For me, celebrating Norway’s 17th of May in Los Angeles began by vicariously experiencing it through pictures posted on Facebook by Norwegian friends. I woke up to a newsfeed filled with bold and bright Norwegian flags, happy families dressed in beautiful bunads, and smiling kids in parades. It was a lovely start to the day and I much appreciated them sharing their celebrations!
(Photos courtesy of M. Eriksen, E. Strøm-Gundersen, and S. Mjeldheim)
Ideally, I would have attended the festivities at the Norwegian Seamen’s Church in San Pedro that day. It’s a simple celebration with traditional foods (hot dogs, waffles, and Solo are our favorites), a parade around the block waving flags and singing, speeches, and fun and games for the kids. And let’s not forget the ice cream! But this year, “17. mai” fell on a Friday and the kids had after-school commitments until 5 o’clock. The idea of driving in Friday afternoon traffic to San Pedro was unfathomable.
So I had to find an alternate way to mark the day. I had seen that the store Moods of Norway was having a celebration. I was intrigued. Continue reading
Thanksgiving hadn’t even passed yet, and we attended our first Christmas event. Every year the weekend before Thanksgiving, 
Reactions by family members varied. Sonny, the oldest, was the first to join me as I started opening it. When I started telling him what was in it, he said, “Spinach?! Ew!” “Do you know what spinach is? Can you pick it out for me?” I asked. He started picking through our box, totally overlooking the spinach that was laying on top. When I explained it was a leaf, like a lettuce, and showed it to him, he was surprised and asked, “Can I taste it?” Just that moment was worth the $15.