It’s Christmas Eve, which means it’s the big day for us continental Europeans! I’m spending this Christmas with Shez and my extended family all the way in Finland, and having a traditional fox family Christmas. Given the slightly more expansive posting that Cohost allows, I thought I’d detail a little what my Christmas home-side usually involves, perhaps to explain why it feels like such a special thing for me.
So here’s a breakthrough of what we’re up to today!
- Before Christmas
So not quite today but one thing I’ve come to realise while being here and talking to others is that Finland (and a lot of continental Europe) makes a big deal about Christmas way before the big day, through a gradual build up. December as a whole feels like a big string of events: the four advents (the four Sundays before Christmas) which act as milestones of sorts, the Finnish Independence Day on 6th December, St. Lucia’s day on 13th December, to name the more notable ones. It’s perhaps why Christmas calendars are also a big deal here, not just in terms of the chocolate countdowns but with each TV channel typically having their own daily seasonal “Christmas calendar” show during the month and other media outlets having daily giveaways. My mom’s neighbourhood area has been doing a local christmas calendar for a few years now where the addresses that take part get assigned a day and on that day they reveal a little handcrafted set piece by the front gates for people to visit and see (it’s now gotten to the point that it’s become a little competitive on who does the fanciest thing, so the usual escalation that happens with these things).
- Christmas Eve morning
We typically start our day with the Christmas sauna - which is exactly the same thing as a regular sauna, except we have it in the morning instead of the evening and we’ve put some christmas scented essential oil in the water we throw on the rocks. (For the record, if you’re not aware, saunas are a super common thing in Finland, most houses come with one and they’re nothing fancy as such)
The rest of the morning is basically then a mix of having breakfast (traditionally rice porridge but I prefer the generic, less seasonal options), getting ready and watching the usual seasonal TV programming.
- Cemetery visit
Morbid! But visiting the graves of family members who’ve passed away is a common thing during Christmas here, to wish happy christmas for those who aren’t here with us anymore. We’ll make sure the stones are nice and neat, that there’s a lit candle by them, etc.
(It also gives us the chance to do last minute resource shopping on the way back before all stores close)
- The Wait
Christmas dinner gets prepared, the kids go increasingly wild, the adults lose their patience bit by bit. The christmas peace gets declared (our version of the Queen’s Speech) and while it was going on today, ironically the first crying tantrum with the family young’uns occurred :).
- Christmas Dinner
The traditional Finnish Christmas dinner isn’t really a set meal like it is in the UK or the US. Instead, it’s a buffet. Besides the centrepiece meat (traditionally ham, though these days most families opt for both ham and a small turkey), there is a wide variety of sides from salads to casseroles to sauces to other meats (meatballs, fish, etc). Some of these sides are traditional, others are traditional for the family: things particular family members had historically, special treats that have become a staple due to preferences or dietary requirements, dishes from other cultures with families where some family members aren’t Finnish, etc. Everything’s set on a big table and people help themselves to anything they want, as much as they want.
There’s no traditional dessert as such but my mom loves making cakes and pannacottas and she always has a surprise each year in store for us.
- Post-Dinner
Shortly after Christmas dinner we exchange our presents and I hope everyone likes ours!!
After that, it’s just chilling. The kids finally calm down (hopefully), the adults pop open the wine, everything is cosy and nice.
Christmas Day on the other hand is simply relaxing. We enjoy our new presents, have christmas dinner leftovers, chill out and enjoy the holidays.
That’s the fox family home christmas in a nutshell. I hope you guys enjoy the holidays the exact way you prefer, and may Santa get you something extra nice!