Oh Ole Night
We’re halfway through 2023’s 25 Dates of Christmas and this is the one day where we took off for a full day adventure. Today’s theme was a humorous spin on “Oh Holy Night” with “Oh Ole Night” as we honored the Scandinavian heritage that runs deep in our communities and our families. And given that history, it felt wise to expand the party for today and so Ben’s parents joined in for a full day adventure. We started at Ingebretsens’, an iconic Nordic butcher, bakery, and gift shop that has been run by the same family since 1921. It’s a staple for our family’s annual Eurovision parties and was a key place to start the day for lefse, snacks, joke books, and more fuel for our day.
After that, we crossed the border into Wisconsin to the hometown of Ben’s parents in Chippewa Falls, WI. Wisconsin has strong Scandinavian roots, largely affiliated with its logging industry. In 1850, nearly two-thirds of the total Norwegian population the United States lived in Wisconsin. Many eventually moved further west to pursue wheat farming, but even as of 1900, one-quarter of all Norwegians in the U.S. lived in Wisconsin. Their influence of Ole & Lena stories, lutefisk, and culinary influences lasts until this day.
For our day trip adventure, we stopped by The Norske Nook (a favorite going back generations in Ben’s family) for a classic Scandinavian lunch (including a smelt lefse wrap and their legendary pie) before heading to watch a showing of “An Ole & Lena Family Christmas”. Throughout the car ride, we read Ole & Lena Christmas jokes, played “A Prairie Home Companion” Christmas episodes, and listened to a Lute(fisk) Instrumental Christmas album.
Once settled back home at the end of the day, we made klubb potato dumplings for dinner as you would for holidays in Norway . And then we took time to wind down from a full day. Uffda!
ACTIVITIES:
Trip to Ingebretsen’s Scandinavian Gift Shop
Andrei Krylov’s Lute(fisk) Christmas Album
“An Ole & Lena” Family Christmas
Pioneer Norwegian Log Cabin
Grand Marais’ “Oh Ole Night” Christmas Parade
FOODS:
Ingebreetsen’s (Julekake, Rosettes, etc..)
Norske Nook (Smelt Lefse Wrap, Lingonberry Sour Cream Pie, etc…)
Klubb Potato Dumplings
INTERESTING READS & CONTEXT:
