Christmas

Christmas was a very special time for the Peterson family. Christmas Eve was always spent in Grandmother Peterson’s home. After the usual meal of lutefisk, sylta, potatoes, assorted goodies and fruit soup, the gifts were distributed. Uncle Carl sat in his big leather Morris chair (the forerunner of the present-day platform rocker). The “height” of the evening was reached when the little white envelopes from Uncle Carl were distributed. During the war years, each of us kids received $18.75 to buy a war bond. The adults received larger amounts.

One year an envelope appeared with the caption “Ego” written on it. We didn’t know what it meant, but soon figured out that it belonged to Uncle Carl. This was one of the only times that I can recall when there was a sign of levity on his part. On Christmas Eve, it was his responsibility to read the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke at our family gathering in the Peterson home. I can still hear him reading in a somewhat monotonous tone of voice “And in those days there went out a decree . . .” Following this reading, we sand Christmas carols and a Swedish hymn, “Glada Julafton, Harliga, Klara [Happy Christmas Eve, My friend, Clara”].

Christmas morning the schedule was to go to the early 6:00 a.m. “Julotta” service. In earlier years, this service was preceded by a Swedish service that began at 5:00 a.m. I can remember sitting through that service not understanding a word, and then after that, sitting through the English service. The one thing that stands out in my mind about the English service was that as the first strains of “AllHail to Thee O Blessed Morn” were played on the organ, Uncle Carl, who sat in the front pew of the church, would rise to his feet. In those days most all hymns were sun sitting down, but Uncle Carl rose up to sing this meaningful Christmas hymn.