On Monday of this week I e-mailed Joanna # 16, Remains of Innocence, to my editor in New York. It was, as Helen Reddy would say, “a long hard climb.” Books do not necessarily come to order just because I want them to or because a deadline is bearing down on me or is past! Books are like babies, they come in their own good time–when they are ready.
So I did not expect to be finishing a book in the second week of December. It’s Christmas after all, and finishing the book on Monday means that I have exactly SIX days to get ready for Christmas. All of you may have just looked at your calendars and said to yourselves, six days? What’s she smoking? There are way more days than that.
Unfortunately, not in THIS house. Our big family Christmas celebration is called Liljulaften, and it happens, depending on the timing of Christmas that year, either the Sunday before Christmas or the Sunday a week and a half before Christmas. Guess which Sunday that is this year!
My mother was a great one for not “chewing her cabbage twice.” I explained all about Liljulaften last year. If you don’t believe me, here’s a link that should send you to last year’s post: Liljulaften, December 21, 2012.
When I read in Dear Abby or Ann Landers about families battling about where to go for holiday celebrations, I want to whack them over the head and hand them my mother’s recipe dodging that “it’s my turn” bullet.
So this will be a short blog post today. Sorry. I’ve got my Amex card in my pocket, and I’m off to the races!!!
Happy Liljulaften, folks, and for the Scandinavians out there? Yes, we’ll be having lefse, but this house is definitely a lutefisk free zone.
What a great idea. I wasn’t reading your blog last year and missed this solution to a common problem. Your Mom was one smart lady.
I’m not having lutefisk this year either. I really can’t remember which was the last Christmas I had it. I remember the slab of dried cod, which had been preserved in a lye solution, was brought home to soak in a pail of water a couple of weeks before Christmas. Grandma changed the water as necessary. When it was prepared in white sauce for Christmas Eve, I didn’t think it tasted good so just pushed it around in the mashed potatoes. Grandma was very fussy as she said a serving spoon left in the dish would lose its finish. I always wondered what it did to our insides.
Hope your Christmas is happy and full of fun and family.
Carolyn
I too used to get lefse from the bakery in Stanwood. Now my newish friend Diane from near Shelton, makes it like crazy, and we bought some at her church bazaar that is in our freezer both at home and at our cabin. She even has a lefse cookbook she produces at home. She also has all the equipment including an electric pressure cooker that can make 5 lbs. of potatoes in no time. Next year I will have her teach me how to make it!!! Enjoy your celebration. Anytime family is together is a cause for celebration and it does not matter what day the calendar says!!!!
as usual your remarks bring a smile to my face. Which week do we go to which daughters house, and how many lunches can we go to in one week, Already three scheduled next week, plus a trip to Seattle, a train ride to Hood River, and a pedicure sometime in between. When you reach 83 this all becomes critical. Have a very happy holiday Ms Jan. You are the best. Oh yes, just a little gossip. I have been reading Nevada Barr’s book, Liberty Falling, about the Statue of Liberty. Sorry, but I spend too much time with a dictionary, too many words not in my vocabulary. Glad you keep writing, You are the BEST.
As you might guess from my maiden name, lefse and lutefisk were huge at my Christmases in my youth. After I left home, lefse was the only one I allowed to continue (along with the Swedish meatballs). But, lutefisk always reminds me of my departed father who, along with my godfather, would travel to all-you-can eat lutefisk dinners in Montana. Dad always said lutefisk was the best part of Christmas. Hope your holiday is bright and happy! Thank you so much for sharing your gift of writing!
Now, I finally have a name for what we’ve been doing with our blended family for 40 years! Liljulaften. Thank you!
Happy Liljulaften & Holidays to you and yours. We’ll toast your Mom at our Girls Lunch Bunch annual early Christmas Get Together Saturday night.
P.S. glad to hear Joanna #16 is with your editor. Maybe she’ll be a s Scrooge and work through Christmas on it.
Yes. Here’s to Evie Busk. She was one smart woman. On Saturday afternoon, after the morning shopping spree (13 people turned loose in Nordstroms!) we had a Ladies Tea (Grandma, Aunt Alice, daughters, and the 17 and up granddaughters.) at the Fairmont. We also toasted Evie!
I just spoke with my sister in the Phoenix area and she said I was in charge of sending lefse to her husband next year. I even offered to send some Priority Mail so they would have it for Christmas. He loves it as much as I do.