Hello dear friends!

Christmas cheer and the sounds and delights of the season are once again in full swing here, and greet you everywhere you go. Casually, the radio programming started sliding holiday songs into the playlist, and then the hustle and bustle of people making preparations for incoming guests and the gathering of friends got truly underway. Commercial advertisements are now heavily sprinkled with the latest examples of holiday tables as well as decorating ideas, recipes for old favorites and new flavor adventures, gift ideas for young and old alike. Yes, it’s that holiday time of year! A Finnish magazine, Kotiliesi, showcases a few examples of what you might encounter as far as Finnish holiday decor. Variations of the items depicted abound in multitudes of adaptations, colors and sizes, with large and over-sized illuminated paper stars being by far the most common here in Finland.

Our little town of Lohja, has a very beautiful and festive holiday light display. This photo from a few years ago captures the scene. The strings of crystal clear lights are draped heavily across main street, Laurinkatu. There are tiny lights, large round orbs, as well as long thin ‘icicle’ rods that encase a beam of light traveling slowly north to south mimicking a dripping icicle.

A short-lived, northerly blast sent temperatures plummeting last weekend, giving the yearly Lohjan Joulumarkkinät (Lohja Christmas market) a very seasonal feel. The only thing missing was the snow! As is typical, we received our first snow near the end of November, and as typical it promptly melted within a couple of days… doing little to alleviate the darkness and gloom of dwindled daylight hours. It’s remarkable what a difference a light coating of snowfall makes. Any light is reflected, and that includes moonlight, bringing an instantaneous brightening effect.

Most towns of size throughout Finland decorate lampposts with electrified light holiday decor of some kind. The neighboring town of Nummela, has a very lovely lighted moose in the town center, which is brought out of storage to sit in the market square for Christmas. This photo from 2023 shows it in daylight hours. It’s massive!

There was much laughter and many stories shared earlier in December when I hosted friends for a pikkujoulu (little Christmas) luncheon. Plied with appetizers, glögi, wine, and a hearty meal, the hours flew by, at least for me! What a grand time, shared with wonderful friends!! The following day was Finnish Independence Day (Itsenäisyyspäivä) – both a festive, but mostly solemn day of remembrance.

I chickened out on an invitation to once again join my friend Eira for an outing to the Haikarin Sauna for a bit of sauna and lake swimming. I’ve accompanied her on one other (my first) venture to Haikari sauna, and it was both great and shocking. Great relaxation as I mingled with all sorts of people from Lohja in a huge public sauna, then we ambled to the lake and down the ladder into the water… it was breathtaking! Literally. I completely lost my breath as the water was colder (shocking) than I had first imagined, and it was still only November! She assured me it gets easier each time, but she’s been going for a number of years now, several times a month. It took everything to remember to breath, or try to!, while also flailing my arms and feet underwater in what felt like a futile attempt to stay above water. It’s more of a plunge and not actual swimming, at least in my regard. Getting out of the water, on the amble back to the sauna, was remarkably a great feeling. After being in the cold water, I felt completely impervious to the cold nighttime temperature, as well as the blustery wind, despite standing outside in a soaking wet bikini. So, I said sure, I’d give it another go! The second dip was easier now that I knew, more or less, what to expect. She went for a third plunge, which I declined. 😉

Skip ahead from November to last weekend, and of course, as if knowing I was going to be swimming later, a cold front moved in to overtake the mild weather we had been experiencing with a blast from the north. The afore mentioned Christmas market was extra chilly for attendees, but so too were any other activities planned for out-of-doors! The cold front lingered for the weekend, then departed as quickly as it had shown up. We are once again back to plus temperatures, a bit rainy, and otherwise a tad dreary. There have been a few fleeting instances of snowflakes in the forecast, but with daytime temperatures lingering around 5c or slightly higher, there’s 0 chance of lasting snow at least this week. Next week, however, the forecast temperatures are trending lower, so who knows! Maybe a white Christmas in the final moments may be a possibility! BTW: Eira is made of sturdy stuff and had no trouble at all in going lake swimming without me! Yeah, Eira!

All I can say is this Christmas season has been the best one for me in a long time. Having met and made friends with these wonderful ladies has made all the difference! My holiday wish is that you too are able to share the warmth of good times with wonderful friends.

Best wishes to all!

Merry Christmas!! I hope the new year is filled with joy, and brings you good health and much happiness!! Hyvää Joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta kaikille!!