We’ve passed the Winter Solstice, so although the daylight is still quite short, it gets a little longer every day and that makes the chilly dark winter days easier to take.  There are still plenty of lights up around town to keep things cheery and bright, and many people set their lights to turn on in the dark mornings as well as evenings.  The Sons of Norway hall always looks good, reflected in the slough at high tide.We’ve had a few stunning sunrises this past week (today was the best!), and it’s nice not to have to get up too early to see it.  We even had some pretty moonsets right around sunrise last week – so beautiful with the dawn light kissing the top of Bearclaw Mountain.We had a few good dumps of snow starting the day after Christmas, turning the National Forest into a true winter wonderland.  We headed Out The Road to explore the tidal rapids at Blind Slough and to see if we could spot any swans or other birds.  We saw lots of deer and mink tracks in the snow and some ducks flying in the distance, but no trumpeter swans that day.  We had snowshoes with us, but didn’t need them since the shoreline of the slough was covered by a frozen crust that made walking pretty easy, and much of the trail was sheltered by tall spruce and hemlock so the snow wasn’t very deep.

It was so quiet out there, with the sun quickly sinking below the edge of the mountains.  We often stopped to listen and savor the quiet, but as we were heading back to the trail we heard lots of snapping and popping – very strange!  We looked around and finally realized that it was the tide coming in, lifting the ice which had slumped and draped over rocks and grasses in the shallows.  We were glad we ventured out to explore, though we’ve ordered a set of studded snow tires for the car to make future exploration a little safer.  Everyone in town is hoping for more snow and a chance to make good use of cross country skis and snow shoes, and to enjoy the wintry landscape.The winter birds are active in the harbor, with scoters, loons, goldeneye, teals, and the elegant long-tailed ducks.We’ve had a few blooms of krill in the water lately, bringing in even bigger populations of ducks and sea birds to the harbor.  Sometimes I sit on the dock under a camouflage poncho with my camera to watch and photograph the birds, and it’s worthwhile to see them up close.  There is so much beauty here – everywhere you look, and we’re grateful for the chance to enjoy it.

The New Year wouldn’t be complete without the annual Polar Plunge in the harbor.  The intrepid swimmers gathered on a chilly, overcast New Year’s morning with the ambulance and a safety swimmer standing by.  As the crowd counted down, the brave and the crazy took the leap!You might notice that a few people chickened out at the last minute, but we had a great range of ages represented among those who took the plunge.…and a couple of people lingered in the 48 degree water to relish the moment.  Happy New Year!

I think Petersburg (aka “Little Norway”), known to be more Norwegian than Norway, is just about the perfect place to spend Christmas.  This community really knows how to do it right, from the high school and middle school holiday band concerts, to the dance recital (with 130 children ranging in age from 4 to 17), to the Community Concert, to Julebukking – it’s a festive and happy time.

The Community Concert is a lovely event, where anyone can volunteer to perform something holiday-ish.  The number of talented people around town is impressive enough, but then consider the generosity of those people willing to share their talents with the rest of us.  Jim volunteered to sing with the Oxford Carolers group, so he’s been busy with rehearsals all month, and they sang well at the Concert as well as a few other venues around town.Julebukking is probably the most fun part of the holidays, where local businesses and organizations revive their own version of the old Norwegian tradition and host open houses with generous spreads of food.  It started last Saturday with a couple of places, then picked up the pace with six or more businesses hosting each day on Wednesday and Thursday.  It’s a great way to visit with friends and to make new ones while standing around enjoying the treats.The airport even gets into the act, with a nice table full of smoked fish, meats and cheeses, and cookies as well as discount coupons from Alaska Airlines.  In the old days, the passengers on the planes would come inside to enjoy some Julebukking, but with stricter security the gate staff just brings some plates of treats out to the pilots and crew.  Our radio station (KFSK – Fish Head Radio) had baked potatoes, a fabulous cranberry tart, and cookies decorated by children.  Each business puts its own spin on the festivities, but I would say that the Rexall Drug Store’s pastrami sandwiches (well worth waiting in a long line for) and the spread at the hardware store are the best.The highlight is the hardware store’s “Moose Milk” – a delicious concoction that is as much fun to watch them make as it is to drink.  Start with a 5 gallon paint bucket and a smiling man pouring White Christmas liqueur into it.Add 6 half-gallons of vanilla ice cream, softened…Put the top on the bucket tightly, and stick it into the paint shaker for a little while….…and voila – you have Moose Milk!Norwegian sweaters are often the garment of choice for Julebukking, though some people celebrate the holidays with their own distinctive style.  I don’t know if these two guys are related, but they sure looked great!If you want to know more about Julebukking, you might find the description on Wikipedia informative, and it even mentions Petersburg as one of the places that celebrates the tradition.

After trying not to stuff our faces TOO much for days on end, we got into the proper Christmas spirit with a walk up to the Lutheran Church for the 10pm service on Christmas Eve.  The moon was full, the skies were clear and full of stars, and the big dipper and Polaris were easy to see – a reminder of Alaska’s state flag.  The temperature was in the low 20s, but the warmth of the congregation more than made up for it.  There’s enough snow remaining on the ground to count as a “white Christmas”, though we’re likely to get some fresh snow later on tonight and into tomorrow.

This morning we woke up to a pretty day, and as the sun crested the mountains to the east, it cast a golden glow on the crest of Petersburg and Bearclaw Mountains.  We leave you with the view from the back of the boat shortly after sunrise at 8:30 this Christmas morning.  May all your days be Merry and Bright!