Winter Solstice / God Jul / Merry Christmas

It is 8:30 a.m. right now and pitch-black outside.  Winter in Norway.  The sun will rise at about 9:30 a.m. and set about 3:00 p.m.  But you can't actually see the sun until about 10:15, because it is hidden by the mountains to the southeast.  Mountains hide the setting sun about 2:30 p.m.  The sun at noon is extremely low in the sky, just a few degrees above the horizon.  The whole day is more like a long sunrise followed by a long sunset.  The colors are gorgeous.  The snow, lately, sparkles from the cold. 

There is a nice tradition, here, of placing candles, real or electric, on the window sills of homes and apartments.  Restaurants' tables are all candle lit.  Stores place candle-lit or oil-lamped lanterns at the entrances to their stores.  Wood-fires heat everyone's living rooms.  It all makes for a very cozy Christmas time. 

In Norway, we say "God jul" (pronounced "Goo Yool") for Merry Christmas. "Jul", or as we call it in English, "Yule" refers to a 12-day winter festival that predates Christianity in Scandinavia.  It has come to mean "Christmas."  "God" means "good".