62. Christmas Again & Art !!!!

CHRISTMAS & ART

Christmas is here again, comes around at break neck speed these days, but still warmly welcomed by me and my family, we love Christmas time.  This year will be a little better than last year as we will be all together again,  our son is back from his European adventures.  When we first arrived in Australia from Sweden it took us a little while to get used to summer and Santa as this painting below shows, being used to the Swedish Christmas with snow and freezing weather.

Father Christmas actually comes to our house on the 23^rd, go figure, probably as he has so many houses to get too!  He comes during the night and dutifully eats his cookies and drinks his milk and often leaves his footprints on the floor from the ash in the big fireplace in the lounge.  However this year I have got no clue how he will get inside as this new house does not have a fireplace at all!!

Australian Christmas!

This year I said to the kids “I will just put all the presents under the tree when I have wrapped them” however Miss Hillivi (daughter) who now is 19 won’t hear of any changes and insists that we should keep the traditions just as we always have and that Santa is REAL, and is a bit miffed that we have not yet found her Christmas stocking to hang on her door (so Santa can put one present in there on his way out).  So I guess someone still has to do the sneaking around late at night, I can see another artwork coming up.

We will get up on the 24^th to a tree full of presents and have a little family celebration of our own before the big celebrations begin.  The” big one” happens usually around 3pm and starts with the Swedish tradition “Dop I Grytan” what is that I hear you ask?  Well it goes something like this;

Painting for Christmas

MORE ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

In the olden days in Sweden when the big landowners had a lot of staff on their farms they would invite the hired help in for “Dip in the Saucepan”.  Not sure that it really was that generous of them as what they offered was the left over juice from the boiled ham.   The staff would all gather around the stove and were given bread which they dipped into the ham juice, put on mustard or cheese and ate it served with beer and also punch (pronounced POONCH; a sweet alcoholic beverage).  The ham juice is actually is very delicious though (I get the vegetarian kind boiled up especially by Mum and Dad) and fun way to start the day’s proceedings whilst standing in the kitchen and having a chat.

A PIECE OF ART – THE SMORGASBORD

Then we have a little break before the big Smorgasbord so several things will be on offer, perhaps a little walk around the neighborhood or a swim in the pool (its hot here remember) or perhaps a few will gather to play a board game or just sit and relax.  Then my mother the Matriarch and Game Master will get busy with various Christmas Stocking games and the Pièce de résistance; the big dance around the Christmas tree.  Don’t you try to get out of that one – not a chance to sit it out, I think even with a broken leg my mother would insist!

Part image from an award winning painting!

THE ART OF DANCE

Oh but all in good fun and I am so glad she does, because once you get up and get going IT IS JUST SO MUCH FUN!!!  So this year there will be 14 of us and we will go through all the songs from my childhood in Sweden and act them out such as –Sma Groderna,  Nu gar vi runt ett enerbars snar,  Bjornen Sover, Vi aro Musikanter and to finish of the Rocket.  In this finale we all lay down on the floor around the tree and slowly slap the ground with one hand after the other and then increase the tempo until it is as fast as we can go and then we stand up and go WHEEEeeeeeee and throw our arms into the air.  LOL now you may be excused in thinking that we have a heap of kids here all doing this, but oh no in that you are wrong.  There are only 2 kids present, my niece 6 and nephew 3, the rest of us are all adults!

This year will be the first for the newest member to our family, Kai’s girlfriend Samantha, so it will be interesting to find out what she thinks of this mad family’s goings on!  Brett, Hillivi’s boyfriend is an old hand at it by this stage as this will be his 5^th time and now he actually looks forward to it.  I remember the first year he tried very hard to stay in his chair when the Call to Dance came from my Mum, lol but as I told you earlier, no one has a chance to sit when the festivities begin!  If you would like to hear the continuation of this story here is another art blog for you 63. Smorgasbord (continuation of the Swedish Xmas celebrations)

Here is a something that amused me from the website Funniest Christmas Jokes,

“Waiter- There’s a fly in my Champagne”

A multi-national company held a reception to celebrate Christmas. The waiter gave each guest a glass of champagne, but on inspection, each guest noticed that their glass contained a fly.

• · The Swede asked for new champagne in the same glass.
• · The Englishman demanded to have new champagne in a new glass.
• · The Finn picked out the fly out and drank the champagne.
• · The Russian drank the champagne, fly and all.
• · The Chinese ate the fly but left the champagne.
• · The Israeli caught the fly and sold it to the Chinese.
• · The Italian drank two thirds of the champagne and then demanded to have a new glass.
• · The Norwegian took the fly and went off to fish.
• · The Irishman ground the fly and mixed it in the champagne, which he then donated to the Englishman
• · The American sued the restaurant and claimed for a $50 million compensation.
• · The Scotsman grabbed the fly by the throat and shouted, ‘Now spit out all that you swallowed.’

Have a very Merry Christmas and see you next time,

Till then happy painting and sculpting to you all!

Love Marie xxx       (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.