Christmas Holidays

Tomorrow morning I'll take the train to Helsinki. My train leaves at 7.30 am, I'll be at Helsinki at 10.27am.

I'm going to spend Christmas with mum and my boyfriend and some relatives from mum's side. I'm going to meet up some friends also.

Tomorrow early afternoon me and mum are planning to get our Christmas tree. Mum has already been browsing the selection, but she wants us to buy the tree together. Besides, I would not allow her to get it on her own; after all, I inherited dad's excellent tree finding skills, so I can tell what tree is just perfect for our living room this year. And it's a lot easier to carry a Christmas tree when there's two of us...

Later on, I'm planning to start the Christmas baking marathon. I'm going to make the ginger man cookie dough; it needs to be made a day before the cookies are baked. And I'm going to make two mulled wine cakes; one for our bunch for Christmas Eve, another one as a gift to our neighbours; the lady cannot bake anything this year, because her arm is broken. And mulled wine cakes need few days to reach their best flavor, so when I make them tomorrow, they'll be just perfect by Christmas Eve.

Wednesday I'm going to buy one reminding gift. Then I'll be baking the ginger men cookies, so that I can surprise a friend of mine with a pack of them. And that evening I'm off to my friend Jasmin's house warming party. It will be great to see what her place looks like! I haven't been to her place yet, so it will be exciting.

The last days will be getting ready for the weekend; cleaning, baking, buying food, that kind of stuff. I think that we'll decorate the tree sometime of Thursday. We have a tradition how to do that; mum will place the silver star on the top of the tree first, then she will put the white lights. Then the rest is up to me. First the silver and golden strings, then snowflakes, angels and balls, then the rest, as much as the tree can take without looking silly. My trees have been admired for years, so I don't think that this year will be any different. Real tree is a real tree and it shows.

Friday or Saturday we'll visit the grave yard and take a 5 day candle to my dad's grave. We'll place one candle from each of us and take a moment to recall dad. This year he's been gone for 9 years. It seems weird that he's been gone for 10 years next year, when it just seems like yesterday when he was still here... I miss him a lot sometimes.

I'll be baking cheese-carrot buns for Christmas Eve on Friday or Saturday as well. Saturday evening I'll be headed to the city centre to pick up my boyfriend. He'll arrive around 8.30pm, if the train is on time. It will be great to have him here with us for Christmas. =) That is going to be my best gift this year.

I bet that on Saturday evening we're going to drink a glass or two of warm mulled wine, with some raisins and almond flakes. That's a tradition of ours to have a glass of mulled wine when everything is done, we're ready and the Christmas sauna has been visited and enjoyed. There's nothing more to do before Christmas Eve than to enjoy the warm wine, listen to Christmas carols and relax. Few years ago mum put a bit of alcohol among the wine, but ever since I got ch, I have skipped that part. I bet I'll be skipping it this year, too, because my current cycle is not 100 per cent gone - shadows are left - so I don't want to risk it. It's not worth it.

Christmas Eve is always busy at our house. I'll be up early. As soon as I have finished breakfast I'll start to chop plums for the dessert, plum quark. I make that and put it to fridge to wait for the evening. Then I'll make the macaroni & cheese ready. After that it's making the lunch; rice porridge, which must be ready few minutes before noon.

At noon we'll take our plates and sit in front of the TV and watch how Christmas Peace is declared from the city of Turku, eat lunch and sing Finland's National Anthem, when the program gets to that part. When the show is over, I'll get the old Bible and read out loud Gospel according to Lucas. Then it's back to chores.

Making the salad, pealing the potatoes, setting the table (ok, we usually do most of that the night before, too), lighting up candles inside and outside, making traditional sweet Christmas pastries, changing clothes... that all will take its time! Everything must be ready by 5pm, when the quests arrive. And my aunt and her daughters and their boyfriends are the sort of quests who will turn up on time.

So, when the quests arrive, it's eating, eating, eating, talking, laughing and more eating. After we have eaten enough of everything, we'll take a break, talk some more and then eat the dessert. Then we'll open the presents. After that it's coffee and cookies and cakes and all sort of sweet stuff. We'll admire gifts the others have got and some time close to midnight the quests will leave. Unless we all get caught up with playing some game, as it has happened more than once.

I will always watch part of the Mass held in the Vatican. It means a lot to me, even though I'm not Catholic. Watching that timeless ceremony will bring peace and harmony into my heart and mind and I feel the connection to the real spirit and meaning of Christmas, the birth of baby Jesus.

This year we'll be spending the Christmas Day at our house, relaxing, listening to new cds (I'm hoping, of course), wathing new dvds (yup, the same goes here) and reading new books (that's almost certain; I get new ones every year). My aunt use to host a gathering on Christmas Day, sometimes it takes place on Boxing Day. This year we'll be headed to my uncle's on Boxing Day. My aunt used to serve non-Christmassy foods of her gatherings, but this time menu is one big question mark.

I'll return to Jyväskylä for a while before New Year's Eve. I'm going to spend the New Year's Eve with my boyfriend and his friends at somewhere near Tampere. I'll meet lots of new people then and it will be interesting. And a new tradition, as I have previously spend New Year's Eve with my blood-family or friends. But times change, and my boyfriend is my dearest familymember now.

That's what the Holidays look like at my house this year.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!