Another Julefest is in the books and we could not have asked for a better turnout! As part of our grant with the Iowa Tourism office this year, the windmill had billboards in Atlantic, Carroll, and Denison advertising Julefest throughout November. The results spoke for themselves as people came in droves on Friday and surged again on Saturday in numbers we haven’t seen in recent years. Multiple businesses reported extraordinary traffic and sales and there were times that it seemed there wasn’t a parking spot in town.               

We experienced this at the windmill as well, grossing over $14,000 in sales between Friday and Saturday, far exceeding last year’s totals and more than double of most previous years. Although we didn’t get enough wind for the sails to turn much, visitors enjoyed free admission into the chilly mill before warming up with some hot drinks in the video room. This year we expanded our selection, serving hot chocolate, Østerlandsk tea, two mixes of gløgg, and coffee. In addition to sampling some creamy Havarti cheese, we also offered tastings of our Lakrids by Bülow premium Danish licorice which proved to be extremely popular. Staff worked very hard to keep everything stocked and check out orders swiftly and we could not thank them enough.

We also held another new event for Julefest this year, Santa in the Forge. Our Vikings dressed the vikinghjem for the holidays and spent Saturday operating the forge and giving out handmade trinkets and candy canes to kids that came down to see Santa. It was a great time and they are looking forward to coming back next year and making this a regular event.

               We’re especially happy, if not relieved, by Julefest because our container from Denmark never arrived, another first. Unfortunately, our shipment from Denmark spent the entire month of November detained by US Customs in Chicago where it remains as we type this. The only explanation we have been given is that US Customs and the Consumer Products Safety Commission have intensified examinations of incoming goods this year, particularly for children’s items and baby toys. They are primarily concerned with stopping imported goods that have lead paint, failed general safety exams, etc. However, what constitutes a baby toy? While we do not import all that many children’s items, there are many that can be construed as such on paper when agents are going by item descriptions and import harmonization codes. For us, the main items slowing this down are our classic Anne Beate Design figurines. These are listed as “Christmas dolls” on the Danish invoice, owing to the messiness of translations in all of this, and correspondingly have harmonization codes that flag when Customs processes a shipment. As a result, we have been stuck waiting for Customs to examine these items and determine they are not in fact meant for children. Until this very slow process is complete, we cannot do anything but wait.              

               Navigating this in the store has been tricky with scores of people waiting for these items for their online orders. We’ve lost a few customers over this, but thankfully most have been very understanding and patient with us. It will make for an interesting Christkindlmarket in Des Moines as well where we sell a month’s worth of items in just 3 and a half days. We are doing what we can to ensure the best turnout possible and we are expecting another successful event. Between all of the great vendors and food available, we always encourage people to come check it out. This year it will be December 5 – 8 in the Northeast parking lot outside Principal Park, Des Moines. Kringle Man Pastries will also be there and we look forward to another fun festival.

               As we look to round out the year on a high note, be on the lookout for upcoming sales events to help push some of our shipment from Denmark out when it finally arrives. We’ve had to compensate for the delays by ordering more products from domestic vendors, which means we will be sitting on a substantial inventory by the end of the year ahead of 3 very slow months. We ask our local supporters to come visit us before the year is over. Don’t forget members get 10% off, and there will likely be a few sales days coming up to help ensure we can pay the bills over the next few months.

               In the meantime, we wish you all a very happy holiday season to close what has been yet another remarkable year. Glædelig jul og godt nytår!