Merry Christmas!!!!!
I hope you all are having a magical Christmas season, and are spending time with those you love and helping them to remember the reason we celebrate Christmas.
Sister Ashbrook and I have been running around like crazy this last week. On Monday we sang in the town's Holiday Concert. We sang two numbers: Night of Silence with Mandy ( a 10 year old in the branch... I think I'm tagged in the video on FB?) and a Star Shone Bright with Carinn a non-member friend here in PSG. We also sang 4 numbers with the Oxford Carolers a group we've been singing with over the last month. It was a huge success and we got stopped by all sorts of people we don't know in town [as missionaries that NEVER happens] complimenting us.
We spent our Wednesday night caroling around town with the young women in the branch. We talked Kirt, the branch president, into digging out his skif (boat) and decorating it with lights to take us caroling in. I must say.. I have never been so cold in my life. Haha! Riding in a boat down a street when it's 10 degress outside gets really cold REALLY fast. haha
Our branch Christmas party was on Friday and was a huge success. We had quite a few non-members and less-active members come. IT's always nice to see people who aren't the usual bunch at our parties. There was plenty of food and cute decorations.
Saturday was the first day of the fun Norwegian tradition of Julebukking (yule-a-bucking). It's when all the merchants in town thank their customers by feeding them! It goes for 3 days or so an deveryone in the town gets together and eats and mingle. It just might be my new favorite Christmas tradition. We've eaten a LOT these last few days and still have the majority of the stores to hit today. We've tried a lot of different Norwegian foods like Krumkaka and pickled herring and some native Alaskan foods as well like Spikachik (sp?) [deer lef that is cooked by packing it in salt. It tastes just like you would think... raw red meat covered in salt. Bleh. I couldn't even finish chewing mine]
Today we are caroling with the Oxford Carolers to the Julebukker's while they wait in line. Then we are spending the rest of our day doing regular pday stuff... writing lertters, laundry, cleaning, wrapping presents [we bought each other wool socks!], and packing. We're headed back to Wrangell the 26th-29th for a quick trip, so we have to get cracking.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve tonight and a very merry Christmas tomorrow. May we all remmeber that it's not about the presents or the trees or the food, but it's about celebrating the birth of our Savior.
With Love from a true Alaskan Woman,
Sister Hatfield
p.s. the people here in PSG are WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY to kind and giving. We've gotten so many gifts and treats that we don't even know hhow we're going to get all of our stuff back to the mainland when we leave this place, I got my very own flannel shirt [hence i'm a true alaskan now] and some Ice Trekkers [spikes that go on the bottom of your shoes to make it so that you don't slip on the ice
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