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| Our tradition is to open gifts leisurely, over several hours - so friendly and relaxing. Emily's dog, Cohen, had to get into the act. |
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| Our dog, Dora's, formal Christmas portrait. Pretty girl! |
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| Emily and Matt, home from Austin Texas for the holidays, with me and Scott. So great to have them here! I gave them both quilts but somehow did not get pictures of them opening their gifts! I will post on that later. |
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| Genevieve and me. |
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| Hannah and her new blouse, and Danny. Merry Christmas! |
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| Doppa - a traditional Swedish meal, held at noon on Christmas Eve. Doppa means dipping - you cook beef and pork roasts in water, then combine the rich broths, and dip bread into it, to enjoy with the meats. We have no extended family here in Illinois, so we have included our friends for years. Here is friend Andrew, with our daughter Genevieve. |
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| Our friend, Bill, with me. Fun day! |
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| Our lovely daughters - Hannah, Genevieve, and Emily. So great to have them all home together! |
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| Matt's dad, Joe, with our daughter, Hannah. Two cuties! |
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| Dear friend, Diane (right) and her daughter, Kelly! |
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| Friend Cindy (married to Andrew) and Scott. |
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| Daughter Emily with a plate full of pie! A doppa tradition is - everyone who attends, brings a pie! We cut the pies into small pieces, so we can sample many varieties. Emily seems to be regretting her choices! (I think she finished it all however!) Hannah in the background. |
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| Hannah whipping the cream for the pies! |
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| Cute photo - friend Lucas, daughter Hannah, and Genevieve's bf Nick. |
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| Scott and Emily, preparing the doppa meal. God Jul! |
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| As is our tradition, Scott and I headed up to the northwest side of Chicago to Tre Kronor. It's a charming little restaurant, Swedish but with a gourmet twist, kitschy decor but the best food! We went on St. Lucia Day, Dec. 13, for an early breakfast - got there at 6:15 a.m.! Quite early, plus it took us 45 minutes to get there...you do the math. Crazy? Not at all - totally worth it. |
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| Tre Kronor is all decorated for the season, and the small room was illumined with only the Christmas tree, and candles on the tables. It was magical. |
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| Did I mention, they have the best food? |
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| And a highlight is when several girls, with long white gowns, and one with a crown of candles, sing Christmas carols in Swedish. Pass the Kleenex! So nostalgic! |
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| Such a treat to see all of the happy, expectant faces around the room - families sharing this wonderful tradition with each other. It was a special day! Merry Christmas to all! God Jul! |
Happy new year! Here's hoping for peace in our world! A quote that I carry around with me is from my hometown pastor, from years ago -...
