The Naylors in Norway 2018-2019: February 2019

Jule Tre Fest . . . Norwegian Christmas Tree Festival

Norwegians know how to celebrate Christmas. They celebrate "Little Christmas Eve," which is the night before Christmas Eve. That is when many families decorate the tree for the first time. Christmas Eve is the big celebration with food, presents and Santa. Christmas Day is for sticking close to home with family. Second Christmas Day is still a work holiday and that is when you may venture out and attend parties or just take it easy. As result of the late Christmas Tree decorating, they want to enjoy their tree longer than we might in the USA. Instead of pulling the plug on January 2nd, the tree can stay up for weeks. Here, the ward had their Christmas Tree Festival celebration on January 12th. It is a party for the kids, but the adults enjoy it as well. Joining hands, everyone dances around the tree and sings songs for awhile until Jule Nissen (Santa) joins the party and gives the kids some treats. The event ends, of course, with delicious food and drink (Norwegian hot cider that kind of tastes like hot Root Beer, but better).

Not to give anything away here, but Elder Shanklin helped out here in a big way!

Winter Road Trip

We drove to Kristiansund to help the missionaries there and attend church with the small group there. It was fun to be with the missionaries, and also to see the beautiful wintry countryside.

New Year 2019!!

Invited the missionaries and Young Adults to our apartment for food and games and movie time; and then we walked 100 meters down the street to an open field and saw all the fireworks. Of course, we weren't the only ones who thought of that . . . there were probably 800-1000 students partying and watching as well.

Young Adults and Sisters Kinder and Larsen joined us for the first Selfie of 2019!

Christmas in Norway

Christmas Eve in Trondheim was the rainiest in 133 years. Snow came later in January. We enjoyed Christmas caroling with the missionaries and friends. For Christmas Eve the Dahlø Family hosted all 10 missionaries to an authentic Norwegian meal including ribs, pork roast, sausages, homemade "sweet" red and regular "kraut", rice cream and cloud berry cream for desert.

On Christmas Day, we hosted the young adults and missionaries for brunch and games and fun. Lorrie made the stacked KrumKake (castle cake) that is a Norwegian treat -- from scratch.

We were given hand-made felted mittens! WARM!!!

Rolled rings and individually baked.

December Christmas Zone Conference in Oslo

Just before Christmas, we had a multi-zone conference in Oslo. It was fun to see Oslo in the holiday colors. We had a luncheon with President and Sister Tew and all the senior couples at the mission home. That is the same mission home that we had when I was here 40 years ago. (Fun Fact: January 28 is the 41st anniversary of when I entered the MTC the first time.)

We have met such wonderful missionaries, including the other senior couples. Elder Garlick welcomed us to Trondheim and has been a part of our mission in so many wonderful ways since then even though he is in Oslo now. Elder Cribbs spent 5 months here in Trondheim with us and is one of those great ones who taught us much.