Christmas 2016

Christmas 2016 was a low-key experience. After slooooowly counting down (or up) the advent calendar to the 24th we were ready for Christmas. We spent part of the day skating on soft ice in town on a warm winter day. We had some delicious Swedish Christmas food. The boys didn't have much of an appetite... perhaps it was the lure of gifts under the tree. But they had a fast dinner!Santa and the rest of the family were all good to the boys. And the boys made nice things for their mom too! Those lucky enough to have a school break are scheming of skiing for the next week, including Mathias trying his hand (or feet) at snow boarding. 

Hibbing

The team took a road trip to Hibbing over the weekend to partake in a hockey tournament. They didn't do so well on the ice... Mathias was in the net for two games (both losses) and skated out for two games (also two losses). But the team kept their spirits up and very much enjoyed the hotel pool and multiple rounds of pizza!

The team also found the time for a visit to the US Hockey Hall of Fame in nearby Eveleth.

 

The annual tree excursion

In spite of there being hardly any snow on the ground, nor freezing temperatures; the calendar dictates that it is time to head out and find a Christmas tree. As 'usual' for the past few years, Mathias was insisting on cutting the tree down. And i kind of enjoy letting him to the dirty work of crawling around on the ground. This year he insisted on using a little pocket knife style saw... so it took quite a while to get through. But the job got done in the end.  When decorating the tree, it seems most fun was had putting up the ornaments while using a ladder. so there is a distinct band around the mid-section of the tree where all the decorations went. The top and the bottom, not so much!