December fun in Oslo

A week ago this past Sunday, I was out walking during the early afternoon, and came across these two very different activities. Both looked like fun! The weather so far this December has been wonderfully mild and sunny, so it was possible to do both these things because there was no ice or snow. I took these videos--enjoy!

Oh Christmas tree

At Christmastime, we usually buy 'edelgran' (noble fir in English) trees, and this year, the tree is an exceptionally healthy one. It's still drinking about a liter of water each day. So we'll keep the tree up until it stops drinking water. I can't picture Christmas without a tree; I know some younger people who don't put up a tree, mostly because they travel home to family during the holidays and there's no one to give the tree water. But if that were the case for me, I'd put up an artificial tree instead. When I was single and living on my own in New Jersey, I did just that. Like my mother, I love pretty much everything about the Christmas season.

For as long as we've lived in our apartment, the Christmas tree always has been a holiday fixture in the dining room area, which also has a sitting area with a comfy couch. When it gets dark out and the tree's lights are on, I like to stretch out on the couch and just look at the tree. It's peaceful, calming, and meditative. Sometimes I turn on the flameless candle on the table near the couch, and the combination of both is very soothing. Puts me right to sleep. One of the nicest things I know of is waking up after a short nap to see the tree standing there, with its lights and decorations. A constant in a world of inconstants. A reminder that all is right with the world if we choose to look at it that way. Of course, I'm not naive, I know the world is drowning in problems. But I can't focus just on them. Before Christmas, I was rather despondent due to the lack of peace and all of the problems in the world. But when I traveled to Dresden and met my friend there, I got back some of my Christmas spirit. When I get a bit depressed or sad, I try to remember what it was like when I was younger and going through troubled times. I had faith that life would change, and it did. I hold out the same hope for the world, because I don't know how much worse it can get. 

Many people before me have had the same thoughts about their Christmas trees. I'm including the lyrics to Oh Christmas Tree, a traditional carol (written by German organist and composer Ernst Anschütz who called the song Oh Tannenbaum which means Oh Fir Tree) that we sang as children. You can read more about it on Wikipedia. I still love hearing the song now. 

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches!
Not only green in summer’s heat,
But also winter’s snow and sleet.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Of all the trees most lovely;
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Of all the trees most lovely.
Each year you bring to us delight
With brightly shining Christmas light!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Of all the trees most lovely.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
We learn from all your beauty;
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
We learn from all your beauty.
Your bright green leaves with festive cheer,
Give hope and strength throughout the year.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
We learn from all your beauty.

-------------------------------------

Merry Christmas, with a wish for peace for the world

There's not much peace in the world at present. We can hope and pray for peace. It's sorely needed. Peace is not just the absence of war. It's a choice we make every day. All the ordinary squabbles and disagreements of life can be met with more patience, more tolerance, more 'letting go'. We don't need to be right about everything. The practice of peace starts at home, in our families. If our families don't cultivate peace, we can't hold out much hope for the world at large. 

This is my prayer for the new year. A peaceful year, minus meanness, unkindness, snideness, selfishness, and indifference. Make a difference in the small worlds around you. Mother Teresa said this many years ago. It starts at home first. 

Lights shine at Yonkers park for Grand Holiday Illumination

I've written about Untermyer Park and Gardens before in previous posts (A New Yorker in Oslo: Untermyer park and gardens (paulamdeangelis.blogspot.com) and A New Yorker in Oslo: Two gardens worth visiting--Untermyer Gardens and the New York Botanical Garden (paulamdeangelis.blogspot.com).     

I would love to see the Gardens lit up for Christmas, but for now, I'm posting a CBS news report about the Grand Holiday illumination. Enjoy!!

Silent Night - Mannheim Steamroller (Official Music Video - 1984)

My brother Ray, who passed away almost nine years ago, introduced me to Mannheim Steamroller back in the 1980s. My sister recently reminded me that he really liked this song. It's a beautiful and touching rendition of Silent Night. I can't listen to it without tearing up. 

Just light one candle

These are strange times we live in, but I suppose many generations before us and many that will come after us did and will say the same. It seems as though war, famine, poverty, natural disasters, manmade catastrophes, greed, corruption, inhumanity and lack of compassion will always be with us. Each generation seems to invent a new way to be unkind to humanity. And yet, humanity persists. There must be a reason for that. I believe it is because the numbers of good people in the world outweigh the bad. For all of the media focus on each act of evil in the world, there are probably many more acts of goodness. It's just that we don't hear about them very often. When I look at the number of volunteers around the world, I know that there are many people who make a difference for the better in other people's lives. Without volunteers, the world would truly be a poor place in which to live. People do care about others--about their families and friends, about strangers, about world problems. But most of us know that we cannot solve the big problems, so we support those we know who can and do. Most of us live and will live unremarkable lives; we will not achieve great things by worldly standards, but we do make a difference to those in our lives. And that's really all that matters. The important thing is that we love, try to love, fail at times, and that we try again. Most of us are trying to do our best, and that is what makes the difference, in our own lives and in the lives of those with whom we live and those we love. That doesn't mean that we are able to live each day in a cheerful and upbeat way; sometimes we are cranky, impatient, out of sorts, and dealing with our own aches and pains. It does mean that even when we don't feel like being nice, we try to be nice, because it matters. Sometimes a smile is all it takes to make another person feel ok. I know that's true for me. Or a simple small act of kindness; that can make my day. And then I have more of a desire to 'pay it forward'. So if that's true for me, I'm guessing it's true for others too. 

I've written about this before, but in the end, if we light one candle rather than curse the darkness*, we have done something positive for humanity, for our fellow men and women. If we are that light to others, we guide them through the darkness. And sometimes the others are our guides. Regardless of who is holding the candle, the important thing is that the candle is lit and held by someone. 

Wishing all my readers a blessed Christmas!

*Yet it is far better to light the candle than to curse the darkness. (W. L. Watkinson)

Lights in Oslo's winter darkness

In Oslo, once December comes, the winter darkness comes with it, descending on the city and enveloping it. The darkness is very dark, and is like a living entity, something you can touch or feel. I've grown used to it, but it took a few years of living here before that happened. Once it snows, there is suddenly light in the darkness. But it helps that many people put up Christmas lights that stay up the entire winter. They provide a warmth in the otherwise cold darkness. It is 'koselig' (cozy) to see them lighting up houses and city buildings, from the train station to the Christmas market to the Opera house and the city streets in general. I've taken a lot of photos this year and today's post presents the best of them. Enjoy!

at Aker Brygge

at Aker Brygge

at Aker Brygge

at Aker Brygge

at Aker Brygge

looking out at the Oslo harbor area

at Aker Brygge

at the park at City Hall 

at the Christmas Market

near the Christmas Market 

carousel at the Christmas Market

the slide at the Christmas Market 

Grand Hotel 

a wonderfully-decorated florist's window

tree lights

Christmas trees for sale at Alexander Kielland's plass

a local house decoration

the Christmas tree in our co-op courtyard

Christmas decoration at the Opera House

Christmas decoration at the Oslo train station

Christmas tree at the Oslo train station

downtown Oslo 

the Mall of Oslo, downtown

Månefisken lit up for the season 

Christmas In Italy (Natale in Italia)--Capitol Records

We grew up listening to this wonderful album at Christmastime. It must be one of my earliest memories of our childhood Christmases. My father was second generation Italian; his parents emigrated from Italy in the early 1900s and settled in New York City. I'm not sure how they found their way to Tarrytown, but that's where they settled and raised their family (my father and his four siblings). My father married a woman of non-Italian heritage (English/Irish/Scottish), but she learned how to make the Italian dishes my father loved, from his mother--my grandmother. So at Christmas they would make struffoli (if you haven't had this pastry, I recommend it highly). My father worked in Manhattan near Herald Square when we were children, so he would stop in Macy's on his way home and buy a panettone (an Italian Christmas cake) as well as different types of Italian hard candy. 

So it's no surprise that I love the cover of this album--a Christmas table with different foods, but what I especially remember is the big Christmas cake--most likely a panettone. 

I'm listening to the album as I write this post. Christmas is still two weeks away, but I wish you all a Buon Natale from the bottom of my heart. 

Here is the track list for those who are interested:

 

0:00 È Nato Gesù (Jesus Was Born)

2:48 Buon Natale

5:07 Pastorale

8:35 Presepe

11:26 Notte Sacra

14:03 Bianco Natale

17:30 La Ninna Nanna A Gesù

20:39 La Stella Di Betlemme

24:09 Alla Luce D'Una Stella

28:20 Campane Di Natale

32:15 Cantico D'Amore

36:00 Dolce Risveglio

Oslo at Christmastime

I wanted to post some photos of Oslo at Christmastime before the Christmas season ends. Winter has been exceptionally lovely this year in Oslo due to the snow, which when it first falls, is magical. The combination of darkness, snow and lights is beautiful to behold. Enjoy!

Hotel Bristol's gingerbread hotel

Hotel Bristol's Christmas tree at entrance

Hønsa-Lovisas house decorated for Christmas

My wonderful new nutcracker that is now added to my collection

A place to buy fireworks--getting ready for New Year's Eve

A Christmas wish--I Wish You Christmas

We watched the Christmas concert from the Royal Albert Hall in London earlier this evening, hosted by Katherine Jenkins who is a wonderful operatic singer. She sang many of the songs during the one hour concert, accompanied by guest performers. One of the songs she sang toward the end was called I Wish You Christmas. The song is beautiful--the lyrics alone are also: 

I Wish You Christmas      (songwriter: John Rutter)

I wish you starlight on fields of snow,
The winter's morning light and evening's glow;
I wish you candles that shine from every tree,
So all the world can see
The light that there could be.

I wish you music, I wish you song,
With voices echoing, Joyous and strong;
I wish you church bells, ringing true and clear;
I wish you Christmas, a merry Christmas,
A merry Christmas to remember all the year.

Old friends smiling,
Thinking of times gone by;
Young friends laughing:
Christmas is here,
Spirits are bright,
And hopes are high.

I wish you loved ones around your fire;
May Christmas bring you all your heart's desire.
I wish you children to make the season new,
With dreams you help come true,
Just like it was for you.

I wish you blessings, I wish you love,
The sound of angel choirs from high above;
I wish you laughter, happiness and cheer:
I wish you Christmas, a merry Christmas,
And may its joy and peace be with you through the year.

I wish you music, I wish you song;
I wish you harmony your whole life long;
The warmth of memories that long remain:
I wish you Christmas, a merry Christmas,

And may God bless you till we all shall meet again.

Christmas 2021--random thoughts

It's been an odd year, but a good one in many ways. There was a time for sorrow, but also for joy. There was a short period of real freedom after what many experienced as a prison of isolation and loneliness, of personal trials. There will be joy again once society opens up. With each closure of society, we learn perhaps not to take our personal freedoms for granted. One can only hope.  

Within that time window of real freedom, I managed a long sought-after trip to New York to visit loved ones. I knew that I would not make it through another winter without having seen them. Each trip to New York fills up my heart and soul with memories. I have those memories to live on during the long cold winters. They keep me warm because they're made of love. 

Our personal freedoms come and came with a cost. Some families experienced that cost more intimately and more seriously than others. This past year it seemed to me that suddenly I knew more people who got Covid, as well as people who knew people that got Covid. One of those who got sick died recently and he was in his 50s with no underlying health issues. 

Some people, no matter what evidence they are given, will continue to deny the existence of a virus and of the value of a vaccine against that virus. Some people will always attempt to put themselves first, no matter the cost, instead of putting the good of society first. I imagine FDR faced the same problems trying to get the USA back on track after the Great Depression. Some people always know what's best for others, and even when it's not, they insist that it is. Some people are hypocrites; they tell their followers not to take the vaccine because to do so would take away their personal freedom, but they themselves have taken the vaccine. 

I thought I could never again be surprised by the antics of Donald Trump. But there he was on television, interviewed by Candace Owens, pushing others to take the vaccine. For once I agreed with him. For once I thought, he makes sense. Many of his 'followers' booed him. But let's see. Perhaps in six months he'll be saying that his interview with Candace Owens was fake news. You never know with him. 

Here in Norway, the results of grant applications to the major granting agencies were divulged. For the most part, the same people who always get money, got more money in order to grow their already large research groups even larger. But there was one conspicuous absence that made me happy to see. That person, who shall remain unnamed, deserves to experience what many other good (unfunded) scientists have experienced for a decade or more, that no matter how hard they tried, they did not get funding. This particular scientist has always dissed those unfunded scientists as dead weight. He never thought twice about publicly humiliating them. And now perhaps he is dead weight himself. I have two thoughts about this--there is a God (thank you, God), and karma is a bitch. It may be unkind of me, but he has caused untold suffering to others. He deserves what he gets. 

The bishops in the Lutheran church here in Norway criticized the government for the tight restrictions on how many people could attend church services during Christmas, particularly in light of the fact that the shopping centers were not fettered with such restrictions. They have a point. All of the churches here have limitations on how many people could attend services; they've been in place for a month or more. Christmas is not just about buying gifts for others, as nice as that is. It is also about allowing people to worship God and honor their faith. I applaud the churches here for the job they have done in terms of following the government regulations and instituting hygienic practices. They cannot be criticized at all for this. 

In the midst of the chaos that is society at present, I have felt peace and joy. I retired this year in order to honor the dreams I have of pursuing my writing and publishing what I write. I want to finish what I've started. Retiring has brought me peace--peace of mind and peace of soul. I am grateful that I was able to do it now, without having to worry about not being able to afford to do so. My husband and I are blessed and I am reminded of that every day. I am grateful. We have a granddaughter who is two years old and a joy to be with. She is a reminder that life continues to move forward and that there is trust in the future. 

What will this century bring? I think about what the twentieth century brought us in the way of new technologies. Many of them were predicted in the sci-fi novels that I love, the ones that I read already as a young adult. I wonder if this century will figure out time travel? Will wormholes play a role in that? Or will something else that has not yet been discovered?

Life is about learning throughout one's life. We learn something new every day. It sounds banal when people say it, but it's not at all a banal experience. Our brains are miracles of nature. The study of the brain must be fascinating, the last great frontier of science, one I want to read more about. When it comes to learning, I still have a sense of awe in the face of all there is to learn, and in the face of wondrous things a sense of magic. 

Nature continues to call to me each day, continues to remind me that beauty is all around us, in the simplest and tiniest of things. I pick up a fistful of earth, and as it runs through my fingers I wonder, what is earth? What is it made of, this substance that nurtures life? Nature is a miracle, the way it incorporates life and death in an almost cyclical fashion. Dead plants become earth and nurture new life. A garden has taught me that. In that way one could almost say that there is no death, only different forms of life. I have so many questions. I doubt that there will be fewer as I get older. Nature co-exists with us, most times peacefully, other times not. We cannot control it; we have learned to tame parts of it, those parts that give us food and shelter. But we live on a planet in a solar system in a universe. It strikes me as it does many others, just how unbelievable it is that our planet sustains life, whereas the others do not, at least not in the same way as ours does. We are particular, special, singled out. Why? Random particularity, or does God have a hand in it? Some of my recent reading (Carlo Rovelli's The Order of Time, which I can highly recommend) discusses some of these aspects, providing some answers but mostly generating more questions. Man's search for meaning--who am I and why am I here? How did the earth as we know it come to be? Is there a God who stands behind it all? These are questions that occupy both scientists and the faithful. Rovelli's book asks 'What is time', among other questions. He discusses spacetime and gravity, order, blurring, and entropy. He dismantles 'time' as we know it and then builds it up again. But he, like so many other physicists, doesn't have the answers. That's fine, I don't need him to provide them. I reflect on his viewpoints and on what he's written. It expands my views of the world and of faith. 

Science and faith go hand in hand for me. They complement each other. There are bridges between them and as time goes on, the number of bridges will likely increase, not decrease. If the new James Webb space telescope can eventually see out to the far ends of the universe, back to our origin, back to the Big Bang, what then? What is beyond that? Indeed, what and/or who exists there? I have a feeling that our language will fall short when that time comes. 

Light in the December darkness

December is a dark month in Oslo. Actually it's a dark month in the whole of Norway. We're luckier here in Oslo than are those who live in Tromsø in northern Norway, where it is dark for most of the day. Tromsø gets about two to three hours of light per day during the winter (How People Stay Happy in the Norewegian Town Where the Sun Doesn't Rise - The Atlantic). I say that we're luckier in Oslo because we get more daylight; sunrise is around 9 am and sunset shortly after 3 pm. That gives us six hours of daylight. But I suppose it depends on how you look at it. When I first moved to Oslo, I found the darkness in wintertime too dark. It enveloped me like a cloud or a blanket, smothering me with its endlessness. Winters at that time were for me all about looking forward to spring and summer. Christmas 'saved' me in the sense that I had something happy to prepare for and to focus on; between working full-time, Christmas parties, social gatherings, Christmas shopping and writing Christmas cards, etc., there was plenty to take my mind off the dark days. But over the years, I've adjusted to the short winter days. That happened because I take advantage of the small amount of available light to be outdoors. And if I can't be outdoors when it's light out, I take a walk in the early evening, when it's relatively quiet. Walking in the darkness in a well-lit city is no problem. I realized recently that being outdoors at any time is a tonic for all that ails me. Just getting outdoors for a long walk soothes my soul. Even when it has snowed and the sidewalks are impassable, I still look forward to getting outdoors for my walk. I couldn't do that when I was sitting in an office all day, trapped indoors during peak daylight hours. 

Oslo sets up a Christmas market on Karl Johan street (at Spikersuppa) in mid-November that adds to the festive feeling preceding Christmas. It stays up until early January. The lights shine in the darkness, welcoming tourists and city dwellers alike. I met some friends for dinner near the beginning of December and on my way home I passed the market and took a few photos. Light in the darkness......

The darkness of December can be tackled in different ways. One of them is to surround oneself with light of all kinds. Christmas decorations and trees contribute to this. The co-op complex where we live in Oslo sets up a Christmas tree each year that is lit for most of the day. Just looking at it soothes my soul. Most of the co-op complexes set up Christmas trees and some of them have Christmas tree celebrations for the children in early January. Our co-op complex has a small tree-lighting ceremony where residents gather for fifteen or twenty minutes to watch the tree get lit and to drink gløgg (mulled wine) and eat some pepperkaker (gingerbread cookies). It's a nice gesture that was started a few years ago by the co-op board. 

People are clever about decorating their balconies with strings of white lights that light up the darkness; the balconies look beautiful and the lights create a feeling of coziness. I do this too and love looking at all the balconies when I come home in the early evening. House owners do the same, decorating their windows, balconies, and outdoor trees and bushes with string lights. City streets are decorated with hanging lights that span the width of the streets; one street in particular--Bogstadveien--has lovely bell-shaped Christmas lights.  

Indoors, tea candles are used to create light and a cozy feeling. They are placed in holders of all shapes, colors, and sizes. My favorite tea candle holder is one that looks like a stained glass window that I received as a gift many years ago from a woman with whom I worked; I'm including a photo of it here. When the candle is lit, it reflects all the colors of the holder onto the surface of the table where it is placed--quite pretty to behold.  

The candle holders I like the best at present are the translucent ones, where the light passes through the images on the holder, illuminating them in a peaceful way. These are not tea candle holders necessarily, although you can use tea candles in them. 

Flameless candles have become popular. I like them because there is little risk of fire and the LED lights last a long time (much longer than the batteries that are needed for the candle to function). 

When I first came to Norway, the most popular light decorations that people placed in their windows were called 'Adventsstake' (translated Advent candlestick--see photo below). You can still see them in some windows, but their popularity has waned. I had one for years until it fell into disrepair. 

 

Window light decorations are also popular. Hanging stars, like the one in this photo, are now in favor.  

And of course there's the snow. It doesn't snow every year in December, but the past few years we've had some snow accumulation in December. If it doesn't rain, the snow remains on the ground and lights up the darkness. It's a welcome sight, especially when it's cold outside and it first has snowed; everything seems so unspoiled, pretty and peaceful. Magical almost. 

Whenever I feel out of sorts, I try to remember all of the things about this month, about Advent, about traditions, about the true spirit of Christmas, and slowly they seep in and lift my spirit. I am reminded that the season is about kindness and patience and about bringing light to others-- humans, animals and birds. Each morning when I see the birds gathered on the fire balcony outside our kitchen window waiting for their daily dose of sunflower seeds, I realize that I am their light in the darkness. They show up when they see the lights go on in the kitchen as breakfast is being readied. They remember from year to year where to go to find sustenance. They remember those who are kind to them. 

There is grace all around us, in the simplest of things. Those things can be all of the little things that we use to create a Christmas spirit in our homes--our traditions, the Christmas tree, books, flowers, decorations and other treasured items. That is why we have accumulated them over the years--they give us joy and they give joy to others. They give light to world-weary souls.