"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." ~ Dr. Seuss
Perhaps at no other time of year is the strong Scandinavian Lutheran heritage of the Upper Midwest more apparent than during the Christmas season...when choirs and churches ring with the beautiful choral music of the season. Perhaps best known is the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival, which is listed as one of five significant global holiday events in The New York Times...but there are scores more, including the annual Advent Vespers of Augsburg College held at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis pictured below.
When Scandinavians began arriving in the United States in the 1800s their agrarian roots drew them to the Midwest plains and prairies. Sparsely populated at the time, they created their own uniquely Scandinavian American way of life. The Lutheran Church, which was the official church of Scandinavia, became the unifying center of many communities, where people shared their common heritage.
Most Scandinavians had also belonged to community organizations in their home countries, and they set about establishing new societies and social clubs in their new communities, including choirs, cooking clubs and sports teams. Their societies also performed crucial social-welfare functions, providing financial aid and unemployment benefits to struggling families. These roots led many immigrants to take active roles in American social reforms, including the abolition of slavery and the labor movement.
Because the official Lutheran Church in Scandinavia required that all children be taught to read and write, immigrants arrived with a high level of literacy. Those roots led them to found church-sponsored institutions of higher education, and their social singing clubs fostered a strong choral tradition which lives on today in Lutheran colleges and churches alike.
My alma mater, Concordia College of Moorhead, Minnesota, comes to Minneapolis each December with over 400 student musicians for performances at Orchestra Hall, pictured above.
Click here to listen to online streaming music at Minnesota Public Radio, including Christmas festivals and concerts.
Wishing you a Christmas that brings you joy.
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email - HomesMSP.com
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Ingebretsen's Scandinavian Gifts & Foods was founded in 1921 in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of south Minneapolis, an area dominated by Scandinavian immigrants at that time. Ingebretsen's has remained true to its roots...still located in its original building...still offering quality Scandinavian foods, as well as arguably the best selection of Scandinavian gifts and needlework in the Twin Cities.
Scandinavian roots are strong in Minneapolis, which has been called the most Scandinavian city in the United States. In fact, in 1930 the Swedes were the largest foreign-born group in Minneapolis...followed by Norwegians and Danes!
Ingebretsen's is well known by local residents of Scandinavian American heritage...now more as a distinctively painted destination stop rather than a neighborhood stop. Citypages named it Minneapolis' Best Place to Accessorize Your Scando Heritage.
Both my husband and I grew up in the Red River Valley of North Dakota, in an area with a strong Norwegian heritage...in fact, our grandparents grew up on opposite sides of the same mountain in Norway. (And yes, the accents in the movie Fargo didn't sound that strange to us!)
We have a family tradition of making our own lefse, but it hasn't happened yet this year so we stopped at Ingebretsen's last weekend to pick up some of their homemade lefse. It was bustling with activity, including special music celebrating Santa Lucia Day, a Swedish celebration of light.
We stopped to eat at a restaurant next door and were reminded that it is still located in a strong immigrant area, although no longer Scandinavian. The menu was in Spanish, our server spoke Spanish...and the authentic Latino meal was delicious!
About 37% of the Minneapolis population was foreign born in 1890, and by 1990 that percentage was down to 6%. That is when a significant new wave of immigration began, bringing many refugees from Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America to the city. By 2000 the percentage of foreign born residents had grown to 14.5% and now more than 80 different languages are spoken by students in Minneapolis schools.
Click here to see homes currently for sale in the area around Ingebretsen's Scandinavian Gifts & Foods at Lake Street & 16th Avenue South in Minneapolis, MN. Please be patient while the link searches for the most current listings...click on the map to zoom in until you see icons on the dots, then pass your cursor over them for property information, click for property details.
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email - HomesMSP.com
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After the daily shortening of the hours of daylight I am glad that today is the day of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. I have always operated best under solar power and am ready to celebrate the rebirth of light!
It seems hard to believe that I took the photo above at Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis shortly after yesterday's 4:34 pm sunset. No wonder we celebrate this season with brightly colored lights, we have so many hours to enjoy them!
The term solstice means 'sun stands still'. It signifies that today the movement of the sun appears to stop shortening the days...and tomorrow the days will start to lengthen again. Of course this has nothing to do with the movement of the sun, but is caused by the rotation of the earth on its tilted axis as it circles the sun. Our Northern Hemisphere has been tilted toward the sun since the summer solstice last June 21, and now the sun appears lowest and furthest away as the Southern Hemisphere prepares to enjoy that privilege.
Winter Solstice has been celebrated in cultures and religions throughout the world since ancient times. The start of the solar year, it is a celebration of new beginnings and the powerful transition from darkness to light after the longest night of the year. It was known as Yule in old Europe...from the Norse 'Jul', meaning wheel.
Today signifies the start of winter in our part of the world. It may be the shortest day with only about 9 hours of sunlight, but it isn't likely to be the coldest day...that typically comes 4-6 weeks later, just as the hottest days typically come after the start of summer on June 21, the longest day of the year (with about 15 hours of daylight!).
Even though the days will now start getting longer again I wouldn't recommend waiting for evening light and warmer weather to look for a home if you are planning to buy. You must decide on a home by the end of April to take advantage of the home buyer tax credits...$8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers and $6,500 for qualifying repeat buyers!
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email - HomesMSP.com
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It used to be that the most important factor in marketing your home was selecting the most connected Realtor and agency in your target market. In fact, many properties sold through those agency connections alone. The other important piece in marketing your home was a strong newspaper and real estate magazine presence.
Not any more. With nearly 90% of buyers now searching online and properties for sale becoming available virtually worldwide as soon as they hit the market agency connections and print presence are no longer that important in our market because everyone has instant access to all listings.
The most important factor in marketing your home in today's marketplace is your Internet presence. Not only do you need to be present in the major search engines...your home had better look good online or buyers aren't even going to come and see it!
In fact, staging your home is just as important for online photos as it is for onsite showings. You have only seconds to 'grab' potential buyers before they skip over your home and move on to the next one in their online search.
Your home must not only be well staged...it also must be well photographed and well showcased.
Not only are buyers searching online, about 2/3 of buyers found the home they bought through Internet related searches last year...and it's likely to be even higher this year.
What are buyers looking for in online listings? Buyers overwhelming said the top three things they look for in their online searching are...
Don't forget that buyers may be seeing your property online from another part of the country or the world. Make sure they can find you...and that you look good when they do. I have had buyers choose my listings before they even visited the area because of their online presence!
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email - HomesMSP.com
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From buying your first home to selling your last, I am here to help in all stages of life's transitions...and help others by donating a portion of every transaction to Habitat for Humanity.
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