Snow falls softly whispering against the windows in the cold winter night, but inside the house is filled with warmth and light. A steady crackling noise comes from the fire and happy voices mixed with laughter come from the dining room but best of all is the scent wafting from the kitchen. This is how I remember Christmas time at my grandparent's house. My mom’s side of the family has Norwegian heritage that both my grandparents grew up celebrating. They have kept their families traditions alive, and I’m glad they did because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate all the traditions that made celebrating with them so special. The object I have chosen to write about is a part of one such tradition, every year at Christmas my grandpa makes Julekake. Julekake is a Norwegian dessert that has the texture of bread. It is dark brown on the outside and lighter on the inside. Julekake is filled with candied fruit. When you bite into Julekake all the taste is like heaven. But Julekake is not just special to me for its taste, it also gives me a sense of connection. When I celebrate traditions like this with my family it makes me think about my ancestors who celebrated those same traditions. Even small traditions like making Julekake build my ideas of who I am and I think about a Christmas where someone will ask me “What’s for dessert?”

– DD

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more