Helsinki in full festive flair

 Dear people, we are leaving Helsinki soon. On Monday, to be precise. We're going to spend Christmas flitting from one place to another near Turku - we'll be sleeping at my second sister's house, spending Christmas Eve at my parents' and Boxing Day (St. Stephen's Day) with my whole family at my oldest sister's home. 

Meanwhile we're frantically doing Christmas things. Shopping for presents, visiting Christmas markets and concerts and parties and all that. On Friday evening we had our Ward Christmas party - both IT and I were some of the performers. The decorations were amazing! 

 

IT's program number and decorations

Saturday was Lucia day, PW and I went to the Helsinki Cathedral to see Finland's Lucia being crowned and listen to some lovely music by the Lucia Choir. In the Swedish speaking areas of Finland, Lucia is a big tradition. Most partially Swedish speaking towns, including the one where I grew up, select their own Lucia. The schools also have Lucia concerts. And every family with a girl child might have a Lucia on the morning of the 13th, bringing cocoa and gingerbread cookies to her family with electric candles in her hair. But the biggest spectacle is Finland's Lucia. This year's Lucia, Alexandra Lindqvist, just happened to be the daughter of my eldest sister's best friend from elementary school, which sounds like a far-away connection when I write it here, but it felt huge! 

 

Lucia with her choir at the packed Cathedral

On Sunday we visited a dear friend and with her ventured to the Stake Christmas Sing-along. These Christmas Carol sing-alongs are super popular in Finland, all churches organize them and lots of people come. 

Lucia also visited the Christmas sing-along

 

On Monday IT insisted on going to Hakaniemi Indoor Market. He wanted treats. That is about the best place in Helsinki for baked goods! It is also a great place for Christmas cards, Advent calendars, woollen socks and mittens, stuffed animals and what have you, so PW and I have visited it frequently this fall, both with guests and without. IT has mostly been at school during the visits, so he was jealous. Now he got to eat his chocolate dipped Finnish style cinnamon bun. 

On Tuesday it was finally not raining! We took IT to Tuomaan markkinat. We didn't stay long, but long enough to buy some croffles (croissant dough in waffle iron) and look through the shopping. 

 

Dubai croffle and Nutella croffle

Yesterday we visited my cousin, who gave us dinner and good company. Tomorrow the youth aged 12-18 in our ward will have a little Christmas party of their own, together with some youth the same age from a bigger ward. Saturday IT has a school Christmas party, Sunday we will visit another cousin for HIS Christmas party. I'm getting breathless writing about this, but actually we have hours of calm time at home too. 

I'm a little sad to leave. I might be even sadder, but I refuse to think about it. In any case, Christmas is still ahead, and those long, lovely days between Christmas and New Years.  

Christmas lights and I