Thursday, December 11, 2008

Norway Paper Decoration


Norway Paper Decoration
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel
Cabinet of Curiosities, 12th edition

Three maiden ladies of Norwegian ancestry moved in next door to my parents when I was a little girl. They were great fun. They gave me several heirlooms, probably not of significant monetary value, when they got old. This is one of them. It seems to be very old, maybe it belonged to their parents or grandparents. It is made of paper. I think this year when I get it out, I will put it in an acid-free envelope meant for photographs.

What the significance of this, I am not sure. Was it meant to be given like a Christmas Card or was it designed to be placed on the branches of the Christmas tree. Maybe someone can tell me?

Helga, Astrid and Mary Louise Elstad will live on because I remember them, their passion for making Christmas cookies and for watching soap operas.

I wonder where they are buried?

3 comments:

Velda said...

I could be wrong but...being of German heritage (born there and mom was German, dad is canadian) we received these types of things for many years from my Oma. They were used in our home, just as you have it, as a display piece. Quite unlikely to go on the tree, as many European traditions have real candles on the tree (yes a real tree! one tradition I do NOT carry on) -- we got them primarily for Christmas and for Easter, and some of them are worth a pretty penny, they are hard to find these days and people are willing to pay, much like old postcards or greeting cards. Sadly, I didn't know the value of this both sentimental and possibly monetary as a child and they are all gone, along with my Oma. They are really beautiful! Treasure them.

Wendy said...

This is really cool! I know nothing about Germanic and Norweigian holiday traditions, but this is just a really nifty decoration!

Judith Richards Shubert said...

This is a beautiful keepsake. As Velda said, treasure it.

Judy