I kind of like the American approach to Christmas. Europeans think it’s overly commercialized. But in my opinion, it’s nice to see decorations everywhere—like a glowing Santa climbing the rooftop!

I know all that lighting is environmentally irresponsible, but it does provide a change-of-pace. It’s something completely different from what you see during most of the year. And stores and restaurants are open really late!

Here in Finland, it’s the complete opposite. The other day on the bus, I overheard an American tourist speaking on his mobile phone:

“Finland is dead around Christmastime. I hope there’re at least some bars open in town.”

That pretty much sums-up the Christmas season here in Finland. It’s a good time to kill yourself

That pretty much sums-up the Christmas season here in Finland. It’s a good time to kill yourself

I’m waiting for Susan Kuronen to blow her brains out, she seems like the psycho type who’d make a martyr of herself.

I’m waiting for Susan Kuronen to blow her brains out, she seems like the psycho type who’d make a martyr of herself.

The downside of killing yourself is that you can’t give an interview to Seiska after doing it. So don’t worry, Ms. K. will be just fine.

I don’t like to put the tree up beforehand. To me it seems, that it would spoil a bit the actual Christmas. When you put it up on 23rd or 24th, it sort of emphasizes the festive feeling of the Christmas eve, the tree is new, fress and scented, if you see what I mean. We like to keep it up as long as possible, so in practice we take it down somewhere between 10th and 15th of january. For me, the Christmas is not over on 27th od December, or even New Years. But if someone doesn’t want to keep their tree for long, hey, it’s not my business.

The downside of killing yourself is that you can’t give an interview to Seiska after doing it. So don’t worry, Ms. K. will be just fine.

They’ll eventually get tired of her, then she’ll be up for one, final story.

They’ll eventually get tired of her, then she’ll be up for one, final story.

Haven’t you already learned that Finns (and hence Seiska) will never get tired of useless celebrities? She’ll be in the headlines for the next 30 years. A record is bound to happen sometime. And I’m sure that she has a great future as an SMS chat show hostess.

I’m 100% sure that everything she does is pretty calculated. She’s in debt, you know. Those Seiska fees will keep her afloat.

We put our tree up the first Saturday in December and just took it down last night.

I would think that if you were having a little christmas party in your home that you would put the tree up early!

We put the tree up on 23rd and take it down on Epiphany.

Haven’t you already learned that Finns (and hence Seiska) will never get tired of useless celebrities?

Can she sing? Seems like anyone with an ounce of singing talent can make a career here in Finland

Can she sing? Seems like anyone with an ounce of singing talent can make a career here in Finland

Yeah, like Matti Nykänen…

Trust me, talent is purely optional. If you ever get tired of Nokia, why not give it a shot? Of course, you do need to get into the headlines first. Showing you dick on TV (à la Wallu Walpio) is probably the surest way.

Finland (and alot of other countries) have a tradition of setting up their trees on Christmas Eve, then if you throw it out soon after, you only enjoyed the tree for just a handful of days. The Americans on the other hand may have their tree up for a month or more (taking it down just after New Years).

Yeah, I don’t take down the Christmas lights in my front yard until well after Mayday. It’s so that I, uh, can enjoy them longer. Yeah that’s just it.

Well,In my home country too,same in states we’re put christmas tree may have tree up for a month or more,and taking it down just after New year.But here in Finland is quite weird,well there culture culture is different,so christmas tree with them is just like nothing at all.

T:Mari

Happy New Year 2007

Traditionally, Finnish Christmas trees don’t come down until Epiphany, when Christmas season officially ends. This makes a good 3 weeks of having the tree up. Not bad, IMO.

I hate glitter and glitz. Like, a lot.

Haven’t you already learned that Finns (and hence Seiska) will never get tired of useless celebrities?

They are a real plague, aren’t they? Out in the big world it’s the likes of Paris Hilton, Kevin Federline, and Anna Nicole Smith, over here we have the likes Susan Kuronen and the “salarakkaat”. At least Matti Nykänen is famous for a reason, albeit a very dated one. People just love their useless celebrity gossip.

Trees taken from the finnish forest don’t keep their needles for too long. I think that’s one reason to get rid of them.

They are a real plague, aren’t they?

In a way, I think that the jealous and über-egalitarian nature of Finns is partly to blame. Finns eat up this stuff about useless celebrities because it enforces the idea that famous people or people who have otherwise “made it” have done so only by accident and are in no way superior to the next person. What we really don’t want to hear about is people who have clearly made it as a result of their talent and hard work. Sports stars are the exception to the rule.

It is interesting that out there in the big world there are these salarakas-wannabes as well. Does anyone remember Hugh Grant’s prostitute? Exactly.

It is interesting that out there in the big world there are these salarakas-wannabes as well. Does anyone remember Hugh Grant’s prostitute? Exactly.
People love to revel in other people’s misery and they use these famewhores to make themselves feel superior. That is the only way that I can explain the constant interest in Britney Spears’ weight gain and failed marriage, not to mention the pile of human excrement named Paris Hilton.

Ms. Hilton released a record last summer. It was a hit. Knowing that makes me want to kill myself.

The reason why Paris Hilton and the other usual suspects are SOOO fascinating is clearly demonstrated even here. For chris sake, the subject is the damn Christmas tree but what you are yakking about is the celebrities!

Touché.

Anzi wrote:

“I hate glitter and glitz. Like, a lot.”
“They are a real plague, aren’t they?”
“Ms. Hilton released a record last summer. It was a hit. Knowing that makes me want to kill myself.”
“Touché.”

My kind of person, definitely!

P.s. Not that anybody’s interested, I’m kind of worried that I just ingested a fair amount of tin foil along with my kebab…

Ms. Hilton released a record last summer. It was a hit. Knowing that makes me want to kill myself.

What, kill yourself over some pissaliisa billionaire?

#21: Well the whole thing kind of makes you wonder what’s the point… how futile is HUMAN endeavour

People usually throw the tree out after “Loppiainen” which is the 6.1.07 methinks. When I lived at home, we kept it for a month after xmas. It was nice to still have to those candles in the tree. First time since I’ve moved to my own place we have a xmas tree, but now the gf wants to throw it out already because of its shedding thorns on the floor. What a waste. Anyway, you’re half right there Phil. I want to keep it, would keep it, but the gf doesn’t. What a predicament.

Saddam’s dead btw. Happy new year. I’m not pro death penalty but that dude just had to go before the Iraqians fuck it up and lose him

What, kill yourself over some pissaliisa billionaire?

No, I want to kill myself over the fact that people admire and revere that woman enough to buy her record. She is the very definition of the word “useless”. She’s butt-ugly too.

As has been mentioned here before, Christmas trees in Finland generally go up either on Christmas Eve or just a couple days before Christmas, and stay up for the full 12 days to Epiphany.

In the United States it is logical from the business point of view to encourage the acquisition of the seasonal conifer weeks ahead of time in order to whip up and maintain the shopping frenzy at a maximum level.

And what’s up with the upside-down Christmas tree? It looks like a glittery thong!

Phil, Mrs. G and I haven’t killed any trees during our marriage. The fake ones go up rather quickly. However, I do miss that good old pine smell from those trees I had when I was a kid (not to mention the sap buckets of maple trees that were tapped in early Spring in western New York).

Having said all that, our fake tree alreaedy has lights built into it.

#25. Kimmo, how true it is of Americans to overcommercialize the holiday. So many blow-up Santas, snowmen, and Grinches, but very few nativity scenes. Very depressing in some regards.

So many blow-up Santas, snowmen, and Grinches, but very few nativity scenes.

Yeah, despite the name, not everyone associates Christmas with Christianity. The holiday actually originates from various winter festivals here in Europe. Solstice, Yule, the worshiping of Thor, Saturn and the Sun all predate Christ and were observed on the same date—or roughly thereabouts. For most of these, gift giving was part of the ritual. And so was decorating the tree! ….but perhaps more so here in the northern parts.

The Christian festival came much later, and perhaps early Christians chose the date to blend-in with other festivals to avoid persecution.

These days, although most people no longer worship deities, they’ve retained the pagan ritual of swapping presents and decorating trees. I guess we humans are essentially traditionalists. Newer and more trendy notions, such as the Christian sense of Christmas, haven’t fully caught-on yet.

I love the glitter and glitz, a lot.

I love that the neighbors have their ostentacious flashing rooftop presents with the Santa head slowly popping up and down. I love the inflatable snowglobes (a recent phenomena, comes with its own generator) lighting up suburban lawns. Frank Sinatra music melts through the air when I stroll through Wal-Mart, and my heart lilts a little. Yeah, it’s totally superficial, sappy, and commercialized. So what? It’s fun.

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