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Particularly since we are in
Costa Rica and from Minnesota. Snow, cold, snowmen,
Christmas pageants, the Holidazzle parade down the Nicollet
Mall in Minneapolis, shoveling snow, Christmas lights and
Christmas trees … and Christmas music everywhere… and
despite the fact that there are still problems everywhere …
somehow people seem to smile a lot more around Christmas
time.
I
remember when my parents, my sister and I went to my
grandparents every Christmas. They lived in a small farming
community in Iowa and were about a three hour drive away
from our home. A large number of my cousins, aunts and
uncles were from the same small town and ALL worked for my
grandfather who owned a car dealership there… but who was
always a farmer at heart.
My grandparents’ parents had come from Norway, settled in
Canada, then South Dakota and then Iowa. So Norwegian food
at Christmas was a tradition. We all pretended to like it..
. the pastries were great, the meatballs were even better,
but only the hard core could even pretend to like lutefisk,
which was codfish soaked in lye. And yes, it was as bad as
it sounds… and smelled even worse.
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The traditions
were always the same.. the church service, the pageants, the
handing out of chocolates and nuts to all of the children,
and then home for the opening of presents. I honestly do not
remember a single present that I received but I remember how
I felt… warm and part of a family. And of course, loved.
I have not spent Christmas in Minnesota for nine years. I
don’t miss the snow, the shoveling or the lutefisk. But I
miss the Christmases of times past.
This year we had the good fortune to
participate in helping a large number of children in a small
church congregation celebrate Christmas. And we were able to
present each of them with the first real Christmas
celebration and gifts that they had ever had. ( in Playa
Carrillo in Guanacaste ).
And even though there was no snow on the ground and no one
spoke English, I think that my parents and grandparents
would have been smiling and glad that we were celebrating
Christmas as it was meant to be celebrated.
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Rhonda
and I will be spending Christmas Eve with each other, and
Christmas Day with Char and our two grandsons.
And without seeming out of place… we are very glad that we
live in a place where God and religion is still part of the
culture and yet everyone has the freedom of their own
beliefs.
Merry Christmas to all of you from:
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