Winter Celebration Traditions in the North of Finland - VIDEO
Wishing you a lovely, warm, and slightly past Christmas and winter holiday season. Here in the north, we spent it trying to keep the cabin warm and enjoying homemade foods.
I thought I'd take a moment to share some updates. It’s been a while since my last proper post, and honestly, I’ve missed writing. But, as I might have mentioned before, the end of the year has been quite—if not exactly busy, at least fast-paced.
Speed and busyness don’t really suit me. I don’t think they suit anyone, though some people just manage better with them than others.
There are still a few things left undone for this year, but I decided to leave them to their own fate. They’re not going anywhere. They’ll wait until I gather myself, calm down, and catch my breath. Then I’ll be able to tackle them better.
December has been filled with events and projects. It sounds quite business-like, but that’s the reality. Perhaps the most memorable event was the Christmas carol evening we organized for the villagers a week before Christmas. We invited the entire village — all five households and even some from the main road — to our cabin to celebrate Christmas and sing festive carols. We were a bit nervous, wondering if anyone would come given the Christmas rush. We hadn’t even met all of the invitees before; we just left invitations in their mailboxes.
Everyone we invited showed up. The cabin was filled with heartfelt presence and atmospheric singing. We got to meet villagers we hadn’t met before and had a chance to catch up with those we see more often. All the village children also came and sang every song, most of them from memory, defying all expectations.
Another memorable event was the Christmas play held at the local school just before Christmas. I can picture the small school hall with children in cardboard costumes and the teacher providing piano accompaniment. This play is in a class of its own. It’s held every year and involves the entire school as well as many local businesses. For the play, they rent outdoor lighting effects, a snow machine, and a wire for one of the school children to slide along during the performance. The play features real reindeer with sleds and husky dogs, and it culminates in a fireworks display. The venue was packed with hundreds of people, including locals, summer residents, and tourists who had come from abroad to spend Christmas. An amazing show!
We celebrated Christmas with a small group at our cabin, where a kind neighbor had offered us a Christmas tree from their yard. The Christmas table featured perch from a local lake, brought by another neighbor, sourdough bread made by me, E's world-famous sourdough cinnamon rolls, and homemade cheese made from a local dairy's colostrum, brought by another lovely neighbor. The Christmas tree had a total of five straw decorations because we don’t own more, and it seemed unnecessary to buy them just for this. Maybe we’ll accumulate more over the years.
There were no special luxories for Christmas, but personally, I don’t mind them, and I don’t think Christmas is about them. It’s about simple togetherness, light and warmth, and something nice to do. Of course, everyone can decide their own Christmas traditions; that’s part of the beauty of Christmas.
Christmas is already a bit behind us, but I still wish you warmth and light in these dark winter days. And especially a wonderful start to the new year.
In the video, you can get a closer look at our winter celebrations.
♥ Sanna