IT IS THE CUSTOM IN NORWAY THAT ON CHRISTMASDAY people stay quietly at home, or go out only to be with their closest relatives. Even the skiers who swarmed over all the roads and fields, beaming with delight over the first snow of the year, kept together in family groups. Big boys, who ordinarily spend all their free time on their ski club's training ground, stay home and take a quiet morning walk with their mamma, and sometimes with grandmamma too. Fathers putter around in the fields this day instead of going to their cottages in the mountains. They have their tiniest youngster with them, a boy or girl of two or three, who got his, or her, first pair of skis under the Christmas tree this year and today has them on for the first time. But Anders came home to the late dinner, cheeks red and hair damp, and with eyes that were dark and shining. The whole boy seemed to be aglow. He had been clear up to Nordseter. 37 5 HAPPY TIMES IN N O R W A Y "Three hours up, and half an hour down, and as soft as velvet, mother!" Then Mother knew that from now on until the last snow in the mountains became unusable sometime in the spring, Anders would think of little else than skiing . All his free time would be used for practicing, and every Sunday morning he would disappear with a truckload of boys bound for some ski contest to the north, or south, or east, or west. Anders had not yet reached high on the prize list. He was too thin and light, even in his own age group. But the judges said he had fine style, and he worked hard, sohe would be good in time, when he had taken on some weight. Skiing interfered with his schoolwork, of course. But Mother had the same weakness as most Norwegian mothers. It was unfortunate if his marks were altogether too poor, but if the boy could keep it up until he became an outstanding skier, she would be dreadfully proud. Secretly she pasted into a scrapbook all the little newspaper clippings in which Anders's name appeared , even though it was only one of the lowest prizes he had won. Hans had not one particle of such vanity. He went on long trips with Magne or Ole Henrik, his friends, equipped with much good food in their knapsacks. Up in the forest and on the ridges were little farms where 38 [3.238.57.9] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 23:46 GMT) M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S they could buy coffee and ginger ale, before they skied down. But to ski "just to have people standing around gaping on the hill, gape at me, that's just dumb," said Hans. On Second Christmas Day everyone in the house had to get up early, for today the guests from Oslo were arriving on the noon train. And although Mother and Thea had been working for many days to get ready for them, there were many things to arrange at the last minute. Boe brought twocars. Mother tookTulla with her in one, for Grandmother wasalwayssohappy when Tulla came to meet her. Anders and Hans went in the other car, and in the course of the journey to the station they managed to become furious enemies. Anders had a bad habit of bossing his brother, and Hans did not like to be bossed by anyone. This time it was Brit they had quarreled about. "Anders does not have to tell me I must not tease Brit! I guess I amjust asmuch her uncle ashe is!" It was still snowing hard and the place outside the station was almost impenetrable, it was so filled with buses and cars from the manyhotels and sanatoriumsin and around town, and with horses and sleighs from the farms. The stationplatform swarmedwith people. Half the town was there to meet Christmas guests, and the 39 H A P P Y T I M E S IN NORWAY other half whose guests had arrived Christmas Eve was down to see who was coming on the train. The hotels were almost full and still more people were expected. Many Danes always came up here at Christmastime to skiāand one could tell the Danes half a mile away as large parties of them came driving down Main...