When people think of the holidays, food is often one of the first things that comes to mind. Most people have fond memories of special family meals or treats that they grew up with, many of which are from recipes their grandparents or great-grandparents would make that have been passed on through the generations.

This year even more than most, holiday traditions are proving important to people. For many their traditions have had to be changed due to the pandemic, but traditional foods are one thing that can still be shared by people separated and unable to gather together for Christmas. Families and friends may not be together physically, but they can each still enjoy their traditional food favorites.

Lefse is one of those traditional holiday foods enjoyed by many in the area. Lefse is a Norwegian bread made from potatoes, somewhat like a flatbread. Rolled out very thin, it’s then cooked on a special lefse griddle and flipped with a special lefse turner. There are a variety of ways people enjoy them, the most common being with butter that is often sprinkled with sugar before being rolled up and eaten.

Last month a group of Rejoice Lutheran Church members gathered together to make lefse, which congregants usually make and sell during the church’s annual Fall Festival. Although the festival had to be cancelled this year, the group didn’t want everyone to miss out on the holiday favorite, so anyone interested was asked to place an order for the number of lefse ‘rounds’ they would like to purchase.

Requests poured in, so ingredients were mixed and the next day the group got together to spend the day rolling and cooking to fulfill the orders. Extras were sold after church the following Sunday.