The Christmas Eve meal was one of the few when we held our noses, put the lutefisk in our mouths, and washed it down with water. Of course, Mumma and Puppa relished the lutefisk, the herring, the headcheese, the pig's knuckles (one of Puppa's favorites), and the other peasant foods of our heritage. We children loved the hardtack, the Bond Ost (Swedish Cheese), the rice pudding and the katbullar (Swedish Meatballs). The boiled potatoes and carrots and Mumma's deliciious gravy went down pretty well, too. We always had hot egg kaffe during and after the meal. Sometimes we'd have strawberry Jell-o with bananas, particularly in the years after the war.
Going to bed around 11:00 p.m., we were tired and happy, but we had to get our sleep because Mumma took us to Julotta at the Salvation Army in the morning. The Christmas worship service, all in Swedidh, started at 6:00 a.m. I can still hear and feel the crunch of the snow under our feet as we hurried to church in the early hours of the dawn. The birthday of our Lord, a very special time.
No comments:
Post a Comment