Þorláksmessa

Today is a special day in Iceland. Today most people put up their Christmas Tree and decorate it. We cook our smoked lamb today (we eat it the 25th) and the smoke smell in the house is wonderful (not sure if my fellows at 69th Ave.N.liked it every Dec.23rd last 3 years). We clean our houses as good as we can and even put up some more decorations. Many people eat stinky, rotten fish but we eat salted fish. The stores are open to 11 in the evening (the only day a year) and people finish buying their last Christmas gifts. Some people like to deliver their last gifts or cards this day and some people like to throw a party. We like to have a very nice cofffie table around 4 o´clock and just see if someone shows up. We don´t expect anyone today though since we don´t know many people here. And for me, and many other people too, which makes this day very special are the Christmas greetings on the radio. They start with church bells ringing on the radio, the same since I was a kid, and then the whole day the greetings are red until til about midnight.
I love to finally be in Iceland this precious day!
Tomorrow is our main Christmas day. I´ll write about it tomorrow.
Love you guys!

hhhhhooooooo

Trying to get the house done for Christmas. I´ts going too slowly since David is sleeping extremely bad. We take turns sleeping in Sigurjón Óli´s room to get some rest.
Margrét went to her first icelandic Christmas dance - that she remembers - today. It takes place in her school and the kids and staff walk around the Christmas tree with music and then maybe Santa comes for a visit with a goody. I look forward to hear about how she liked it. When we lived in the US we did this 2 times. The icelandic society in Mpls. had a Christmas dance like this in the Sweedish institute. It was fun!
Over and out for today!

Mommy and her boys

Buhuhuhuhu!!!!!!!!!!

This is what I miss from Minnesota!

Found it!

........or.....this CD found me!

I don´t have a clue about why I got an e-mail about this (and some other) CD but probably I´ve signed up for some web page somewhere, sometime :o) BUT, this is the CD that will bring the American Christmas to my house :o) These songs are the old, good, american songs (which I used to not like before I lived in the US) that I listened to on the American Christmas Station when we lived in the US, so this is great!!!!! I´m not sure if it will arrive before Christmas (24th) and of course I want to listen to it NOW, but at least next Christmas I´ll be able to listen :o)
Going to bed!
Lov'ya!

American Christmas treat....

Hi guys.
As Im thinking about something that I "need" for Christmas I´m asking if some of you could be so kind to send me some stuff from The United States of America :o)

I feel a little embarrassed about doing this, but that´s just how it is isn´t it?

I would love to have 3 things: (Since I still have some Butterschotch, thanks again Kristi!)

1. Christmas M&M
2. Hersey´s candy cane kisses
   
3. Hersey´s kisses with cherry filling or something like that

As much as I think brown Hersey´s is the worst tasting chocolade on earth, (my friend in the other house toooootally disagrees with me in this!), these 2 kinds are totally, mentally, sickly good!
Hope that you forgive me! I could send you some snow instead...........
Love and hugs to everyone.

Grýla

Yes, her name is Grýla. Even the name gives you goose bumps. She looks ugly and is the mom of the 13 Santas and the story says that she also feeds 80 trolls. Her husband is a guy who is a "looser" and does everything she says and has no will himself. Grýla eats naughty children. She walks around, finds them and puts them in a big bag. Then she brings them to her cave, boils them in a big pot and eats them. This is the most famous picture of Grýla and you can see that there is a girl there with scissors, cutting the bag to save the children.


This is Leppalúði and their pet, the Christmas cat:



Sigurjón Óli came home from Preschool today telling me about her.
Sigurjón Óli is only 4 years old. Because of his age he has a hard time beliving Grýla doesn´t exist. I told him that she is only in the books and fairy tales but I ended telling him that Jesus is much stronger then Grýla and she doesn´t know where Eyjólfsstaðir is (where we live), and that he is a good boy. He told me that she could take the airplane to find us....dah! She is really real to him. Ágúst is gonna talk to the teachers tomorrow. I know that we can´t stop them telling kids about these things since it is so deep in our roots as icelanders, but it is very important that someone tells them that this isn´t really "just fine".

If you wanna read more about these "nice" icelanders (welcome to Iceland everyone!....dah!) and the 13 Santas and what each and one of them stands for, I found some informations. Please pray that the teachers will talk as little about this as possible!

Yuletide Lads
at the National Museum of Iceland

The Icelandic jólasveinar (Yuletide Lads) have absolutely nothing to do with the international red-clothed Santa Claus, who is a version of St. Nicholas. The Yuletide Lads are descended from trolls, and orginally they were bogeymen who were used to scare children. During this century they have mellowed, and they sometimes wear their best, red, suits. But they still tend to pilfer and play tricks.

The number of Yuletide Lads varied in olden times from one region of Iceland to another. The number 13 is first seen in a poem on Grýla (the Lads' mother) in the 18th century, and their names were published by Jón Árnason in his folklore collection in 1862. About 60 different names of Yuletide Lads are known.
They visit the National Museum on each of the 13 days before Christmas. They usually wear their old Icelandic costumes, and try to pilfer the goodies each likes best.

Grýla and Leppalúði are the parents of the Yuletide Lads, and their pet is the Christmas Cat; children feared all these characters in times past.

On December 12 the Yuletide Lads begin to come to town. The first is Stekkjarstaur (Sheepfold Stick), who would try to drink the milk from the farmers' ewes.

On December 13 Giljagaur (Gully Oaf) arrives. Before the days of milking machines, he would sneak into the cowshed and skim the froth off the pails of milk.

The Lad who arrives on December 14 is Stúfur (Shorty), who, as his name implies, is on the small side. He was also known as Pönnuskefill (pan-scraper), as he scraped scraps of food of the pans.

On December 15, Þvörusleikir (Spoon-licker) comes down from the mountains. He would steal the wooden spoon that had been used for stirring. When he visits the National Museum, he goes looking for wooden spoons.

On December 16, Pottasleikir (Pot-licker) comes visiting. He tried to snatch pots that had not been washed, and lick the scraps from them.

Askasleikir (Bowl-licker) arrives on December 17. He hid under beds, and if someone put his wooden food-bowl in the floor, he grabbed it and licked it clean.

Hurðaskellir (Door-slammer) comes on December 18. He is an awfully noisy fellow, who is always slamming doors and keeping people awake.
Door Slammer.


The Lad who is expected on December 19 is called Skyrgámur (Curd Glutton), because he loves skyr (milk curd) so much that he sneaks into the pantry and gobbles up all the skyr from the tub there.

Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage Pilferer) comes on December 20. He loves sausages of all kinds, and steals them whenever he can.

On December 21, Gluggagægir (Peeper) arrives. He is not as greedy as some of his brothers, but awfully nosy, peeping through windows and even stealing toys he likes the look of.

On December 22 Gáttaþefur (Sniffer) comes calling. He has a big nose, and he loves the smell of cakes being baked for Christmas. He often tries to snatch a cake or two for himself. December 22 was sometimes called hlakkandi (looking forward), because the children had started looking forward to Christmas.


Meat Hook.
On 23 December, St. Þorlákur's Day, Ketkrókur (Meat Hook) arrives. He adores all meat. In olden days he would lower a hook down the kitchen chimney and pull up a leg of lamb hanging from a rafter, or a bit of smoked lamb from a pan, as smoked lamb was traditionally cooked on St. Þorlákur's Day.
Kertasníkir (Candle Beggar) comes on Christmas Eve, December 24. In olden times, candle light was the brightest light available. Candles were so rare and precious that it was a treat for children to be given a candle at Christmas. And poor Candle Beggar wanted one too.

Silence

So, here I´m sitting in my boxy-messy living room. The kids are in bed, Ágúst is in the garage helping one of his brothers fixing our car. He is visiting us for the first time here and has only 1 time in his life been to the east side of Iceland. He talks about how silent it is here and if we still "hear" the silence. I can tell you how much we still appreciate the silence here! oh! wow!

Today we went to the town to see the Santas. (Ágúst was home fixing the car with his bro). As some of you know we have 13 Santas in Iceland and today we saw 3 of them. We teach our kids that Jesus is more important then Santa, since Santa is a fairytale but Jesus is a true person. We also saw when they lightened the christmas tree in the town. I went to the store and found the perfect candles for my advent wreath (wreeth?) which I´m gonna bake tomorrow. Tomorrow we´re also gonna put up a studio in the school house and take some family photos. We are also gonna celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow. We decided to do it tomorrow but not Thursday since Thursd.is a workday. Tomorrow I have to find my Christmas lights and some advent stuff to decorate since we spent too long time in the town today.

But now I´m suddenly getting super tired! I´m going to crawl to bed (like my mom always says) and read an icelandic magazine I bought my self yesterday about good Christmas cakes, fashion and people. Until next time TAKE CARE!!!!!

Recipes

Hi guys!!!!
Could you please send me your favorite side dishes recipes for Thanksgiving? We don´t have squash or pumpkins here, but we have sweet potatoes! We don´t celebrate Thanksg.in Ice.,but we wanna start doing it at least for us. It won´t be anything like going to Tom´s and Gail's farm where we ate Turkey that had been jumping happily around the house the same day we ate it. Mine turkey has been sleeping "happily" in the freezer for probably weeks in the store and has had an air flight also! What an adventurous turkey we´re gonna eat! I´m thinking aloud now.....maybe I should buy marshmellows and make a fire outside?........hmmmm......I know the kids would be thrilled!!!!!!

I´m sad

Too long since last post.

I´m getting excited for Christmas. I´m already listen to C.mas music. I was so happy to find the MN Christmas station but now I can´t listen to it since it is too expensive for Eyjólfsstaðir to pay the download. It makes me sad but that´s just how it is. I can´t listen to KTIS either then. I´m sad in general. You wouldn´t see it but I´m sad. I can´t explain for people why I´m sad since it is so great to be back in Iceland.

So I started this blog telling you about how much I look forward to Christmas but ended it by telling you that I´m sad sad sad which is bad bad bad. I guess I need to talk to my Dad Dad Dad.

Love you all

These pics are posted specially for my dear cousin Anna Lísa in Chicago and her mom Annie-Jo. Thanks a lot!!!!

More more more

Margrét and Sigurjón Óli Jan 2005. Unnar took these ones for us. MM is 3 years and SÓ is 4 months

Facebook

I just thought that I should put my name here so you guys can find me on facebook. I heard of some dear friends on Fbook but I can´t find them! So this is how my name is written and I´m the only one in Ice.with that name.
Kolbrún Berglind Grétarsdóttir.
Try to do copy and paste if you don´t have these signs on your computers that are abowe u e and o in my name.

Look forward to see you on Fbook! :o)

Found some older pictures.

2004 MM swinging where we lived before we moved to the US


The famous (not the biggest or the most beautiful) waterfall in Iceland, it´s at Þingvellir. Þingvellir National Park was founded in 1930 to protect the remains of the parliament site and was later expanded to protect natural phenomena in the surrounding area. Þingvellir National Park was the first national park in Iceland and was decreed "a protected national shrine for all Icelanders, the perpetual property of the Icelandic nation under the preservation of parliament, never to be sold or mortgaged.


The small family. Sigurjón Óli is having a good time inside me!


This is the best one...........The year is 1995 and we´re having our first meal together at the first place we lived together. Ágúst built the table and I bought the curtains very cheep at the main store in my home town. This is in the city, Reykjavík. Ágúst is 20 and I´m 24 :o)

Throwing in few pics from Sigurjóns Ólis Bday just right before I wake up the chicken and put the little guy in the oven.....no, I mean........

MM helping out...


My cake


A.J.from Canada


I´m eating Aldas´cake (she lives upstairs)

More pictures of David

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We put up our own studio when David was 5 months (he is 6 now) and took his babt.pics there. Ágúst did the shots with his old Hasselblad cam.but along I did the little digital cam. At the same time I was trying to keep the little guy not fall on the floor! Ágúst was putting a new roll in his camera while I was shooting with my digital one. So here you see the little, american prins! This dress is a typical babt.dress in Iceland for both boys and girls. I actually made this one when I was 15. In shcool we had the choice of making a dress like this or a blanket and pillow cover. My mom always do the ribbons then.

Do you see this people? Do you know what they are? They are icelandic terrorists! Like I told you the british Gordon Brown used terrorists laws against us and therefore killed the economy in Iceland. Of course we are VERY upset about this and an icelandic photographer got this idea to have an "open house" in the capital where everybody who wants can come and have a picture taken of them with a weapon. Then he´ll do something with these pics to show how stupid this act of the british prime minister is!

So here you can see a 5 year old terrorist with a carrot as a weapon....


Then you see 3 terrorist ladies dressed up like women did in the old days and their weapons are knitting pins, a tool to bake icelandic goodies and a pretended gun...........

I´m "America homesick" today. I´ve already had butterschotch in my hot chocolade....maby I should give the kids some Goldfish and pink Nesquick. I´ve seen some beautiful leaves pictures on some blogs, I´ve called our former Health clinic....not that I always call them when I miss America hehe. I´m listening to KTIS and still being homesick.................

This is our dearest Margrete Messerer reading for John. We love you Margrete and Don!!!!!!! and all of you guys!!!!!

Some of you maybe remember when I told you about how hard it is for icelandic people to show love in hugs and words.Today I got a forwarded e-mail about how important it is to give hugs every day and then this person listed out all kinds of hugs that we can give, like family hugs, teachers hugs, elderly people hugs, friends hugs, coworkers hugs, students hugs etc. She said:"Let´s HUG through the situation in Iceland!". Great news BUT does everything need to be upside down so people realize how important it is to give and receive hugs? I found this out years ago :o) ....I admit that I don´t know how to write the text above the firs picture:o) Above is a group hug............. MM, me, Annie-Jo and my dearest cousin Lisa

Mommy hug............

Another mommy hug.........my mom and my sister

Cutie pie hug................