Abundant Grace by Carrol Meyers-Dobler
December 2019
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I John 4:9-10
Gert DeRemer, 101, has been a lifelong member of Bethlehem and her story has been told many times over the years. Still, this holiday season it seems more than appropriate that we take a second look at the roots of our Scandinavian heritage and, most especially, how Christmas was celebrated so many years ago!
Gert’s grandfather, Anton Hoff, immigrated from Norway sometime between 1870 and 1880 and homesteaded on land south of Mankato off what is now known as Stoltzman Road. After claiming the land, Anton returned to Norway to marry and bring “home” his young bride, Gertrude. Two boys and two girls were born of that union. Son Hjalmer was to become Gertrude’s father.
Hjalmer met and married Anne Lee who was, at that time, a member of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapidan. Hjalmer, along with his parents, continued the tradition of farming but also attended Business College in Mankato before lending his expertise to service on a number of church and community boards. Over the years, the couple welcomed, with great joy, the birth of four daughters: Gertrude Elizabeth (named after both of her grandmothers), Helen, Margaret and tag-along, Joan, who was born when the first three girls were already in high school. While many farming families at the time patiently and expectedly awaited the birth of sons who could eventually help with the massive farm work, Hjalmer and Anne were thrilled with their daughters.
“Not to worry,” Gert’s father often said, “the boys will eventually come!”
Gertrude describes her parents as “gentle, kind and loving” and she felt their everpresent love of her and her sisters throughout her childhood. “I grew up in a wonderful home,” she reflected.
The Hoff farm was, indeed, an industrious site. The family raised corn, wheat, barley, oats and alfalfa hay in addition to milk cows, chickens, pigs and horses. For a period of time, they also grew potatoes to sell to local groceries and home owners along with strawberries and raspberries.
While the girls were not expected to get up early before school to milk the cows as many children had to do in those years, she and her sisters worked hard after school, weekends and throughout the long, hot summer. The extensive berry patch required spring planting, summer weeding and fall harvesting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Gertrude’s father drove seven miles into town to hire berry pickers to help with the massive harvesting project. When the bed of his pick-up truck was filled with workers, he drove back to the berry patches where Gertrude and her sisters along with several neighboring farm wives were already picking. Each worker, be they hired man, neighbor housewife or family member, earned three cents a box! The berries were crated and sold directly on the farm or to grocers and townspeople, door to door, until all were gone.
Potatoes were planted via machinery Gertrude’s father was able to purchase in partnership with a neighbor however the crop had to be manually picked. The girls worked every day after school to pick, bag and store the potatoes to be later sold to area grocers and neighbors.
Every day, the pigs had to be fed “slop” and Gertrude remembers, with great pride, how her father built a pig barn with cupola, cement floor and trough where ground feed mixed with water or skim milk (after the cream was separated from the whole milk) created the “slop” so messily “slopped up” by the pigs was served!
The large family garden also needed regular weeding, harvesting and canning. In a time when there was no electricity, canning was absolutely essential to a family’s ability to survive during the winter months. The fall season was always busy as crops were harvested and ground prepared for the long winter respite.
Gertrude and her sisters were intricately involved in every part of the family’s farming activities yet Sunday School, confirmation class, choir, and church activities were given the highest priority by her parents as was school, piano lessons, 4H and other community-enriching activities. Gertrude remembers walking to school, a distance of one mile, each and every day regardless of the weather. The itchy long underwear they were forced to wear underneath their dresses was more than uncomfortable and Gertrude could not wait to pull it up or off once she arrived her one-room school house. On extremely cold days when the roads were blocked by snow, her father would hitch up the sleigh and horses in order to get the girls to their classroom.
She and her sisters especially loved Wednesday nights in the summer when farm neighbors would gather in Good Thunder for “movie night”. Movies were shown on the side of a building and the girls could buy a bag of popcorn to savor during the show! On Friday nights, the family routinely played “Rook” with their Catholic neighbors. Gertrude and her sisters looked forward to these gatherings because, in part, dinner included tuna and egg salad sandwiches, coffee and “sweets”. (At that time, Catholic families observed meatless Fridays as a part of their religious observances.)
Like children everywhere, Gert and her sisters eagerly anticipated the arrival of Christmas which was always celebrated at their grandparent’s farm. The Scandanavian goodies were baked days in advance and included rosettes, fattimon, krumkaka, and Yulekaka . The table was set in grand style and Gert’s aunts, uncles and cousins near and far gathered for the Christmas Eve dinner which featured, of course, lutefisk, lefse and rice pudding after which “sweets” were enjoyed with a hot cup of egg coffee!
Following dinner, the large gathering of family joined voices in the singing of all the old traditional Christmas carols. While Gert played the piano and her sisters played saxophone and violin, other family members unpacked their family instruments adding to the festivities! Hymn after hymn was sung ending only when some of the families, ever mindful of the time, pulled themselves away to don heavy coats, hats and mittens for travel to family celebrations elsewhere. Their departure was bittersweet. Amidst proclamations of “Merry Christmas!” and “Safe travels!” Gert’s extended family gathering ended. It would be a few months before the aunts, uncles and cousins could all be together again. Such fun they had and yet Gert knew that the yet the best was yet to come: candlelight services at Bethlehem. She could hardly wait!
While the children bundled themselves up for the seven mile drive into town, the women cleared the tables and stacked the dishes. Soon everyone piled into the Model A and headed towards Mankato for the 11 PM service. Upon entering the church, each family member was given a candle and one by one, aisle by aisle, at the start of the service those candles were lit. Gert remembers how beautiful the church was. She also remembers the joy everyone felt upon hearing the story of Baby Jesus, born in a lowly stable surrounded by simple farm animals. Lord of Lords, King of Kings! Born in a lowly stable, surrounded by simple farm animals. What greater gift could there be?
“Bethlehem has always meant a lot to me,” reflected Gertrude. “I was born and raised in the church and I continue to be so very proud to be a Bethlehem member.”
Author’s note: Gertrude married Glen DeRemer on December 30, 1939. The couple had two sons, Darryl, born in 1942 and Gary, born just four years later in 1946. The young family partnered with their parents to continue to farm the family’s land just south of Mankato until the decision was made to sell. At that point, the DeRemer’s moved to Mankato where Gert worked 25 years for the Blue Earth County Extension Office and Glen, a farmer at heart, according to Gertrude, started DeRemer Implement. Glen later closed out his business and joined Lindsay Brothers Company as an Implement Service Provider until his retirement many years later. Son Gary died in a tragic plane accident over the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1971 and Glen passed away in 2002 following a long battle with leukemia. Today Gert lives at Oak Terrace and is visited daily by her surviving son, Darryl, also a Bethlehem member. “I have had a good life,” she often says.
While Santa was never a part of her family’s Christmas celebration and she does not remember ever receiving holiday gifts as a child, she does fondly recall a tradition that would thrill her young boys (and their cousins) each and every Christmas Eve.
As was tradition, the DeRemer family gathered at the home of Gert’s parents. The evening festivities included the Scandinavian delicacies remembered and shared over generations and hymn sing interspersed by much talk and laughter.
Then, without a word, Gert’s father rose from his chair and left the gathering only to return within minutes holding, between his two calloused and weathered hands, a large jar.
The children knew what this meant and they could hardly wait!
The jar was filled with nickels, dimes, and quarters which Gert’s father had faithfully, even, one might say, religiously, saved January to December 24th in preparation for the extended family’s Christmas Eve. Each child was given the opportunity to put his/her hand in the jar and grab as much change as he/she could. Of course, the neck of the jar was small so a fistful of change often proved nearly impossible to get out! None the less, the children squealed in excitement as they each took their turn trying to get as much change as they could from the jar. Whatever they could get out was, of course, theirs to take home!
“It was always so much fun,” reflected Gert!
In closing, one can only ask, who is your family Christmas centered around?