Editor’s Notes
“But what you gave, no one can take away from you.” – Arnulf Øverland
Photo: Madison Leiren
Our Nov. 27 Advent issue will feature our first “Great Norwegian Christmas Cookie Extravaganza.”
LORI ANN REINHALL
The Norwegian American
Dear readers and friends,
So much has happened since our last issue. Our nation has gone through a historic election. We are facing an upsurge of coronavirus cases around the world. The leaves on our trees have burst in autumn colors and have started to fall to the ground.
But with the darkness of winter approaching, we have so much to look forward to here at The Norwegian American. Our team has now gone into high gear as we prepare for the holiday season—a great labor of love for us.
This year, we have very special content planned for you, as we all celebrate a somewhat unusual Christmas. As we approach Thanksgiving and Black Friday, we bring you our annual Holiday Gift Guide, filled with unique and inspiring gift ideas available from Nordic vendors across the country.
As always, we urge you to support all the small businesses that play an important role in our community. With COVID-19 restrictions and shutdowns, they have faced enormous stress, and we want them to be there for us when the crisis is over. After all, what would the holidays be like without all the wonderful Norwegian specialty items they bring us?
Yet, at a time when many people are in need, we might ask ourselves whether a lot of Christmas shopping makes sense. During the past six months, many of us have been at home, enjoying simpler pleasures and less consumption. This is, of course, a good thing, as we reassess our values. But life should not only be about deprivation, especially at Christmastime.
Through giving, we bring happiness to others and show them how much we appreciate them. With our festive traditions, we honor our heritage and the joy of living with the beauty and light of Christmas. And last but not least, I must again emphasize that we support our economy and community for the benefit of all.
Here at the newspaper, we have also faced challenges in 2020. We had to make big adjustments in our operations and editorial calendar because of the pandemic, and we lost advertising revenue as part of the economic fallout. But our team was able to rally and meet the challenges, and in the fourth quarter of the year, I am happy to report that we are doing very well going into the holiday season.
As we continue to build on our success, we hope that you will be there with us. This year, why not consider gifting a subscription to The Norwegian American to your family and friends? Subscriptions are the lifeblood of our business, and with your special gift, you can celebrate with your loved ones throughout the entire year. This month, you can also order a Christmas greeting for our Dec. 11 Julehefte, a wonderful way to send a message of love while supporting our paper. We are always grateful for your generous contributions and promise to work even harder to bring you the content you enjoy.
The great Norwegian poet and artist Arnulf Øverland once said, “But what you gave, no one can take away from you.” Øverland had inspired an entire generation during the dark days of the occupation of Norway during World War II. Perhaps more than any other time in history, Norwegians gave of themselves for their country in crisis—and prevailed.
We, too, during a time of crisis will prevail through a spirit of giving. With light and love, may this holiday season truly be the most wonderful time of the year for you and yours.
With my warmest greetings,
Lori Ann Reinhall
Editor-in-chief, The Norwegian American
This article originally appeared in the Nov. 13, 2020, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
