While living in California for ten years, we were incredibly fortunate to meet and befriend other Icelanders who lived in our area. Many of those ended up moving back to Iceland (as one does!) and we still keep in touch with many of them. Out of the ‘large’ group of friends, a small ‘core’ emerged, and this group meets up once per year to celebrate Thanksgiving – because who else would give a damn in Iceland?! 
(This year the feast got delayed a bit, so it almost merged with Yule-tide – hence the decorating of ginger bread houses! )
Our hosts this year were Soffía and Ágúst in their newly built house, and just like last year, Finnur missed the party – this time because he himself was in California on a work-trip!
Happy chit-chatting by the kitchen-island.
Guðrún was the sauce-mistress.
Bragi, son of Guðrún and Snorri, and the newest addition to the group, examines all the cool stuff!
Not many can claim this much wealth: Soffía and Ágúst have eight beautiful kids!
The big-kids playing on the wii...
Þórdís the castle-maiden.
The little boys in toy-heaven!
The kids that were 'little' in California are now almost fully grown. It's a bit weird.
Guðrún happily carves one of the two turkeys.
Brothers in arms.
Elsa begins assembling the pre-fabricated Ikea ginger-bread-houses.
The kids got their dinner first so that the adults could eat in relative peace and quiet later.
The kiddie-table.
Elsa still assembling houses. Each family got one.
Adult-feeding time!
Such pretty people!
The teens. Yes, these were a lot smaller not so long ago...
Epic ginger-bread-house decorating about to commence!
Two of Guðrún and Snorri's offsprings decorate...
Lára and Halldór's boys planning their next move.
Soffía and Ágúst's youngest do their bit, while Elsa and Þráinn's youngest can be spotted on the left.
Bjarki and Anna spelling out Jól (Yule = Christmas).
Candy-overflow!
And then, of course, there was dessert which pleased the lady of the house enormously.
More pictures here, and in higher resolution. (Click on the image below)
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| 2011-12-03 Kaliforniuhittingur |