December 21st...”DO YOU EVER WONDER ABOUT WHAT CHRISTMAS TIMES WERE LIKE BEFORE YOU WERE BORN, OR A LITTLE TINY BABE?”
POEM – “Christmas Before I Was Born” by N. Elliott Noorlun
Our Grandparent’s cottage in Albert Lea, Minnesota.
In Christmas times, Before I was born,
Before my bottom, Had diaper worn,
It must’ve been special,
The time for our clan,
To Grandma’s or Uncle’s,
House they ran.
Big brother, Lowell, shadow boxes with a new pair of boxing gloves.
In days long before, Electronic device,
Instead were books, And other things nice,
Like boxing gloves, For my big brother,
While sitting near, Christmas tree with Mother.
Our father, Russell.
Or Father reading, The local news,
While big sister, Rosie, On couch would snooze.
Or Yuletide times at, Our Uncle’s house,
With family around, And my Uncle’s spouse,
Our clan of children singing carols while Uncle Del’s wife played piano.
Playing piano, While little ones sang,
Christmas carols, Oh how they rang!
Elliott in a Christmas swing…1955
When ’54 Christmas, Came rolling round,
Cousin Marc and I, Lent our sound,
To the old-fashioned holidays,
That had come before,
T’was now our turn,
To enjoy many more.
The legacy of four families gather round our maternal grandparents, Clarence & Amanda Sletten at Christmas time. Circa 1958. Elliott is front & center with Winter cap on and shielding his eyes from Uncle’s bright light bar used for his 8 mm movie camera.
I may be only one oat seed in a field of millions, yet I have a story to share of beginnings on our beloved farm in southern Minnesota and beyond to life as I've seen it to this point. Famous? No. Gifted? Unlikely. Yet, I want to leave a legacy to my children and grandchildren of who this gentle Norwegian man was. My happy times, sad times, successes and failures. Someday, those who are tiny now, will have this volume to come to and get to know this Norwegian Farmer's Son.
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