Christmas in Europe
Helsinki’s tree is as Finnish as it gets: no frills, just lights.
Winter has arrived. It feels funny to type that because — by New England standards — winter weather has been here for a few weeks already. In early December, temperatures were in the single digits (°F).
Tuesday was the shortest day of the year, but we would not have known it. Every day for the past month has been the shortest amount of daylight either Jessica or I have experienced. The solstice felt similarly short, but not remarkably different from the other days. Every day feels like a sunrise that blends into a sunset with lots of dark in between.
It feels good to know we’ll be getting more light every day now. I got myself psyched up by adding marks on my calendar for sun-related milestones: Sunset is at 4 p.m. on January 20; by April 1, it will dip below the horizon after 8 p.m.
Now, I understand sun-worship more than ever.
The Christmas Season in Helsinki
Jessica sips on some Glögi to keep the cold at bay.
I was curious to see when Helsinki’s Christmas season would begin in earnest. They don’t have Thanksgiving as a set-point for the “beginning of Christmas.” For whatever reason, they kicked it off the weekend after Thanksgiving just as we do in the states. They lit the tree in Senate Square and opened the Christmas markets on November 27th.
We’ve visited Helsinki’s Christmas markets a few times now. Every other vendor sells glögi (mulled wine) and riisipuuro (rice pudding with cinnamon-sugar on top). With hot drinks in hand, we mill past the pop-up wooden sheds offering handmade Finnish wares.
Today is the markets’ last day, so that means no more riisipuuro for us. The pop-ups will be dismantled leaving the year-round orange tents alone on the water’s edge.
The Holidays from Afar
Jessica and I had plans to fly to Amsterdam and then spend Christmas in a beachside cottage outside of the city. Those plans were scrapped once officials in the Netherlands put the country on full lockdown. Instead, we’ll be flying to Budapest on Christmas day.
To prepare for the trip, we watched Anthony Bourdain’s episode of Parts Unknown. It is the first time I’ve watched the show since his death a few years ago. He spent time in the baths, visited a few of the butcher shops, and ate dinner with gypsy musicians. Of those three options, we only plan to visit the baths.
Bourdain led me down the road of nostalgia. In reality, his show is a side street off of a side street in the past ten years of my memory, but he brought me there nonetheless. I found myself in a melancholy moment after the episode was finished.
It took a short reflective pause to realize that it was more than Bourdain. We are thousands of miles from our best friends and family at a time when nostalgia is actively encouraged. It was dark and especially cold when I watched the show. I sat with that moment for a little while.
Finding Joy and Comfort
Jessica and I talked about June and imagined ourselves sprawled out on towels on the beach. I made some decaf coffee for myself and hot cocoa for her. With candles lit and Christmas music playing quietly, the malaise passed.
We have a lot to look forward to after Christmas. We are moving from our studio to a one-bedroom on January 1st; friends and family have visits planned for the winter and spring; I’ve found a community at work; the days are getting longer. We’re settling into our lives in Helsinki.
It is a good place to be.
Related: See Jessica’s photos of Christmas in Helsinki.