I may not be Swedish..............

but my house has the right look!

I grew up in an almost-all Swedish town. It was a town filled with Andersons, Swansons, Monsons and Johnsons. First names like Nels and Agnes and Margaret. My classmates would talk about Christmas dinners with lutefisk and lingonberries and sweetened potato pancakes.

My family didn't eat things like that! Our Christmas meals were filled with glazed ham, turkey and scalloped potatoes. But the wonderful breads .... like Swedish rye made with molasses and tea rings with cherries became staples at our house

But between our house and my German-Irish Grandparents......... was Bishop Hill. And the surrounding communities of Galva and Altona and Woodhull. This was the heart of the Swedish immigration into America. To this day -- the Swedish traditions are alive and well in Bishop Hill.

My favorite, bar none, were the candles in the windows. We would drive through the snowy landscape and the old farmhouses would sit back from the road. Through the dark, star-lit night, a single or triple electric candle would shine through the large double-hung windows. I loved that! A simple candle to guide the wisemen to their destination.

Colored lights are bright and festive. And white twinkling bulbs are elegant. But I always wanted an old farmhouse with simple electric candles in the window.

A few years ago -- at a flea market just down the road a couple miles -- I found a box of 16-triple electric candles ---- for a dollar!!! I laugh because the odd size of bulbs cost soooo much more than my little box of candles!

But now......... at Christmas ....... the feeling of home comes to the Iowa landscape. You rarely see candles in the windows here. But maybe my little old farmhouse -- with every window filled with electric candles ..... may help guide the way home for someone.

Wishing you wonderful Christmas memories and the knowledge to re-create them........
Miss Effie