Christmas at the Hytta . . .

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a yummy meal,
then gathered around the Christmas tree to read the nativity and then . . .

Open Grammie Jammies!

Eli and Mary Alice hastily tore off the paper then ran to put them on.
Adam was being very careful not to rip the paper. He got done soon enough.

Thanks for the jammies Grammie and Grand-dad!

Christmas Day

After a cozy sleep in their new jammies,
the kids were up (early, but not too early) and ready for all the fun!

We all enjoyed the gifts from Santa all morning.

Mary Alice was ready to open the rest of the presents as soon as we had seen what Santa had brought, but we didn't even open them till after noon, when we had all eaten breakfast and gotten dressed. How's that for a christmas morning? I think we all had lots of fun playing!

The last gift was a present from Grammie and Grand-dad, which we listened to for the rest of the day. Thank You Grammie and Grand-dad! We love the new Yo-Yo Ma & Friends Christmas album you picked out for us. We've been enjoying it ever since we opened it. I think this one can even stay out all year.

Christmas at the Hytta . . . .

The road Home

The roads in Norway are, at least when you get off the two lane
main highways, one and a half lanes or more . . . or less.
Here are a few pictures to give you an idea
of what we saw and drove through during our journey home.
The sights are amazing and the roads . . . they're amazing too.
Lots of curves, tunnels, bridges, rock, water and white knuckles.
Ok, so they aren't that stressful . . . except when you find yourself in a tight spot
and another car is coming from the other direction and not slowing down!

The first trip we made to a Hytta (two years ago) took us through the road on the right.
(Bottom right picture - the one with the guardrail going around the side of the mountain that looks like a walking path trail - very narrow and windy.) Thankfully, they have put in a very nice new
two lane tunnel to bypass the narrow spot of road on the right. (Bottom left picture)

Tunnel Lights

Some pretty views on the drive home . . .

It was great to be back home. I am super thankful we had such a great "Hytta Christmas" this year.
The best part was enjoying some very special good time together with our little family.
That time is priceless and the best gift I could ever get!
Thank you family for giving me a wonderful Christmas again this year.

Happy New Year to YOU. . . and winter too!

We had an enjoyable new years eve and day and hope yours was too!
We are still enjoying a very white and freezing winter all around us, that's two weeks of good snowy winter and counting. We've never had so much winter here in Norway. Dave tells us it should be just as cold all of next week too. Amazing!

Christmas at our House

1. The Decor

Nativities...

and strung up things.


Norwegian "nisse", hearts, candles and stars...

and a greeting.

A very special snowman,
And, of course, our beautiful children!
All ready and waiting for the tree, which came later.


2. The Tree

Last year we cut down our tree at a christmas tree farm here in Norway. It was a lot of fun, so we decided to do it again. We learned last year to watch out for the stumps of cut down trees.
I don't think anyone fell on them this year. It didn't take us long to find our tree, there were so many good ones. The kids were super helpers - I think they were excited for the tasty warm raspberry drink they would be having when we were done, compliments of the tree farm, which has a u-pick raspberry patch in the summer. They pick berries from the patch and make them into yummy juice in the summer, then warm some up for all the tree seekers in winter. Yum! What a treat.