Due to COVID-19, everyone is finding creative ways of finding “a new normal”. The Norwegian Association of Montreal’s Christmas Sale (Julesalg) is no different. Given the continuing uncertainty over the coming months caused by the virus, the Board has decided to do things differently this year.
Our overarching goal is to keep our volunteers, members, and the greater community safe. With that in mind, and after conducting a risk assessment, we decided not to hold an in-person sale this year, but instead to offer a safer alternative – moving to a virtual sale with on-line pre-ordering and pre-payment, and pick-up at the Norwegian Church at appointed times. This will allow us to still hold this important fundraising event which supports our many programs and events, while minimizing risks to you, our volunteers, members, and the larger community.
While we recognize that this format will be disappointing to many, especially since coming together as a community is so important to us all, we feel it is the most prudent approach to take at this time. Minimizing contact and potential exposure will allow us to provide you with many of the cherished specialty products you have come to enjoy, while minimizing risk to everyone.
IMPORTANT: This new format requires you to pre-order and pre-pay for all items in advance. Only items pre-ordered and pre-paid will be purchased from Norway and delivered to Montreal. If you do not pre-order, there will, unfortunately, be no items available for you to purchase.
All pre-orders and pre-payment will be made on-line starting September 8 via our new Shopify e-commerce platform using the link below:
https://norwegian-association-of-montreal.myshopify.com/
The DEADLINE to place your orders is September 30. This will allow sufficient time for all items to be shipped from Norway.
The one exception is jewelry and pewter items – the deadline to order them is September 24 in order to allow one of our members to bring the items back from Norway and avoid expensive shipping costs.
Please note that some items will not be available this year. These include smørbrød (since they require multiple days of 25+ volunteers working in close proximity), sweaters (since they cannot be handled and tried on), and vintage items (since we cannot ensure items are properly disinfected).
This year, a very limited number of Bløtkake (Marzipan Cakes) will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, so order early!
Pick-up times will be by appointment on Saturday, December 12 at the Norwegian Church (5065 Sherbrooke Street in Lachine). We will contact you in November to schedule a pick-up time that is convenient for you.
The day of scheduled pick-up we will be selling individual slices of Bløtkake (Marzipan Cake) and coffee at the Norwegian Church (while respecting appropriate physical distancing and health guidelines, of course!). 😊
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate a safe pathway through these challenging times. We are all in this together!
On a final note, we expect to return to our usual Christmas Sale format in 2021!