“If you come at
four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Hello December! The month of celebration, candles,
hot, spicy glögg, white snow, dark winter days, cold temperatures, gifts, Christmas
carols, official month of chocolate, oh! plenty of it, cinnamon cookies… of
good will and love.
I love Christmas time. The anticipation of Christmas
is almost better than the real thing. All the 24 days of December counting down
to the celebration, are magical.
Up here, above the Arctic Circle, in December, days
are short, nights are long. If we are lucky, mystical northern lights scallop
across the skies. If it is very cold (maybe not so lucky, but it happens a lot),
the whole dark world seems to float in the universe under the bright lanterns.
Snow squeaks under the shoes as the millions of tiny icicles break under your
feet and make the noise; but if you stop, it is very quiet. Surrounding forests
are asleep, all the sensible creatures hibernate, but here and there you can
spot tiny foot prints on the snow, and while out and about farther, your path may
cross with random reindeer, the great survivor of the arctic, one must salute
the beast.
The cold bites your nose and nibbles your fingers. It feels like
someone is doing it, someone you cannot see, but you can feel his presence all
over. All the buildings in the yard, the garden shed, the summer sauna, the
little play house look frozen. Their windows have delicate ice lace all over.
If you open their doors and step inside, you can smell the past summer. When
the trees shed their leaves, I was sorry to see them go because I had forgotten
how beautiful the frosted trees are. When the snow piles on them, they turn
into wonderful statues.
Into this white silence arrives Red Christmas.
Inside the house, the dark corners and shadows created
by candles feed the imagination. It is easy to see the elves, tontut, tiptoe quietly across the yard and lurk through the
windows. Those sightings are sudden and quick, but I am certain I see them. I
celebrate the unseen, the imagination. I wish to cross the threshold into the
magical world, where the unseen becomes real, the impossible possible, where memories are stronger than reality. I feel that Christmas is my wardrobe to
the wonderland, like wardrobe was for Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy in the
Chronicles of Narnia. Even if my visits there are quick, while I cook and clean
and prepare gifts, the visits are true, unexpected and thrilling. Suddenly I am whisked away into the magic of the season. Carols, soft jingle bells filling
the air, clouds of cinnamon spreading from the kitchen, spicy glögg in the mug and
warm fire are all means of keeping the spirit alive. I would not like to miss it.
This year I bought myself an advent calendar that says
Woman’s strength calendar. While writing this, I have not opened any doors yet
and don’t have a clue what is going to give me strength this season. We will
soon see.
All my girls are grown-ups and at present we don’t have
any little ones in the house. When the girls were little, we used to build
Christmas into the doll house. The doll house has been neglected for many
years. While I was upstairs in the old, quiet playroom, I looked at the house
and realized that I could play a little, try to find some decorations and while doing it, treasure the past and bring back wonderful memories. When the girls arrive at Christmas, they will find the doll house alive again. I will post every day until the
Christmas Eve, some posts will be about the doll house Christmas and some of my
own. The posts will be short and sometimes only images, although I try to get
down to write my thoughts too.
Welcome back tomorrow and every day until the
Christmas Eve. Please, keep in mind that I live in the country and electric
shortages are possible. And there is always the unexpected stomach bug… But I
will do my best to be here every day. For a few seconds, close your eyes, step
over the threshold, and come celebrate the season with the kittens who have taken over the doll house, and me. Come
for good, little wooly tidings!
Wool with you,
Lene
I feel that you have a book in you. You write so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I'll enjoy your journal all thru December.
ReplyDeleteIt's my birthday today and reading this felt like getting a gift! I look forward to your Advent calendar!
ReplyDelete(I can't resist having a little children's corner in my room... my excuse is the grandchildren but really, it's for me!!) :)
YAY!!!!! :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteHow lovely....something to look forward to every day. I have enjoyed your beautiful words and creations for so many years now, thank you, Lene.
ReplyDeleteBarbara M. In NH
I can't wait! Thank you for sharing your Christmas magic!
ReplyDeleteAs always, Lene, your writing is eloquent and touching. You manage to express in words that which I have feelings for and can not. Thank you for continuing to blog and especially for sharing this Christmas vision with us.
ReplyDeleteDenise in Ohio
Looking forward to your journal!! I love your kitties; did you make them?
ReplyDeleteOh I cannot wait! I love Christmastime, and your posts always make me love it even more.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are a wonderful writer, so evocative! Thank-you for sweeping me up in the magic of December, of Christmas!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gift to those of us who enjoy hearing about your world. Thank you, I am looking forward to each post.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful photos and thoughts! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to all these posts and wish a very merry holiday season to you!
ReplyDeleteYour photos and words today are so lovely. I too cannot wait to see each day's post. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteannie
This is so lovely. Beautiful photos, wonderful images (and imagination). Excited to see your upcoming posts. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYay! I love it when you post every day in December! It is like an Advent calendar for the rest of us. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, Lene, I am so excited! It is always a gift to read your thoughts and study your pictures . . . and to have them every day -- it's like a trip into my family's Norwegian heritage! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this wonderful Advent calendar of your own making! Chicago has not quite grasped the season, with the 52F weather today.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the lovely glimpse into your thoughts and life.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Hope to see some of your furry family members too.
ReplyDeleteLovely! Such a nice gift to your readers.
ReplyDeleteA Lene Advent calendar!! I can't wait! Thank you, Lene. I am making the springerle cookies today.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking us along on your December Expedition. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Thank you Thank you!! I am always excited when you say you will post each day of December! I love to see the photos of the outdoors and all your lovely crafty decorations! Have a beautiful holiday season and bless your sweet face for sharing it with us!
ReplyDelete"...where the unseen becomes real, the impossible possible, where memories are stronger than reality." I just love that. It's such a pleasure to read your posts, Lene, and am looking forward to what you share with us this month!
ReplyDeleteMelody
Oh how I love your posts!
ReplyDeleteLene, thank you so much for the wonderful ideas you are sharing. I am looking forward to enjoying your posts very much!
ReplyDeleteMy very best wishes from Germany.
Thank you so much Lene- I read your advent posts long ago when you first began to blog and they helped very much with my mixed feelings about the season. I am looking forward to your quiet words about snow and glogg and making and toys and cinammon and...
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you.
So very, very excited that you will keep posting until Christmas! Your blog will become my Advent calendar, a lovely way to wait for the coming of the Saviour!
ReplyDeleteI love your thoughts about winter and Christmas. Thanks for sharing your part of the world. It is beautiful even if the days are short.
ReplyDelete