Sunday 23 November 2008

It's beginning to look like Christmas

On Saturday the Villa Cooper was all dressed up for Christmas. We had a little Christmas market in the garden, nine brave women in warm clothes behind their tables of christmassy crafts. I was one of them, and I can tell you it was cold! My feet were freezing, because I couldn't wear more than one pair of woollen socks with my flight socks, the shoes were a little too tight. It was only a little below zero Celsius, around 26 Fahrenheit, but standing outdoors in that temperature for five hours is cold. A very curious thing happened, though: I had a sore throat during the week and my voice was like a crow's, but today no more sore throat! Maybe it was all the hot tea and glögi I drank there. Glögi is a Scandinavian hot Christmas season drink, hot berry juice with spice like cinnamon and ginger, ofter served with raisins and almonds in the mug. Other versions include various amounts of alcohol.



Here is a tour around the house, tables being set up by the entrance:





Kitchen window and the wheelchair ramp built last summer.




View from the garden.


Big dining room decorated with christmas things for sale. Notice the modern version of himmeli straw decoration hanging from the ceiling. You can click all pictures for detail.


Christmas lights and angels on the windowsill.



Kitchen and candles.

Toy cupboard.


Little elves, tonttu, Santa's little helpers who will keep track on who has been good and who has been bad. They also make Christmas presents in Korvatunturi near the Arctic Cirle, where the real Father Christmas lives, like every child in Finland knows.


5 comments:

  1. I love seeing how you decorate for Christmas in Finland. How brave of you to stand out in that cold!

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  2. oooo! I have been WAITING to see the Villa all decorated for Christmas. Simply wonderful! I can't decide what I like best, the toy cupboard or the candles. I imagine is smells so arm and inviting when you walk in the door.
    Wish you didn't need to stand out there so long in the cold. I cannot imagine doing that!

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  3. Ulla, the Villa is so beautiful.I hope your okay after being out in the cold so long. Thank you for all your kind words to me through the months and the visits to my blog. You really are a stitchers angel.I wish I was a better one , I am working on being just that. Many blessings and hugs, Marie

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  4. Love those tonttu! Incredibly sweet! As for that villa- wow! I would love to just live there and have it Christmassy all year. It is so beautiful. Well done Ulla for standing out there for so long. I've seen car boot sellers here stand on foam camping rolls behind their stalls to try to stop the cold rising from the ground.

    Thank you so much for sharing the beauty of Finland.

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  5. Ulla,

    Love your blog. I am going to spend christmas with my mother and step dad. He was born in Helsinki and had to move after it was bombed in the 40's. Sad story but I am blessed with a wonderful step dad. His name is Arvo. Is there anything you can suggest to me to cook or drink at christmas that might make him think of Finland? The villa Cooper is beautiful!

    Lizzie almaswinney@yahoo.com

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