Tradition Post: Christmas

I am writing a tradition post before the celebrations starts, ok so bf and I already exchanged gifts (books, yay ;)

Christmas, December 24th

Christmas is not really that different here, we got Santa, we got decorations, we have a tree, but the main difference truly is that Christmas is celebrated today. For us December 24th is Christmas. Why? Well, that made me google, it seems that we when we were Catholics we did celebrate on the 25th, but then when we became Lutherans we started celebrating already on the 24th. And many Europeans countries hold on to this.

We eat out dinner during the day or evening and then in the evening we open our presents. As for the 25th, I always saw that as a day to play with my things and let the food rest.

Ok that brings us to Santa. For the record he lives in Northern Finland ;) But did I ever believe in him, I do not know. I believed it was my grandma and grandpa that got dressed up as Santas. And even if Santa was real he does not come down the chimney, he just leaves presents under the tree, or even outside

What I believed in was these more pagan beings, I guess they are kind of gnomes. They live under houses and in stables and such. They take care of the animals, but if you are mean to your animals they make the cows dry and the neighbour will have more hay than you. They are also kind around the house. So they are wicked and nice. And if you want to please them you should leave out some porridge for them. I believed those brought me the presents. These small little men, with old clothes in natural colors.

So I don't know if this little fellow can be found everywhere. The Christmas he-goat. He looks nice under the tree, and I never actually called Santa Santa, I more often called the person coming The Christmas He-goat.

It seems that before Santa came into play it was the Christmas he-goat that believed presents. He was a man with a goathead. It seems it comes from the old Pagan god Tor who had goats before his chariot.

So a famous icky thing to eat (ok that is only what I feel) is stockfisk. You started preparing it weeks before xmas.

Something I do like and have to have with my ham are these dishes from carrot and turnip, yum. They are good on the side.

Then you can drink a bit of glögg, I prefer the non-alcoholic kind. I guess it is some sort of spiced wine. And perhaps later as desert eat some Christmas tarts with plum jam in the middle (I usually dig that out).

What also say Christmas is rice porridge, and there is a almond hidden in it and the one that gets it will be married before next Christmas.

But now I must soon be going so I am leaving you with a picture of how it will look like where I am going first to celebrate Christmas. And that is me who wrote Merry Christmas on it. God Jul in Swedish (if you wanna be all fancy and more "oldish" then say Fröjdefull Jul) In Finnish it is Hauskaa Joulua, Hyvää Joulua.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Lol, I can't help myself, had to get a second picture how it will look like at the second place where I will celebrate xmas this year. Found the perfect one online, it looks just like it :) Flat, fields, red houses and forest.

pics have been removed....

Review: The Snow Globe - Sheila Roberts

Genre: Fiction
Pages: 176
Published: October 2010

On a blustery afternoon, Kylie Gray wanders into an antique shop and buys an enchanting snow globe.  “There’s a story behind that snow globe,” the antique dealer tells her.  The original owner, he explains, was a German toymaker who lost his wife and son right before Christmas.  When the grieving widower received the handcrafted snow globe as a Christmas gift, he saw the image of a beautiful woman beneath the glass—a woman who would come into his life, mend his broken heart and bring him back to the world of the living.  For years, the snow globe has passed from generation to generation, somehow always landing in the hands of a person in special need of a Christmas miracle.

Kiley could use a miracle herself.  This year, all she wants for Christmas is someone to love.  A hopeful shake leads her on an adventure that makes a believer out of her. When Kylie shares the story of the snow globe with her best friends—two women with problems of their own—they don’t believe it.  But they’re about to discover that at Christmastime, sometimes the impossible becomes possible and miracles really do come true.

Plot:

A snowglobe, 3 women, 3 chances to find what they want.

My thoughts:

This was such a sweet book, and perfect for me since I wanted something about Christmas to read this week and then this one fell in lap.

The miracles are sure there, they can't all be hallucinating. Kylie is the one buying it. She has no job, and no man longer since he left her for her sister. Heart heart longs for something. And the globe is supposed to have given the man it was given to his heart's desire. And since this is a happy sweet book then you know it will be like that. Kylie then passes it so her friend who is so busy and cares only to have the perfect house, but she has something to learn about family. Lastly it passes to the third friend, who is going home to her horrible family for Christmas. All stories were lovely and short. Miracles work fast.

The book was so easy to read, you can just sit down a cold afternoon with some hot chocolate and find a bit of happiness in this book.

As for the miracles, well that is just some strange unexplained magic, and I liked it this way. Nothing was said, so I am gonna think it was Magic Elves who made this globe.

Recommendation and final thoughts:

I would recommend it, it's short, it's sweet and it's a cute little book to read before Christmas, or in the wintertime. I liked Kylie's story the best, but Suzanne's story made the biggest impact, because she learned what is the most important. Allison's story, I might have missed why she got happy there. But all in all, sweet, romantic, and fun.

Reason for reading:

'tis the season

Cover:

Sweet

Oh winners!

The Winter Sea

Velvet and Deborah

The Winter Hop giveaway

Nina

All winners have been emailed :)