![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hrefna.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/IMG_3166.jpg\" "\\"IMG_3166\\"")
<\/a>The kids out in the backyard as snow is beginning to fall.<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
<\/a>Here comes the small blizzard... "You kids cold?" "Yeees...!" "Well, stay outside for 10 more minutes and then you can come in..."<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Some 20 minutes later the blizzard had mostly died down and Anna had built a snowman.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The Yule-ified living room. \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Finnur did ALL the cooking (as usual on fancy occasions). Here he's making Ris a la Mande, which is a bowl containing rice, whipped cream, clementines, vanilla, sugar and chopped almonds - with One Whole Almond. The person to get the One Whole Almond wins a price. Not surprisingly, Finnur won the price (as usual!), which was a bunch of toblerone chocolate.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>It was impossible to get a picture of the kids facing AWAY from the tree, uh, I mean presents. \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Bjarni arrived hungry (when does he not?!) \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The food was delicious! \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>There were a lot of presents!!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Opening the first presents...<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The completed Ris a la Mande with cranberry sauce. Mmmm... \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Presents slowly being opened...<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>I think the phrase is the difference is 'invisible like a punch to water'.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Anna handing Bjarki a big present!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Bjarni happy with the loot. \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Yet another present! Brain explosion imminent!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Anna's present to Finnur = Four paper-fish! \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Anna got her wish!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Bjarki decked out in a new dressing gown\/bathrobe.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Following instructions to build a castle.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Mug shot. \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Mom lounging. I'm not sure that yellow\/blue ball on the window-sill escaped notice until the guests were gone...!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Building a house of sorts.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Anna, a day-short-of-being-8-years-old.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Note to self: Take family photo at the beginning of the night, and not when everybody is exhausted! \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Stair-way people. \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Begin info dump: Icelanders celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. \u00a0The celebrations begin at 6pm with a fancy meal, followed by the all-important opening of presents. End info dump.<\/p>\n
Christmas (Eve)\/Yule\/Solstice arrived in a flurry of snow. \u00a0The trickiest part of the day is keeping the kids sane, because, duh, PRESENTS!! \u00a0We somehow managed to convince them to go outside, just as a blizzard descended, and<\/p>\n