CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

Miss my Mom, especially at Christmas time! I remember our lovely Finnish Christmas foods and traditions and miss having her with us to celebrate. Was reading some of her letters and her memoirs. Here is what she wrote about her childhood Christmases in Finland.

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

When I was a little girl Father went in to the woods and cut down our Christmas tree. In later years we bought our tree from a tree salesman who brought them to sell at the outdoor market (Tori) in Helsinki. I was really good at decorating the tree and so it became my job to do so each Christmas. This started after I told Father that I was better at decorating the tree than he was! I had explained to him that the decorations needed to be placed on the tree “just like this and this.”


Wax candles were hung from the tree branches and they were then lit. The tinsel star was at the top of the tree, and cotton was placed on the branches for snow. Apples and candies were hung from the branches, and decorations made of silver paper were hung on every branch, and the tree was draped with festive ribbon as well. Because the trees were fresh, being recently cut from the forest, they filled the rooms of the house with a wonderful scent which added to the festive feeling. I recall that each day I was allowed to take one apple and a candy confection that hung from the branches and eat them, and it was a grand occasion for me.

The whole house had of course been cleaned for Christmas. The coffee pots had been polished because they were copper and tarnished quickly. Mother had made “lutefish” a long time beforehand by soaking white fish in a vat of lye and ashes so that the fish would bleach and be suitable for eating. For me it isn’t Christmas without “lutefish,” ham and prune-soup pudding. And then of course there were the Christmas “pulla” and gingerbread cookies. A delicious rutabaga casserole was also part of the traditional Christmas fare in my home. The ham was usually so big that it lasted us until January 6 when Christmas traditionally comes to an end in Finland.

Christmas Eve was the most important time for us children because that is when the presents were given out to everyone, an occasion we had looked forward to all year. Father Christmas handed out the presents. He always knocked on the door first and asked, “Are there good children in this house?” And very timidly we would call out that there were. I remember being a bit surprised that Father would always be absent right at the very moment that Father Christmas would come into the house. Mother would explain that Father had gone to check if Father Christmas was in the neighborhood, and to see whether he had time to come to our house since he had so many places to visit. Well, eventually this little mystery was explained.

On New Year’s Eve we always poured molten tin into a bucket of cold water [an old Finnish fortune-telling custom]. It was exciting to see if the tin formed into the shape of a “ship to America,” and almost without exception that was what the lump of tin seemed to resemble. At Christmas we usually went to church to hear the Christmas sermon and Christmas concert. It as a highlight and a special event during our year!
-- Aune Irene Makinen-Tolvanen

Easter Traditions

In this increasingly post-doctrinal age built on "do-it-yourself" spirituality, it's interesting to reflect on the Easters of my childhood. I remember Easter being filled with both fear and delight. Images of fluffy yellow chicks, mixed in with Christ on the cross, and scary witches and trolls, clearly come to mind.

Lutherans in my childhood days celebrated the Easter season much like the Catholics, but with far less ceremony and pageantry. Easter is really an entire season of the Christian church year, and not just a one day holiday. Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter Sunday, is a time of reflection and penance and represents the 40 days that Jesus spent alone in the wilderness before starting his ministry.

The day before Lent, known as Fat Tuesday, is a last hurrah of food and fun before the fasting begins. The week preceding Easter is called Holy Week. The days leading up to Easter in my childhood were marked by the reverent remembrance of Christ on Maundy Thursday, which commemorates Jesus' last supper with his disciples. Good Friday, which honors the day of his crucifixion, was observed as a solemn, and sacred day. Holy Saturday focused on the transition between the crucifixion and resurrection. Businesses and schools were closed on Good Friday and for the whole weekend.



The only Easter celebration I can recall from my childhood was in Rovaniemi when I was nine years old. We attended Easter mass at the beautiful Lutheran chapel there. Vivid memories linger of the altar piece with Christ surrounded by a golden halo and at his feet the resurrection is taking place, with the dead rising from their graves. The mural filled me with awe and fear.



But Easter is also a delightful time for the children and their families. For lunch/dinner on Holy Saturday, families traditionally feast on a smörgåsbord of herring, salmon, potatoes, eggs and other kinds of food. In Finland, the Lutheran majority enjoys mämmi as another traditional Easter treat. This rye-concoction, covered with sugar and cream, was not a great favorite of mine even when it had been made by my Karelian grandmother who was an outstanding cook.

In Finland, Sweden and Denmark, traditions also include egg painting and (much in the tradition of our American Halloween) small children dressed as witches collect candy door-to-door. However, in place of trick-or-treat, the children exchange decorated pussy willows for candy. This is a result of the mixing of an old Orthodox tradition (blessing houses with willow branches) and the Scandinavian Easter witch tradition. Brightly colored feathers and little decorations are also attached to birch branches in a vase.

In our modern day and age, we are much more casual about our Easter observance. Most of these solemn Easter traditions seem as antiquated as the Model-T Ford and the typewriter. Last weekend's General Conference allowed us time to reflect on the real meaning of Easter ... the life and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Annoyance

Have been trying to access my blog today. On each try, I get hijacked by some other site that takes over within seconds! Help!!! What's going on? Very frustrating to say the least. :o(

Later ...

Here's the rest of the story. I had added a delightful "fish tank" to the bottom of my blog. It was charming with swaying seaweed and colorful fish swimming around. But suddenly the "free gadgets" program took over my blog and hijacked me each time I tried to log in. Important lesson to learn ... FREE is not necessarily good!

Green Space

Did you know that parks and greenspace have significant public health benefits?* Health studies have shown that contact with nature offers a range of medical benefits including lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, enhanced survival after a heart attack, more rapid recovery from surgery, fewer minor medical complaints, and lower self-reported stress. In children with attention disorders and in teens with behavioral disorders, contact with nature has resulted in significant improvement.

So thankful I live in a beautiful place (Utah) where I'm surrounded by nature!

RULES

RULES FOR UTAH TEACHERS IN 1872

A list of teacher rules from an unknown school district date 1872 gave a sample of the guidelines teachers were to follow:

*Teachers each day will fill lamps and clean chimneys.
*Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s session.
*Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the students.
*Male teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.
*After ten hours in school,the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.
*Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.
*Each teacher should lay aside each month a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.
*Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.
*The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

ST PATRICK’S DAY THOUGHTS

A bitter-sweet day for me! My beautiful mom passed away a year ago today, March 17^th, 2009. She had a Saint on each end of her life: born on St, John’s Eve (June 23^rd); died on St Patrick’s Day. Mother probably had a good laugh over that!

At age 94 there aren’t too many folks of your own generation left to “celebrate” your life when you pass to the other side, but for her funeral the chapel at the mortuary was filled with Mom’s posterity, along with extended family, friends and neighbors.

Before the casket was closed, each member of the family filed past and placed a small polished stone next to Mom, a final token of love and farewell. A son-in-law gave the family prayer.

The service was short and sweet; definitely a family affair. My sister and I paid tender tribute to our Mom. A son-in-law gave a meaningful, gospel centered message. Talks from grandkids were heartfelt and laced with humor, and the musical numbers reflected Mom’s love for children. They were all her favorite melodies – including a lovely vocal trio by three granddaughters, as well as a piano piece and a harp medley of Primary songs beautifully performed by two granddaughters-in-law.

It was a cool, but lovely spring day as we proceeded to the cemetery. The pall-bearers were Mom’s grandsons and one great-grandson. Her grave was dedicated by a grandson. Under the canopy, the dusty-rose-colored casket was covered with a huge spray of perfect white roses, her favorite flowers. As the graveside service ended, the clouds rolled in, the winds picked up, and the skies began to gently weep. The poet in Mom would find that a very fitting way to bring things to a close.

You did well, Mom. You started with only two daughters to your credit. You now have ten grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren, plus the spouses, in your family circle! I treasure the time we spent together. Love you, Mom, and miss you very much.

Can Spring Be far Behind?

The birds are chirping and flirting in my yard this morning. Snowbells and Crocuses are peeking out of the ground. The air feels warm and delicious. Flowers are blooming indoors as well. Can spring be far behind?