Saturday, December 7

This morning we were up unusually early and in Prisma shopping by 8:40. What we couldn’t find there we found in Stockmann. This, almost inevitably, led to further wandering in Itis. At the moment we are outside the old Stockmann building looking at Santa. Irma is in the queue with the intention of being photographed sitting on his knee. The queue will prove too long and she will get bored waiting before any knee/bottom action occurs.

Irma will spend the rest of the day preparing a full Christmas dinner, and at 17:00 her parents will arrive to eat it. Outside the ground will be suitably festive. Snow has been falling continually but lightly and the snow will be light and fluffy in the dark.

We will follow tradition in getting completely bloated with a variety of fishes and meats, and then we opening all the presents. At 20:00 we will take Irma’s parents back through the falling snow.

This is the third year we have held our Finnish Christmas on the weekend after Independence Day and by now it feels like a reasonable tradition. Everyone knows how it works, and everyone joins in. As always, once the grandparents are safely back home, and the dishes are washed and put away, we sit down and open some sparkling wine.