Christmas Chronicles

Yet another christmas behind and this time it was the first in Finland after four years. It was really about time! As mentioned before we spent it in Pori and I can say that we enjoyed every minute of it. Perfect mix of family visits, leisure time, good traditional food and beverages in a setting that emphasized the christmas spirit with lots of snow and temperatures peaking at minus 23. This might be so far the lowest I have ever experienced and now I finally came behind the meaning of the "nostril hair test". It´s a funny thing: below minus fifteen the nostril hair somehow reacts as if it would freeze, quite a strange feeling. Nothing you couldn´t cure with some vodka fuelled glögi, though. Here are some pics from a chilling walk to the cemetery on the 24th:

After such a walk you realize that the best Finnish invention by far is the sauna but due to a frozen plumbing system in the outdoor sauna we had to let this option pass and so it was back to glögi. As soon as we could feel our toes again we prepared everything for the christmas evening. I already mentioned the traditional food and some of you might wonder what traditional finnish christmas food actually is. Well, I would say that most importantly you have joulukinkku, the christmas ham, which is baked for hours depending on its weight (1h per kilo) and is eaten warm or cold. You´ll find salmon and potatoes on the table, maybe meatballs as well. Then you have different casseroles, for example with carrots or rutabaga.Yes, rutabaga! Since my blog is read to over 90 % by people (like me) whose mother tongue is NOT English I want to share this small anecdote with you. Some christmases ago, also in Finland, we sat at the table about to eat. Back then I didn´t know all the goodies on the table, so my polite Finnish family wanted to explain to me what is inside this one casserole. But what is lanttu in English? They described the contained vegetable to me and I had a hunch it might be Steckrübe in German. But I didn´t have a clue what that translates to in English either. We did the next best thing and checked the dictionary. I think it was my girlfriend´s sister who victoriously read the answer to our question out loud: "It´s Rutabaga!" We all looked at her like cows seeing a lightning, not understanding how this could be the solution to our problem. The word didn´t sound English at all, rather like some language from Africa.
But the dictionary´s cover read Suomi - Englanti, so it was official. All bursted into laughter and we started to imitate tribal chants like Rutabaga - Rutabaga - Ruta - Ruta - RUTABAGA! and transformed the last words of Elvis´ Burning Love (I´m just a hunk, a hunk of burning love...) into Rutabaga Burning Love! 
It´s a running gag ever since.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank everybody once more for the nice christmas cards, messages and gifts. Some of them came very surprising, as they were totally unexpected (a terrible word in this context since you should not expect anything). It´s just heartwarming to see who has you on their list in a time which is meant to remember the ones who are somehow important to you. The presents were all great and I don´t really want to highlight one in particular. But I received a gift that means a lot to me in a special way because it has to do with the foundations of my taste in music.
The Sex Pistols Never mind the Bullocks! On Tape! I think I was 13 when I bought it as a vinyl re-issue in a meanwhile defunct departement store chain. This here was bought and sold in Finland round 1980. Now it´s mine, yeah! And by the way: when Johnny Rotten sang I was waiting for the communist call in 1977, it sent shivers up some Finnish spines! For real!

Feast your eyes on this!

SONGS FOR TODAY:

Sex Pistols - 1. Holidays In The Sun 2. Bodies 3. No Feelings
Sex Pistols - 4. Liar 5. God Save The Queen 6. Problems
Sex Pistols - 7. Seventeen 8. Anarchy In The U.K. 9. Submission
Sex Pistols - 10. Pretty Vacant 11. New York 12. E.M.I.
Elvis Presley - Burning Love
                    (Karaoke version, sing RUTABAGA as loud as you can!)