Culture Gumbo

Middle of September. October. November. December. January. Soon my own cultural mix of holiday celebrations shall begin again.

First day of school, already past. Was a bit late making the schultuten (school cones) a German tradition I like to do each year either for school or halloween or both! For school cones, I take large 12" by 12" pieces of scrapbook paper then fold/roll into a cone shape, staple/glue carefully closed, then fill with various small school themed items. Pencils, eraser, tiny colorful post-it notes shaped like dinosaurs, etc.

Halloween. I like to keep it fun, cute, not scary/creepy. Each year different. This year I´d like to make a halloween gingerbread house or cookies, or a halloween cake decorated with something fun. Martha Stewart recipes for: autumn stew in tiny sugar pumpkins, soft pretzels shaped like fingers with pistachio fingernails. Not sure what else yet. Decorate a little, not too too much.



Dias de los Muertos. Celebration of loved ones past, who are no longer with us in body but spirit, in our hearts. Maybe make tiny sugar skulls, skull sugar cookies. Paper flowers, butterflies. King Ranch chicken. Tortilla stew. Pico de gallo, sour cream panna cotta.


Thanksgiving. Decorate a little. Maybe some handprint colored turkeys, paper leaves and pumpkins. Simple roast turkey, roasted in half as it takes much less time! (Just cut a large fresh turkey in half, lay each side by side in roasting pan, sprinkle with oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Roast til done, juicy inside, with a crispy skin). Mashed potatoes. Steamed yams/sweet potatoes. Salad, green veggies. Cranberries made into a cranberry sauce (canned if I can find it as I kinda just like it better). Gravy from the turkey. Neiman Marcus popover recipe (Fond memories too, of last day living in US, with friend B and I eating at a fashion show lunch there:). Pumpkin pie. Pecan pie. Mincemeat pie (really hard to choose just one! and they freeze well if they last that long).


 Jul Christmas from December 24 til December 26, plus a few other days such as advent candle lighting. Various things. Lussekatter, clementines decorated with whole cloves, hot cocoa. Midnight shops with live Djs and hot fresh made waffles and pancakes, hot gløgg. Singing carols. Snow. Historic churches open nights having concerts of beautiful music. Tiny pressies hidden in the kids snow boots. Mostly the point is to spend time with family, baking, cooking, seeing each other, enjoying a good meal, or enjoying seasonal events together. Visiting the yearly Gingerbread village, which local kids and schools have made from gingerbread cookie dough. Weekends walking in town, strolling thru old narrow cobblestone streets window shopping, or enjoying open air concerts etc which are happening on any given day.



New Years Eve fireworks all around the city for hours, sometimes days. New Years Day. Fireworks are seen throughout the city and islands, usually for the entire day and night (as by that time of year hours of actual daylight are few). If the weather permits, there usually is fireworks starting and ending a day on either side of the actual New Years Day. The fireworks displays are put on by individual citizens, not the actual city. All over the city, and is nearly constant, all day, when weather permitting. The firework displays rival, and best imho, any seen in any US city, even the amazing NYC firework displays! And it wouldn´t be possible without the long hours of dark the winter provides here, or of course the fact that locals are careful and generous with having the fireworks displays. One of my favourite days, as I love fireworks! We don´t have Fourth of July here, so this is in my heart my Fourth of July day too:). Fourth of July was a summertime thing my father and I enjoyed---small town parades seen from front yard porches; county fair; horse riding; picnic foods; my aunties making huge meals for huge family gatherings, and of course the main event the fireworks displays the city put on once it got dark out! I still celebrate Fourth of July in July here, but with tiny sparklers atop whatever cake I make for the kids:).

Sånn! Now it begins....

Two weeks ago, I heard the first Christmas song. I think it was White Christmas/Bing singing. Or something like that. I´m a bit of that, a bit of Christmas in Hollis kinda gal. A little o this, a little o that. I like the Culture Gumbo we´ve made, and make, in our life here. The kids are Norwegian and American, and I like bringing that together for them:).