Newsletter December 2008 God Jul December Lodge Meeting Sunday December 14, 5:30 pm at Bethlehem Lutheran Church Program: Bethany Lutheran College Musicians December Serving Chairs: Lois Anderson, Jim & Linda Bristol, and Pat Jensen December Serving Committee: Matt Grothe, Sharon Hanson, John/Jan Holte, Arlo/Carolyn Hovick, Neil Lillo, Alf Odegaard, Jean Schimmele, Arlen/Kay Skorr, Helen Stevens, Harlan Vee, and Jerry/Helen Hansen Hilsen fra Presidentene Paul Olson og Phil Wold: A hearty “VELKOMMEN” to our newest members – Jean Sorenson, Dorothy Redding, Richard and Beverly Linnes, Roger and Sharon Bakken. We are so glad to have you as part of our Lodge and look forward to seeing you at the monthly meetings. There were also several guests who attended our November 8th Lodge meeting – thank you for coming. We had a double treat for our program that evening – June Nelson told an old Norsk story in fluent Norwegian and Hal Natvig presented a photographic narrative of his family history plus filling two tables with beautiful family heritage items. Thanks to both June and Hal for excellent and interesting presentations. A wonderful barbeque meal, complete with salads, desserts and beverages, was provided by our Serving Committee – Ann Carlberg, Jan and Jerry Kallheim, Phyllis and Paul Olson, Pam Borchert, Karren Abbott and Curt Eidhammer, Robert and Virginia Goetzke, Bernie and Marlys Heller, Azad and Karen Mesrobian, Phyllis and Marlin Spangrud, Adele Thompson, Phil Wold, Ruth Wold. Mange tusen takk for a wonderful supper. Thanks also to others on the serving committee who were unable to be there but made a food or monetary donation. Please pay a visit to our Lodge ‘library table’ at the next meeting – our thanks to Allen and Jane Torgerson for consenting to supervise this area. Books that you find interesting may be checked out. We look forward to an excellent turnout at our December 14th Julebord meeting! This is a perfect time to wear your favorite Norwegian sweater or other festive clothing. Good food and fellowship awaits you. A number of our members take a well-deserved break to enjoy a warmer climate during the winter months. We wish you safe travel and encourage you to stay in touch with Lodge activities and business through our newsletter which can be accessed on- line at www.sonsofnorwaymankato.org. GOD JUL OG GODT NYTT ÅR! (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!) LODGE MEETING CHANGE FOR JANUARY-FEBRUARY-MARCH Due to anticipated lower attendance during January, February and March, our monthly Lodge meetings will be held in the Heritage Room at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. During these three months only, the meetings will begin at 11:00 a.m. and follow a brunch format. We are so grateful to Bethlehem for continuing to provide meeting space for us – mange tusen takk. Page 1 of 6 Newsletter December 2008 December Julebord (Christmas Table) – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14TH – 5:30 p.m. We are eagerly anticipating our annual Julebord celebration at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church dining hall. Plans have been made for a fun evening of food, fellowship and musical entertainment provided by Bethany Lutheran College. NOTE that the meeting is on Sunday, December 14th to provide an opportunity for members to participate in or attend the presentation of "The Messiah" at Gustavus Adolphus College at 7:30PM on Saturday evening, December 13th. The Julebord is actually a potluck meal. The Serving Committee will provide meats and beverages. Members with last names of A-L are asked to bring fruits, vegetables or salads. Members with last names of M-Z are asked to bring potatoes, breads or desserts. If you have a traditional Nordic food you serve during the holiday season, please bring some to share. Use “tried and true” Scandinavian recipes or “traditional” American recipes. If you wish, label your food items with their Scandinavian name and American translation. Please add your name to your own serving dishes and utensils so that you go home with your own items. We look forward to welcoming guests from the local Swedish and German Clubs to share in the fun with us. Board of Directors Election During our Lodge meeting on November 8th, retiring Board officers were recognized and new officers elected. Our sincere appreciation is gratefully extended to Linda Stelter (Past President), Clancy Olson (Financial Secretary) and Mark DeGarmeaux (Social/Cultural Director) for their commitment to the continued success of our Lodge. The Nominating Committee (Phil Wold, Linda Stelter, Owen Viker and Paul Olson) presented a slate of nominees to fill the open Board officer positions plus adding a new position – that of Membership Secretary. Each of the nominees were introduced and nominations from the floor were also requested – there were none. A motion was made, seconded and passed to cast a unanimous ballot for the slate of nominees. Board members whose terms begin January 1, 2009, are: President-Paul Olson; Past President/Counselor-Phil Wold; Vice President-Mark Harstad (newly elected); Treasurer-Owen Viker; Secretary-Lois Kitzmann; Financial Secretary-Arlo Hovick (newly elected); Editor-Tom Sheimo; Membership Secretary–Linda Stelter (newly elected); Social / Cultural Co-Directors-Jodie Wallschlaeger and Karen Abbott (newly elected). The Board Officers will be installed at the Julebord on Sunday, December 14th with Joel Botten conducting the installation ceremony. The Board of Directors meets monthly, except August, on the fourth Monday at 7:00 p.m. (exceptions made as necessary). Your Board would like to thank all of you who so willingly volunteer your time and talents on various committees, fund-raising events and a variety of other activities. We hope that every member will continue to give thoughtful consideration to helping when called upon – the success of the Lodge depends on all of us working together. Luren Singers We have received confirmation that the “Luren Singers,” from Decorah, IA, will be presenting a concert in the Sanctuary at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, on Saturday, May 30th at 3 P.M.. Our Lodge is sponsoring their appearance & we will host a potluck for them, as well as our members, in the dining room after the concert. The Luren Singers were first formed in 1868 – 140 yrs ago & are the oldest Norwegian / American male chorus in continuous existence in the U.S. They are well known throughout the Midwest, have toured Norway numerous times and, in 1993, performed for the King of Norway at the Royal Palace in Oslo. We are very fortunate to have them in Mankato & hope you all will mark your calendars. More details to follow. Page 2 of 6 Newsletter December 2008 Christmas “It’s a shame to dream of summer at Christmas time,” according to the old Norwegian proverb. Here are some Christmas words – can you guess what they mean? Many resemble the English equivalents, and many start with “jul-“ meaning Christmas, so pay attention to the end of the word. Compare these to the English words on the other side. child / children barn / barne gløgg glogg– Norwegian mulled wine greeting hilsen Christmas jul Christmas Eve julaften Christmas Table – a traditional meal julebord Christmas present julegave Christmas pig, slaughtered for dinner julegris Christmas porridge julegrøtt Christmas decorations julepynt Christmas tree juletre Lefse lefse Lutefisk lutefisk Songs sanger The Norwegian "Nisse" The Norwegian "Nisse" is not like his American relative Santa Claus. The Norwegian "Nisse" differs from both Santa Claus and St. Nicholas. In modern Norway we have really two types of "nisser". The name "Nisse" probably derives from St. Nicholas. But "nisser" - which are elves (or gnomes) are old figures which existed long before the birth of Christ. There are several types of "nisser" in Norway. The most known is the "Fjøsnisse" which is a "nisse" who takes care of the animals on the farms. The "Fjøsnisse" is very short and often bearded and lives in a barn or a stable. He wears clothes of wool and often has a red knitted hat. The "Fjøsnisse" often plays tricks on people. Sometimes he will scare people by blowing out the lights in the barn or he will scare the farm dog at night. You can hear the dogs bark! He can become very friendly with the people that live on the farm, but one should never forget to give him a large portion of porridge on Christmas Eve - or else he will play tricks for example move the animals around in the barn, braid the horses' mane and tail, and other tricks like that......... Of course we also have a Christmas nisse (julenissen) which in most homes is more or less identical to Santa Claus. The "Julenisse" brings presents to all the nice children on Christmas Eve. He is not as shy as Santa though, since the "julenisse" delivers the presents himself. He does not come down the chimney in the middle of the night. Christmas Tree Decorations It is a tradition in Norway to gather the family and make baskets of colorful paper to hang on the Christmas tree. Page 3 of 6 Newsletter December 2008 Novembers Sons of Norway Program Pictures June Nelson telling a Norsk tale Wonderful table filled with heritage Hal Natvig sharing his heritage Natvig family history Members and Guests signing in Enjoying a wonderful meal Page 4 of 6 Newsletter December 2008 Language Camp Scholarships Scholarship applications will soon be available from our local Lodge for parents or grandparents interested in sending their children / grandchildren to next year’s summer language camps (Skogfjorden in Bemidji, MN or Masse Moro in Eau Claire, WI). The deadline for applications is February 1, 2009 and must be sent to our Elvesvingen Lodge first. We would like to see more of our members take advantage of this opportunity.