Juleferie / Winter break

Dansk (english below): 

D. 19. december kl. 16.08 rullede de sidste 3 af familiens medlemmer ind i opkørslen. Nu var der for alvor dømt juleferie - eller "Winter break" som det hedder her. Som allerede nævnt, så var december mere stille end normalt og det gjaldt for så vidt også hele juleferien, men vi hyggede os gevaldigt med både store og små ting og kunne nyde det i et afslappet gear. Men mest af alt nød vi alle afbrækket fra hverdagens trummerum hvad enten det er fuldtidsarbejde (Mary), fuldtids-skole fra kl. 8-15 eller 9-16 hver dag som drengene eller stilheden og roen som er blevet min hverdag gennem de sidste 3-4 måneder.

Der blev tid til forskellige besøg bl.a. hos Marys moster, onkel og kusine (inkl. familie) i Winona, hvor vi nød at blive forkælet med lækker mad, masser af familie-kærlighed og kælketure i hundredvis. Vi blev også inviteret hjem til et par fra kirken, Bruce og Kristi (dem som lånte os de 4 kasser julepynt). Kristi har norske slægtninge i familien, så det var sjovt at se billeder fra deres besøg der og høre ”Sissel Kyrkjebø” - som er total jule-nostalgi fra min barndom. Vi tog igen også turen op tæt ved St. Cloud hvor vores gode venner Holly og Dave bor med deres 3 skønne børn. Vores børn er nærmest vokset op sammen (hvis man kan sige når man kun ses 1 måned om året) da det var dem vi boede hos i flere år når vi var på ferie herover, før de flyttede nordpå. I Minnesota er ”Snow tubing” også en ting, så det skulle vi selvfølgelig også prøve af. Det var supersjovt og vi nød alle endnu en solskinsdag i sneen og hvad bedre var, det var sammen med vores (specielt Marys) gamle venner Andrea og Jason og deres to drenge. Så alle var godt underholdt i flere timer.

Ellers var det også året/ferien hvor Benjamin blev grebet af at stå på skøjter. Dagen hvor de gik på ferie var alle 5. klasserne en tur i den lokale skøjtehal som en slags klasse-/årgangsarrangement. Han havde glædet sig i flere dage op til, selvom han aldrig rigtig har fået knækket (skøjte)koden helt. Så jeg mødte ham der og han strålede mens han kørte omgang efter omgang. Selv da der blev annonceret, at der var varm kakao til alle der havde lyst blev han ved med at skøjte og var nærmest den sidste der gik fra isen. Siden har vi alle været afsted på den udendørs ”ice rink” som ligger bare 5 min. gang fra vores hus. Det er sjovt for Mary speciel, da dele denne aktivitet med drengene. Planen er, at onkel Johnny skal med os, så vi kan få spillet noget mere ishockey også. Det håber vi snart sker. 

Nytåret fejrede vi med endnu et hold gode (gamle) venner. Vi var inviteret hjem til Julie og Josh og det blev en dejlig afslutning på et helt specielt år for os som familie. Vi havde taget noget af maden med og resten stod de for, så det var overskueligt for alle. Og selvom også nytåret er fyldt med traditioner i Danmark som lækkert mad, festlig tøj, sjove hatte, bordbomber, nytårskrudt, 90 års fødselsdag og løjer, så havde Mary og Julie fået det arrangeret så fint med en afbalanceret blanding, og Julie havde endda købt lidt ”fyrværkeri” (det man nu kan få lov til at købe er i Minnesota) for vores skyld - tror jeg. Mary havde bagt kransekage som vi kunne spise da vi, ved midnat hoppede ned fra sofaen, inden vi gik ud for at fyre Julies krudt af - som de eneste i hele området!! Kongen nytårstale fik vi også set, dog var den tidligere på dagen pga. tidsforskellen. Denne gang fik sætningen ”dem der må fejre nytåret udenfor landets grænser” en særlig betydning.       

I starten af det nye år skulle drengenes julegave "afprøves". De havde fået en dagstur til skisportsstedet ”Powder Ridge” som ligger 55 min. fra hvor vi bor. Vi har i mange år haft lyst til at drengene skulle prøve at stå på ski, så i år skulle det være - når det, afstandsmæssigt, er så nemt her. Vi tog afsted, så vi var der kort efter de åbnede kl. 9.30 og tog først hjem igen kl. 18.00 så det må vel bare ud fra dette kunne konkluderes, at det var en succes. Drengene fik det alle hurtigt lært, så efter 1½ time på børnebakken (”The Bunny Hill”) var de alle klar på at prøve nogle længere og lidt mere krævende ture. Det var sjovt at få lov til at prøve som familie, så det er godt, at julegaven faktisk var 2 dagsture, så vi kan komme afsted igen - snart!! Så snakker vi ikke om de ømme ben vi vågnede op med dagen efter.. og den følgende😜.

Nu er juleferien så gået - ja faktisk har vi været i gang med hverdagen i en uge nu. Det var hårdt for de fleste, at få startet op igen mandag morgen efter 16 dages ferie, men nu virker det til at ”møllen” kører igen.   

The Ice Rink at Rainbow Park (5 min. away)

Snow Tubing

Benjamn's skating party

Sledding in Winona

Familie time

"All" the boys in Winona

Afternoon walk on Lake Independence

Nintendo Swicth time with Uncle Johnny

Time with the Koslazk's (Holly & Dave)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Skiing at "Powder Ridge"

Skiing at "Powder Ridge"

Skiing at "Powder Ridge"

Englsih (AI translated):

On December 19 at 4:08 p.m., the last three members of the family rolled into the driveway. Now Christmas vacation had truly begun—or “Winter Break,” as it’s called here. As already mentioned, December was quieter than usual, and that was also true of the entire Christmas break. Still, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with both big and small moments and were able to take it all at a relaxed pace. Most of all, we all appreciated the break from everyday routines—whether that meant full-time work (Mary), full-time school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day for the boys, or the silence and calm that has become my everyday life over the past 3–4 months.

There was time for various visits, including one to Mary’s aunt, uncle, and cousin (and their family) in Winona, where we enjoyed being spoiled with delicious food, lots of family love, and countless sledding trips. We were also invited to the home of a couple from church, Bruce and Kristi (the ones who lent us the four boxes of Christmas decorations). Kristi has Norwegian relatives, so it was fun to see photos from their visits and to hear “Sissel Kyrkjebø,” which is pure Christmas nostalgia from my childhood. Once again, we also made the trip up near St. Cloud, where our good friends Holly and Dave live with their three wonderful children. Our kids have practically grown up together (if you can say that when you only see each other one month a year), as they were the family we stayed with for several years when we vacationed here before they moved north. In Minnesota, “snow tubing” is also a thing, so of course we had to try that as well. It was great fun, and we all enjoyed yet another sunny day in the snow—made even better by spending it with our (especially Mary’s) old friends Andrea and Jason and their two boys. Everyone was well entertained for several hours.

This was also the year—and the vacation—when Benjamin caught the ice-skating bug. On the day school let out, all the fifth grades went to the local ice arena as a class/grade event. He had been looking forward to it for days, even though he had never quite cracked the (skating) code before. I met him there, and he was beaming as he skated lap after lap. Even when it was announced that there was hot cocoa for anyone who wanted it, he kept skating and was almost the last one to leave the ice. Since then, we’ve all been to the outdoor ice rink that’s just a five-minute walk from our house. It’s especially fun for Mary to share this activity with the boys. The plan is for Uncle Johnny to join us so we can play more ice hockey as well. We hope that happens soon.

We celebrated New Year’s Eve with yet another group of good (old) friends. We were invited to Julie and Josh’s place, and it was a lovely way to end a very special year for us as a family. We brought some of the food, and they took care of the rest, which made it manageable for everyone. And even though New Year’s Eve in Denmark is filled with traditions like great food, festive clothes, silly hats, party poppers, fireworks, the Queen’s New Year’s speech, and various antics, Mary and Julie had arranged everything so nicely with a well-balanced mix. Julie even bought a bit of “fireworks” (what you’re actually allowed to buy in Minnesota), I think just for our sake. Mary had baked marzipan ring cake (kransekage), which we ate at midnight when we jumped off the couch before heading outside to set off Julie’s fireworks—as the only ones in the entire area!! We also watched the Queen’s New Year’s speech, though earlier in the day because of the time difference. This time, the phrase “those who must celebrate the New Year outside the country’s borders” carried special meaning.

At the start of the new year, it was time to “try” the boys’ Christmas present. They had received a day trip to the ski resort “Powder Ridge,” which is just 55 minutes from where we live. For many years we’ve wanted the boys to try skiing, and this year it was finally going to happen—especially since it’s so easy distance-wise here. We left so we arrived shortly after they opened at 9:30 a.m. and didn’t head home again until 6:00 p.m., so based on that alone, it’s safe to say it was a success. The boys all picked it up quickly, and after an hour and a half on the kids’ slope (“The Bunny Hill”), they were all ready to try some longer and slightly more challenging runs. It was great fun to experience it as a family, and luckily the Christmas present actually includes two day trips, so we’ll be going again—soon!! Let’s not talk about the sore legs we woke up with the next day… and the day after 😜.

Now the Christmas break is over—actually, we’ve already been back in everyday life for a week. It was tough for most of us to get started again on Monday morning after 16 days off, but now it feels like the “mill” is running again.