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Post by howard lee on Dec 23, 2022 8:01:52 GMT -5
I thought it might be nice and convenient to pin a thread for a couple of days to allow us to wish everyone happy holidays in our own, uh, personal idioms.
So I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone on this forum the very best of everything, a warm, cozy holiday time, and hope for the upcoming year.
Taken on a stroll through brownstone Brooklyn, NY
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Post by billhammond on Dec 23, 2022 11:22:28 GMT -5
By Katie Pinke
Forum Communications
On Christmas Eve, a platter of what my kids refer to as fish Jell-O will be placed on my parents' farmhouse table. It’s lutefisk — cod fish preserved in lye, rinsed and cooked. We take a tiny helping, pour melted butter, salt, pepper on it and swallow our annual serving of lutefisk to carry on the old tradition of our ancestors: lutefisk at Christmas.
Why are we eating lutefisk at Christmas?
When 950,000 Norwegians, mostly poor farming families, immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century, they brought their food traditions with them.
Lutefisk connects our cultures of new and old, remembering where we’ve come from and honors the generations before us.
Did my immigrant, widowed great-great-grandmother prepare lutefisk for her seven children in their sod house? Yes, and so did every other Norweigian ancestor of my maternal family.
These days, more Scandinavian-heritage Americans eat lutefisk than actual Scandinavian citizens, I read recently. The national dish of Norway is Fårikål, a lamb and cabbage stew or casserole, not lutefisk.
Why do Scandinavian-heritage Americans carry on eating lutefisk this time of year? Community and connection. Connection at Christmas celebrates our faith and traditions, lutefisk included.
Across the Upper Midwest, churches serve lutefisk suppers. And if you don’t like the fishy glob option, there’s usually a beefy meatball option. My mom serves beef ribs alongside lutefisk on Christmas Eve.
The tradition of lutefisk brings people together as do many food traditions.
Remembering the protein that sustained our ancestors in long winter months is worth preserving, even if it’s soaked in lye, traditionally used in soap making.
Lutefisk on Christmas also represents solidarity with our ancestors. They’re not here but came before us and our lives are far improved because of the sacrifices they made.
One Christmas Eve, lutefisk wasn't served on Christmas Eve to my family.
Roughly 30 years ago, during Christmas Eve church, an unexpected blizzard came upon our little town, long before weather apps and alerts. We went into the one-hour Lutheran candlelight service with sunshine in the late afternoon and came outside to darkness, snow and whipping winds.
My dad and the train of family cars driving in a caravan together could not find the gravel road turn-off in the blinding blizzard snow and wind on the one-mile stretch of highway we traveled. We all turned around on the highway and stopped at the only farmstead between town and our farm.
No one was home at the farmhouse, but they were our neighbors and friends. We expected them soon at their own home and piled inside the farmhouse.
Yes, this would be trespassing — breaking and entering — but farm neighbors understand. More than 20 of us gathered in the small living room, and a cousin played Christmas carols on the piano while we all sang.
The landline phone rang and Betty, the neighbor whose house we were in, said they were staying in town at her mother-in-law’s but she expected that someone was stranded at their house. She told my mom there was a cooked turkey in the basement fridge and to please serve it.
On that Christmas Eve night, my mom cut up turkey to stretch it out for the big, stranded group, added it to a creamy homemade gravy, and served it over baked potatoes.
Farm women know how to feed a crowd, without a recipe and in a pinch, and how to create their own Christmas miracles, with or without lutefisk.
To this day, anytime I have leftover turkey, I make cream of turkey over potatoes for my family, reminding me of the Christmas we didn’t have lutefisk but still shared in community and connection.
Merry Christmas, readers and friends. Celebrate your food traditions, even if they seem a little fishy, as they create connection and community that we all need.
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Post by Marshall on Dec 23, 2022 11:26:00 GMT -5
Greetings, earthlings.
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Post by drlj on Dec 23, 2022 12:11:43 GMT -5
 We try not to eat anything weird at Christmas. Czarnina(Czernina), sure, but nothing weird. |
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Post by Cornflake on Dec 23, 2022 13:00:52 GMT -5
Bah. Humbug. But peace to you all.
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Post by paleo on Dec 23, 2022 17:24:33 GMT -5
Greetings to all! I hope santa brings us all, all the things we need.
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Post by jdd2 on Dec 23, 2022 17:29:32 GMT -5
Yuletide greetings!
(tho for douthat that might be too pagan)
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Post by Marty on Dec 23, 2022 23:16:59 GMT -5
Hoping everyone has a good Christmas with family and friends. Lots of good food and drink.
EDIT: And a new guitar.
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 20,477 
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Post by Dub on Dec 23, 2022 23:45:49 GMT -5
Blessed holidays and safe travels to all. May your light brighten the way of others.
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Post by concertinagirl on Dec 24, 2022 9:10:00 GMT -5
May you all have Peace this Christmas and be guided by the strength of the Lord in the coming year.
Merry Christmas!!!
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Post by coachdoc on Dec 24, 2022 17:19:38 GMT -5
Hola y Feliz Navidad! Hope your holiday is all you were hoping for.
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Post by dradtke on Dec 24, 2022 18:12:18 GMT -5
Just about to watch Rare Exports before we settle down to our long winter's nap.
It's my favorite Christmas movie, but the kids can't figure out why. We'll watch different ones when they're here.
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Post by Shannon on Dec 24, 2022 21:51:50 GMT -5
May the joy of the angels,
the eagerness of the shepherds,
the perseverance of the wise men,
the obedience of Joseph and Mary,
and the peace of the Christ child
be yours this Christmas
Peace to you all, my friends, and merry Christmas!
Shannon
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Post by t-bob on Dec 24, 2022 23:38:53 GMT -5
Well that was most of my Christmas evening
I went to a presbyterian church and there were some music, stained glass and some kids. I've been there many times but it's so different now because the pandemic. There was a huge screen with words and CC in a church that's a weird place - nobody ever reads the hymnal - it seems like everything is on the Internet or social media. There were about 50 people but maybe 10 of those souls were singing hymns.
I actually enjoyed being there I was watching the kids for doing that stories in the Bible.
Almost everything has changed the variant covid19.000 then covid19.001 et infinitum
The little helper gave it with a brass/gold plate to get the offering - before the C19
Now they give this little stick with scooped leather as like lacrosse stick
And also I went to get some chicken soup and cornbread - Barefoot Cafe. For someplace they give me free food when I go there. And they like me like a New Yorker anyway. I do say with the F word but usually with a please
I've got some chocolate left. And whole milk. And invisibility anonymous
Santa hasn't showed up yet……….
I'll let you know about for the actually Christ-effing-mas
Peace
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Post by coachdoc on Dec 25, 2022 1:34:40 GMT -5
May the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the perseverance of the wise men, the obedience of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ child be yours this Christmas Peace to you all, my friends, and merry Christmas! Shannon Lovely sentiments, Shannon. Same for all you Holigans, Doc. |
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Post by Rob Hanesworth on Dec 25, 2022 11:42:50 GMT -5
Merry Christmas
God Jul
Feliz navidad
Joyeau Noel
Mele Kalikimaka
Buon Natalie
Fröhliche Weihnachten
Heri ya krismas
Веселого Різдва.
Mрождеством
Hyvää joulua
メリークリスマス
Sretan Božić
Sorry if I missed you.
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Post by howard lee on Dec 25, 2022 12:09:27 GMT -5
Merry Christmas God Jul Feliz navidad Joyeau Noel Mele Kalikimaka Buon Natalie Fröhliche Weihnachten Heri ya krismas Веселого Різдва. Mрождеством Hyvää joulua メリークリスマス Sretan Božić Sorry if I missed you.
חג מולד שמח
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 20,477
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Post by Dub on Dec 25, 2022 12:33:26 GMT -5
Merry Christmas God Jul Feliz navidad Joyeau Noel Mele Kalikimaka Buon Natalie Fröhliche Weihnachten Heri ya krismas Веселого Різдва. Mрождеством Hyvää joulua メリークリスマス Sretan Božić Sorry if I missed you. חג מולד שמח
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Post by howard lee on Dec 25, 2022 13:41:10 GMT -5
חנוכה שמח! מאחלת לך שגשוג, אהבה וצחוק.
תודה, מארק.
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Post by John B on Dec 25, 2022 16:14:22 GMT -5
Interestingly (to me), if you decide to highlight and copy any of the above exchanges, the arrow keys work opposite to their normal function (i.e., press the left arrow to highlight text to the right). Perhaps because Hebrew is written right to left?
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