It is Christmas time and I interrupt the posts from the Faroe Isles with one about our Christmas decorations at home. Jennifer had done a great job decorating the house in time for the festivities.
Our family wish all of my readers a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Next to the Christmas tree is our “Viking Troll. He has four toes, three fingers and a thumb and a short tail. Trolls live normally in the forests, but this very special troll is happy to share his home with ours. Trolls herald from Norse mythology, where they live in the wilderness (mountains, caves, forests). In older mythology trolls were large and threatening. As the centuries have passed the impressions of trolls have changed. They are now smaller, less intimidating, more mischievous than threatening, more fun than clever. And one has decided to live with us equipped with a viking sword and helmet.
In the hallway we have also a mistletoe. It is a tradition to hang a mistletoe and if a boy and girl or man and woman pass under the mistletoe the man should kiss the woman. The mistletoe is a symbol of fertility and life and that is probably the reason while the kissing tradition evolved. The man should pick one of the berries each time a kiss was exchanged and all the berries are plucked, the kissing ended. But we don’t pick the berries. No reason to limit life’s pleasures on Christmas, is it?
In Norse mythology Balder, the son of Frigg (the goddess that has given the name to Friday) was killed by a spear made of mistletoe. After his dead, Frigg’s tears for her son became the pearl-like berries of the mistletoe. She also declared that instead of being punished, the mistletoe should become a symbol of peace and friendship. And we are following Frigg’s decree welcoming everyone in peace and friendship.
The Star of Betlehem is another Christian symbol. You can see it shining from the outside of Lynch Court in my first image above and again in the two images below here from the Hall and Library. It appears in the nativity story in the Gospel of Matthew (ch. 2), but in none of the other gospels. Was it an actual phenomena guiding the Magi to Betlehem? Maybe but doubtful. For our family it is mainly another strong symbol of peace and love with which we ant to greet each other and out visitors.
What is more inviting in the cold, winter season than a wood fire. At Knightstone Manor we had several open fireplaces. Beautiful, but inefficient! At Lynch Court we have stoves that give out a lot of heat although we only have to feed them with a new log every hour or so. To us they send a message of warmth and welcoming. But to a lot of Englishmen, they serve a practical purpose of actually heating up the house. And our relatively large house has lots of fire places that we don’t use now. At Christmas they are a must. And I like to light my cigar, lip on my Armagnac and read a book by the fire at any time in the cold season.
