playing two Christmas concerts in Minneapolis on December 10 and 11, but after some (a lot of) consideration, we decided not to buy tickets—or so I thought. Mary had other plans, and on the day itself the whole family went to the concert (even though Benjamin was actually supposed to play a concert with the school band—he plays percussion). It turned out to be a fantastic experience that we could share as a family, and it certainly kicked the Christmas spirit into high gear.

Another major experience also took place in mid-December, when several children and young people from the church performed the play “We Knead a Little Christmas.” All the children could take part, and rehearsals took place during children’s/junior church on Sundays and on Wednesdays in connection with the communal dinner. In many ways it resembled the productions that Mary and the Gospelteens have done, with acting, sets, and singing to backing tracks. So for Mary, it was actually quite “nostalgic” to sit in the pew and watch for once. Our children didn’t want to participate, so we were all able to enjoy the play and its message—twice, both at the dress rehearsal and at the church service where it was performed. The play was funny, touching, and carried a lovely Christmas message. I don’t know if Mary has already started translating the play into Danish, but in any case she had a hard time sitting still in the pew and just enjoying and listening 😊.

On Christmas Eve, we went to a service at Westgate Church, which is located close to Mary’s cousin (Sam), where we were invited for 5:00 p.m. We sang many wonderful Christmas songs with a modern feel, so even though we unfortunately couldn’t attend the service at “our” usual church (Maple Plain Community Church), the Christmas days got off to a great start. After that, we continued on to her cousin’s home where, as tradition dictates, everyone from Mary’s mother’s side of the family gathers. We were (again) about 30 people in total for a cozy evening with an abundant potluck dinner and desserts. The evening also included a gift exchange game, which is always an experience in itself. Although we had seen several family members over the past few months, there were also some we hadn’t been together with yet, so it was wonderful to see each other and catch up again.

December 25 started off quietly, and the boys opened their stockings. We had invited Johnny over for brunch, and after that we opened presents. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing, playing with new toys, and watching the Vikings play. Yet another lovely day, which was rounded off with turkey and risalamande for dinner.

So even though things weren’t quite “as usual” this December, we can say that we’ve had a wonderful Christmas season with much less stress and more time to be together.

Merry Christmas! 🎄