(prompt: 'beginning' - 1/1/2021)

In the Upper (or 'top') Lounge room, Christmas Eve was beginning in earnest at the Danish farmhouse of Kanute's family as the children arrived home after their Church journey. The fresh-cut pine tree brought an incomparable new aroma into a house already redolent with delicious food-cooking smells.

A memory springs to Kanute's mind of a mad moment trying to scramble inside... to be the first to behold the magical scene. He tells me,"One year, three of us kids got jammed in the front door in our excitement and none of us could get anywhere until an older cousin plucked one of us out of the scrum." And says a thrill of excitement still nibbles deep inside as he remembers Christmas in another century and another country way across the world.

"At long last, the Lounge door was open and we could see inside—but it was strictly 'look, NOT touch' because this was only a sneak preview of what was awaiting AFTER our Christmas dinner; quite an incentive to really 'hop in' to the feast to come." His eyes sparkle.

For the moment, total focus was on THE tree, "... and it could be the presents underneath produced a little eagerness in us kids, also!" Kanute chuckles. "Ahh, but the decorations! Most were handmade, many of them heirlooms. You know those white folded paper stars I make; and the red and white woven paper heart baskets? Well, back then, each heart would hold a few lollies and much later, we would be allowed to carefully take then off by their little handles and share them." I nod. Though we don't put lollies in ours, I have treasured mine over our many Christmases; always part of our personal traditional decorations.

"There wasn't tinsel, there were long rows of tiny red and white Danish flags spaced out on fine thread." I know. I usually drape mine from our two sideboards, and loops from the top of door frames. Kanute catches my nod and continues, "... but most eye-catching of all (especially later when they were all lit) — CANDLES—lots and lots of red and white candles on the tree—" He stops abruptly, remembering.

"Hang on... thinking live candles... I forgot to tell you about a special candle that starts to burn on the first day of December and finishes on Christmas Eve... what do you think of that?" Well of course, I'm dumbfounded. A candle that burns for 24 days? No way! With a wink and a click out the side of his mouth, he continues,"... it's an Advent candle. It's marked into 24 numbered sections and you burn one only, every morning at breakfast. SO exciting. Builds the suspense like crazy!"

"No problem to focus on the tree NOW, and we kids surely did love it back then, BUT, nothing could compare to those wrapped presents under the tree. The Julemanden (Christmas man/Father Christmas/Santa Claus) had brought presents for everyone. But just when we'd had our fill of looking and began trying to guess the presents, we were ushered out and the door firmly closed. Suddenly appetites revived, assisted significantly by anticipation raised to impossible levels by all those traditional smells filling nostrils.

TIME FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER!

... to be continued

Author's note: Are you beginning to appreciate why I had not enough time before Christmas to give this story the respect and justice it richly deserves? I'm also hoping there may be a little more time for you to to relax and enjoy a quiet read now, as a more hopeful 2021 unfolds. ...C (((xxx)))