Lefse at Christmas

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in December. Sunny enough to brighten Anna's kitchen without the need of extra lighting. Anna stood over the counter, rolling out a lefse round. Her daughter, Berit, stood next to her and was carefully taking a round off the grill. For the last twenty years, since Berit was a young teenager, this had been the process. Anna rolled, Berit grilled.

The two were engrossed in their task and paid little attention to the two people sitting at the kitchen table behind them. One of the two, Anna's sister-in-law Hilde, was busy with the New York Times crossword and was mostly ignoring them anyway. The other one was Lisbeth, Berit's six year old daughter. She fidgeted in her chair as she waited for a chance to sample the goods. It wouldn't be long now. She could almost take the buttery goodness. She mostly avoided looking at Hilde. The large woman generally seemed to have little time for children and Lisbeth was slightly frightened of her.

Finally, Berit turned and placed a plate with four fresh rounds on the table. "Here's a little sample," she said with a smile, "to make sure we're makin' it right."

Lisbeth eagerly grabbed a round and began buttering it. Hilde cleared her throat but kept staring at the paper. She held her pen as if she was about to fill in an answer but she hadn't written anything in the last five minutes.

Lisbeth let out a sigh as her first bite melted in her mouth. "Mom?" she asked, "Why do we only make lefse during the holidays? We should make it all the time."

Berit smiled back at her. "Well, honey, it's a lot of work. Plus, if we made it all the time it wouldn't be as special. It's nice to have something special for Christmas. It's a good tradition."

Lisbeth nodded. Anna added, "Someday, Sweetie, you and your mom will be making lefse just like your mom and I are now. Maybe you'll have a daughter asking the same question. That's how traditions go."

Lisbeth smiled at the thought and wondered what her grandma would be doing while this future lefse making was happening. She was about to ask when Hilde grunted, "So, you two aren't going to tell her the real reason we make lefse at Christmas, huh?"

"Oh dear," Anna whispered to her daughter.

"Not this again," Berit replied.

The room fell silent. Lisbeth looked at Hilde and then back towards her mother. "Mom, is there another reason?"

Berit turned, managing a tight smile. Her gaze alternated between Lisbeth and Hilde, who had put down the paper and was now staring back at her. "No, dear," Berit began, "there's no other r--"

"Poppycock!" Hilde blurted, "I don't why you people continue to deny the noble place lefse has in Christmas! You know darn well, the Vikings--"

"Hilde!" Anna exclaimed, "The only poppycock is that story of yours! It doesn't make any sense! The history isn't right. I don't know why you insist on believing it."

Hilde looked up with a hard, steely gaze. "I learned this from my grandfather when I was a young child. He was a wise man and I think I'd rather take his word than any of your so-called experts!"

"I wanna hear!" Lisbeth said, daring to look at Hilde.

"No dear," Berit said, "it's just a story."

"It's like this," Hilde said, ignoring Berit, "You know how in the Bible when baby Jesus was born there was a bright star?"

Lisbeth nodded, eyes wide and fixed on Hilde.

"Well, in the sea near Bethlehem, there were some Viking explorers who saw that light."

"Oh, God," Berit muttered to Anna, "can someone please show that woman a map and maybe give her a history lesson?"

Hilde glanced up and then continued a little louder, "As I was saying, there were some Viking explorers who saw the light and were drawn to it."

Lisbeth remembered a picture she'd seen of a fierce Viking with a sword, standing on the deck of a wooden ship. "Are they going to attack Jesus?" she asked worriedly.

Anna stifled a chuckle. Hilde looked at Lisbeth as if the girl had just asked her if Santa killed kittens. "What? Why would you think such a thing, child? Of course, they weren't going to attack Jesus. They were explorers. People don't understand the Vikings, no they don't. Everyone thinks they were cruel. They weren't. They were a knowledgeable people, noble explorers. Anyone who says otherwise is just jealous that their ancestors weren't so grand." Hilde stared up at Anna and Berit, daring them to contradict her but they had their backs to her and appeared to be focused on making lefse.

"What happened next?" Lisbeth quietly prodded.

Hilde took a deep breath to compose herself. "Well, Lisbeth," she continued, "I'll tell you what happened next. The Vikings, they came ashore and marched right to Bethlehem, following that star."

"Just like the wise men!" Lisbeth exclaimed.

"Exactly, only even wiser," Hilde replied, "Being expert explorers, they found the stable straight-away. And there they found Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus."

"Wow!" Lisbeth gushed, "That's so cool!"

"Funny you should say that. Because it wasn't just cool, it was downright cold, unseasonably so for that part of the world. Of course, the Vikings were fine, being accustomed to far colder conditions but Mary and Joseph were chilled and poor baby Jesus was shivering."

"Oh no!" Lisbeth gasped, "Didn't he have his swaddling cloths?"

"Oh sure, but that wasn't enough. He was fairly turning blue from the cold."

"I don't want Jesus to freeze!" Lisbeth cried.

"No, Honey," Berit interjected, "this is just a story. Hilde, maybe we should take a break from this."

Hilde crossed her arms, "Well, I can stop but it seems like a poor place. What with Jesus freezing and all."

"Fine," Berit sighed, "just be mindful that you're talking to a little girl."

"Humph!" Hilde grunted, "She's from strong stock. She can take it. Right sweetie?"

Lisbeth wiped her eyes and nodded. "I wanna hear the rest."

"You betcha you do," Hilde continued, "Because this is the best part. As I said, poor baby Jesus was shivering in the cold--"

"Hilde...," Anna interjected.

"Poor baby Jesus was shivering," Hilde repeated, "The Vikings looked at one another and knew they had to help this poor family out. Right then and there they set up their own camp. They prepared a magnificent round of lefse and as they lifted it warm from the grill, they wrapped it around the baby like a blanket. And you know what? Baby Jesus stopped shivering and smiled and the he fell softly asleep."

"He was happy!" Lisbeth exclaimed.

"He was. And then they made more lefse for Mary and Joseph and any stray shepherds that happened to be there, I suppose."

"Did Mary and Joseph wrap up in lefse blankets, too?" asked Lisbeth.

"Mary tried to use a round as a shawl at first but the Vikings showed her that it was for eating. And then she learned what we all know..."

"What's that?"

"Lefse makes a good blanket but it's even better at warming you from the inside."

Lisbeth took a bite and nodded in agreement.

"And that," Hilde said as she picked up her crossword puzzle, "is the real reason we make lefse at Christmas."