Christmas Eve 2019 - Mom's

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Mom moved this past spring from her condo to senior living apartments which was another change in our Christmas routine. We'd spent to last 11 Christmas Eves doing cheese fondue and steaks at her condo in Edina. Her new place is as equally charming and comfortable. 

Since her move I'd forgotten we were storing her artificial tree in our basement and she never asked for it. I offered to bring it over a few days ago but she said she'd just pass on the tree for this year and would decide if she wants to do one next year. I brought over a little tabletop tree that I'd left decorated from last year. Dale was unaware of I even had it and was a little taken aback that I could produce a decorated tree like Mary Poppins magically pulling something out of her nanny bag. 

Anyway, dinner was lovely. We finished out the evening with Baba dessert. My favorite dessert from childhood which was introduced years and years ago by Grandma Jean. 

Christmas Eve 2015 - Christmas Cookies

Mom served Christmas cookies for dessert. She used Grandma Jean's sugar cookie recipe which turns out some pretty awesome results. Mom thinks they're the best sugar cookies she's ever tasted and I have to agree with her. The recipe had been lost for a while but she told me that this year she found it again! She also served a nut pastry called _________. It's made by Tobie's (yes, the one between Minneapolis and Duluth) although she found it at a grocery store near her. Earlier this morning Dale and I stopped at Kowalski's for some last minute shopping for tomorrow's dinner and I picked up the cookie you see below. It's a shortbread cookie but it had a gingerbread taste to it. The bottom part was dipped in some kind of frosting. The whole thing was marvelous.

Christmas Season 2011 - The Swedish Institute Part 1

Mom and I went to the Swedish Institute today to look at their Christmas trees which are on display until January 8th. We found one tree that had the prickly silver ornaments pictured above. Mom said she used to make ornaments like these when she was a little girl. The pattern was from a Better-Homes-and-Gardens-type magazine. She said she took circles of aluminum foil and wrapped them around pencil tips and then somehow fashioned them all together. I seem to remember Grandma Jean having some ornaments like these.

Christmas 2011 - Angel Figures

Today I set out these angels that Mom gave me a few years back. They appeared in the house on Stevens for many, many Christmases. Mom says that Grandma Jean gave them to her in the early or mid-1970s.

Christmas 1967 - Joe with Grandma Jean in Two Harbors

Christmas 1968 - Christmas at Grandpa Les and Grandma Jean's

Christmas 1969 - Opening Presents at Grandpa Les and Grandma Jean's House

Wow, did I ever score! I got to open presents at home and at two sets of grandparents! In the world of a kid it doesn't get much better than that...

Christmas 1969 - Joe's Tree

This is the first year I remember having my own tree. I remember waking up Christmas morning and seeing this tree and then scampering downstairs with excitement ready to start the day. Our Christmas trees were obtained from Grandpa Les and Grandma Jean's land located just outside Two Harbors. We'd go there to visit the grandparents for Thanksgiving and bring back a large tree for the living room and then some smaller ones for our bedrooms. The Noah's Ark quilt on my bed was made by Mom.

Christmas 1970 - Grandma Jean's Tree

Grandma Jean's tree in Two Harbors. Most likely it was from the land her and Grandpa Les' cabin was on.

Christmas 1973 - Grandma Jean's Tree

Grandma Jean's 1973 Christmas tree (photo developed January of '74).

Christmas 1974

Christmas 1974 is the only Christmas I remember where we had guests stay with us. Mom's mom and dad, Grandma Jean and Grandpa Les, came to stay with us for the holiday along with Mom's brother, Uncle Denny, and his wife, Aunt Marlene. These pictures really make me sentimental for Christmas past.

Christmas 1974 - Grandma Jean with Sam

I love this picture.

Christmas 1979 - Baba's Tree

Grandma Jean's tree from 1979. She often sent Mom a photo of her Christmas tree.

Christmas 1979 - Joe's Tree

I'm sure this tree was obtained from Grandpa Les and Grandma Jean's cabin outside Two Harbors. As part of our Thanksgiving visit we would usually cut down a big tree for our living room and one or two smaller trees for our bedrooms before we journeyed home. This tree displays many of the ornaments I got in my shoe on St. Nicholas Day. I like the goofy look on my face in the top picture. You can tell I'm trying to be precise about how that ornament is going to hang. I still do that now!

Christmas 1980 - Grandma Jean's Tree

Polaroid of Grandma Jean's tree from 1980.

Christmas 1982 - Grandma Jean's Tree

A polaroid instant camera photo of another of Grandma Jean's tree. This one from 1982.

Christmas 1982 - Grandma Jean's Poinsettia

This is a Polaroid snapshot taken by Grandma Jean of one of her poinsettias. The back of the photo is written "Christmas 1982 Poinsettia from Anne [Mom]."

Christmas 1983 - Grandma Jean's Tree

Here's another photo, this one from 1983, of one of Grandma Jean's trees. The photo was taken at the house of Grandma Jean and Grandpa Les in Two Harbors.

Christmas 1985 - Grandma Jean's Tree

I've looked high. I've looked low. I can only find one photo related to Christmas 1985. Every year Grandma Jean put up a Christmas tree and took a picture. She always put up a fresh tree that she got on the land that she and Grandpa Les owned just outside of Two Harbors. The trees got smaller over the years I'm sure because it was just easier that way. I found this Polaroid instant photo among some of Mom's photographs. The writing at the bottom is Grandma Jean's.

Christmas 1988 - Jean and Les

Our family hadn't been up north to be with Mom and Dad's families for Christmas since 1971. We spent just about every Thanksgiving with them but due to music commitments for church we stayed home for Christmas. In 1988 Grandpa Les was in the hospital for an operation just before Christmas. We went up for Christmas that year to be closer to Grandma Jean and to be available to help while Grandpa was in the hospital. I noted in my journal that being up there for Christmas was "just like Thanksgiving only with ham instead of turkey." In the above photos you see Grandma Jean with Grandpa Les shortly after he came home for Christmas. This was the last Christmas I would spend with them. Jean died in 1991 and Les died in 1992.