Wednesday, April 22, 2020

WHAT I'M READING - CHRISTMAS IN SCANDINAVIA (2020/1)


Hello, friends!  I hope you are all doing well.  I have been fighting a migraine for the past few days.  One of the worst I have had for several years.  I called my sister the pharmacy tech and asked her what to do.  She suggested items I did not have in the house.  But... my next-door neighbor said she had some Excedrin Migraine medicine and put some in a sandwich bag between my doors for me.  One of them knocked it out of me in about 90 minutes.  What a relief.  I still have a headache each day but not that bad of one.  I don't know if it is from allergies, high blood pressure or the new medication I am taking.  It might even be from my eyes since I am having difficulty with my glasses.  I accidentally bent the frames.  Or my hair falling in my face all the time.  I was going to get my hair cut right before Easter.  Well, you see where that went.  I am thinking about taking a pair of scissors and cutting it myself.  I've done it in the past.

Having a headache, and before that being on medication that made me sleep all the time, I haven't been reading all that much.  And I really haven't had the time to read either.  But I finally finished one book.

Years ago I belonged to a Christmas Around the World book club from World Book Encyclopedia.  For about 25 years I received a book each fall telling about Christmas in a different country.  I still have all of them and when I want a "feel good" book I will pull one of them off of the shelf and read it.  Is there a better time to want to read a feel good book?  So the one I chose to read was "Christmas in Scandinavia" from 1976.


You can see the beautiful woodcut designs on the front cover.  They are scattered throughout the book also.

The book begins by saying "Winter in Scandinavia is a gloomy time of darkness and piercing cold.  Lakes and streams freeze solid, snow lies heavy on blue-black firs and silver birches, and drifts high against houses.  Icicles hang in thick fringes from the eaves, and a warm, brightly lit home offers a welcome haven."  Doesn't that just paint a beautiful picture in your mind?

At the end of this first chapter it says, "The coming of the Christmas season today with its lights, decorations, and traditional foods brings a much needed respite from the rigors of winter and the fervent longing for spring.  A feeling of gaiety, it is a time of well-deserved leisure and fun, of feasting, parties, music and dancing, of visiting friends and relatives -- illuminated by glowing candles, firelight reflecting on polished copper and pewter, and fresh flowers -- contrasting sharply with the menacing darkness outside."

And it goes on just as beautifully throughout the book.  The chapters are:
Lighting up the dark
Lucia's day
The pre-Christmas whirl -- Shops, markets, and fairs; The Danish Christmas plates; The Christmas Seal tradition
The Christmas tree
The goblins of Christmas -- Christmas is for the birds!
From candles to bonfires
For a joyous Scandinavian Christmas...

And what beautiful photos it has.




The Christmas goat is a popular symbol of the season.  Here is a picture of one from a Christmas craft fair.



St. Lucia's Day opens the Christmas season.  Here's a cute little Lucia girl bringing breakfast of tea and Lucia buns to her parents.



At the end of the book is a section with things to make, things to eat, and Carols to sing.  Again beautiful woodcuts at the top of these pages.





Each book also comes with an Advent Calendar and six recipe cards.


I have three other books I am in the middle of.  If only I had time to read.  I am headed to the cardiologist today for my regular checkup.  I have to wear a mask, but otherwise everything is the same.  I know I will have to wait, so this might be the perfect time to pull out one of those books and get some reading in.  If my headache isn't too bad, that is.

And with that I have to leave and get myself ready to go.  I hope you all have a great day.

Until later...

Kathy



14 comments:

  1. How interesting about the yearly books you received and the one you shared today is equally so. I love knowing how others around the world celebrate the same holiday that we do. Hoping your headache is gone by now and you feel much better.

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  2. I'm glad your headaches are doing better. I've never had migraines, but I used to get tension headaches all the time and swore by Excedrin to cure them. I think it's the caffeine in it that does the trick.

    The book sounds lovely. I hope you'll share some of the others in the set with us sometime.

    Praying you have a good visit with the doctor and a blessed day!

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  3. Glad something worked! Nothing worse than a headache that won't go away. Your neighbor sounds very neighborly. 🙂 Here's to a good report at the doctor's.

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  4. What a lovely book. Inspiring and sweet...glad you are reading. Excedrine migraine best med...however, I haven't found it lately-I mean before my 40 days of isolation...when this is over, I will have a million medical visits...lol...take care...be save...I so enjoy your blog...sometime write about your history with you and Joe-how you met-when...etc.

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  5. I love this book!!!!!
    It just transports you to another part of the world. Hopefully it gave you a little relief from your headache.

    It's always nice to see what you have been up to!
    Prayers for you!

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  6. Sorry about the headaches. I use the Excedrin Migraine too. It works wonderful. Have you talked to your doctor about the headaches? They could be what's causing your eye problems. Here's hoping you are better soon. Hugs, Edna B.

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  7. Hi Kathy. I sure hope your headaches get better. Eye strain can cause problems and headaches. I experience that. When I fell and broke my hand at the very beginning of March, my glasses got knocked off when I fell and they have been a little crooked ever since. I went back to Costco right before lockdown and the optician didn't want to spend the time to do it right, so he just adjusted them so they fell down my nose farther. If you have progressives or bifocals, just a slight variation in where your glasses sit on your head can cause a lot of problems, eye strains and headaches. I need to have my readjusted again, but no chance of that with all the social distancing and everything so I just take my glasses off when I read or do close work. That book sounds very interesting and a good, uplifting one to read just now. I hope your doctor visit goes well today. Stay well.

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  8. Glad you got some relief. I was lightheaded/dizzy & had my glasses checked. Here it was the nosepiece that needed to be adjusted! Small change,BIG difference!
    FYI for all:I swore by Excedrin but one day I took the box (ingrediants list) & compared them to "Tension Headache" in Dollar Tree. Exactly the same!! Same with
    Benedryl /Allergy. Just saying...save $$$
    Sounds like a confy book. Love the artwork! It's lovely to snuggle up with such a book & hot cup of tea! Hope your doctor has good report.

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  9. I've never seen a book like that but it's beautiful! I love the illustrations and it would be fun to try to make something that is traditional in that country. I hope you are feeling much better today. Take care! Hugs!

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  10. My DIL had a headache too for about 2 days...weather changes do it to her. I get them sometimes from weather changes but not as bad as she does. Na yes, glasses that are not fitting correctly will give you headaches! She works with glasses and knows the issues it can cause.
    Hope your appointment went smoothly today. We have been rescheduling appointments which we hope to soon be able to keep....nothing was all that important so it's all good.
    I read every chance I get. Nothing too heavy because life has already done that to me a few times and I don't need to read about fictional heaviness ☺
    God bless you, Kathy and Joe!

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  11. I hope your Dr appointment went well and that you're feeling better. I enjoy reading Christmas books and your book looks like a great read! Have a good weekend!

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  12. Hi Kathy! I'm sorry you're having a bad headache. Prayerfully it will go away soon. Oh, what a sweet cook book. I have done my DNA test and I'm 8% Scandinavian - from Norway and Iceland. We have been to Norway three times and it's a lovely country and the people are so nice. I did have blond hair as a little girl with blue eyes. I have never seen so many blonds in my life when we were in Norway. Hope you're staying safe.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  13. Migraines are no fun. Been there. I rarely have any now. Hopefully they go away. NOW! Nice Christmas book. I've trimmed Megan's bangs. Soft openings of some businesses in May. I haven't been able to have a massage for 2 months nor a pedicure. Sigh. We will make it thru this pandemic. God is with us. Always. Take care you two!💜🌷

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  14. I've always loved seeing videos and documentaries about Scandinavia, beautiful people and country !
    Sorry you have been feeling poorly, and hope the headache is long gone now.
    Stay well.
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

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