What we did yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon was our Branch Christmas party.  Here is everyone dancing around the Christmas Tree singing Christmas Carols.  Then the Juleman (Santa Claus) came and the children danced around the tree with Santa Claus.  After you dance around with Santa Claus, doing actions for daily chores, you make 'bridges' with 2 people (like London Bridge is falling down) and everyone dances under the bridge.  When the music stops your are out and you stand behind someone making the bridge you were caught under.  Last person not caught gets a marzipan log.

Our Juleman - taking the real Juleman's place is our Branch President.  Here he is with his grandson on his lap.  Birk is 3 and so beside himself with joy over Christmas.  He is wearing a Swedish Nisse hat.  His father is from Sweden.
 

This is not the best picture of the wooden shoes but it will suffice.  I loved that instead of going to the North Pole, the Juleman went back to Greenland.

This is Sister Ellen Bjorren.  She is reading "Peter's Jul" to the children.  In truth she is 'telling' the story.  It is written in very old Danish and in verse.  It is apparently very hard to understand.  Just the poem was the first children's book published in Denmark.

President Olsen behind the tree.

President Olsen disappeared.

It was a wonderful day yesterday.  The tree always goes in the center of the room and on Christmas Eve, the family dances around it and sings carols before celebrating Advent for the last time.  I think I am going to put the tree in the center of the Living Room next year and we as a family will dance around the tree.  Notice the little woven heart baskets on the tree.  The most important symbol of the season here is the heart.  I am bringing several heart ornaments home.

Scripture for the day: Mosiah 2:17