Amma and Afi lived in a big, old house called Eyólfstöðum. They brought many Christmas traditions with them from Iceland. To Icelanders, Christmas Eve is more meaningful than Christmas Day, so on this special evening, the whole family gathered at Amma and Afi’s home to celebrate together...

I am thankful I get to celebrate Thanksgiving twice each year – once in Winnipeg in October and a second time in Washington, DC, with our daughter Carla near the end of November. A few years ago, when I visited and walked along the great Potomac River near her co-op, I discovered that the Embassy of Iceland to the United States is in Georgetown, just around the corner from where she lives. It is housed in the larger Swedish embassy building along the river...

This reminiscence was written at the end of the 19th century by Rev. Friðrik J. Bergmann (1858-1918) who was a minister in North Dakota and Manitoba, and the first lecturer in Icelandic at Wesley College. Christmas is still on the horizon. And everyone will be glad for it, this time as always, because it brings them more joy than any other holiday. The rejoicing is so great and universal that almost everyone feels that their burden will be a lighter than ever at Christmas. They will try to be as happy and joyful as they possibly can...