Pre-christmas activities in Helsinki area

This might be my favorite word in the Finnish language… Joulunodotus. It literally means the awaiting of Christmas. It starts early here in Finland and can include any activity you like to get you excited for the holidays. After several winters in Espoo/Helsinki, here is a list of what we have done and loved!

Christmas at home

Decorating our home is usually the first pre-christmas activity for us. I start in the beginning of November and keep adding to it. The most nordic decoration you can have is probably the kynttelikkö, candelabrum usually with a triangle shape (see picture).

In November the Christmas movie season starts and we love watching new romantic comedy while drinking a hot tea or glögi. And when December comes, the advent calendars add up to the excitement.

The greatest tradition we love is baking, and in our family it is double trouble with French and Finnish recipes. Every year we bake "joulutorttu", Finnish Christmas pies and "pipparikakku", the Finnish gingerbread cookies with my in-laws. Some years we also make a gingerbread house which I love! In addition, we bake French (Alsacian) Christmas cookies "bredele" with friends, they are so delicious, and it's nice to keep a French tradition alive in Finland. If you are not a baker, you can find all kinds of delicious Christmas treats in shops of course!

Christmas shopping

Christmas shopping doesn't have to be boring, on the contrary, it's a pretty exciting activity for us.

Christmas markets are a very nice place to do some shopping, you can have a drink and enjoy the Christmas atmosphere while buying specialties for your relatives. As an employee of the French-Finnish School of Helsinki and nowadays a Christmas market volunteer, I can only recommend this one. The French-Finnish Christmas market takes place in Munkkivuori every year and it's a great place to find affordable French treats. We have bought many times some delicacies but also knitwear for our families there. Tuomaan Markkinat, the main Helsinki Christmas market opens only in December but you can find some premium Finnish specialties, perfect for family and friends abroad. This traditional market takes place on Senatintori every year, it is a lovely happening even if you don't find gifts, it has a great atmosphere with the wooden houses, the lights and all the yummy smells.

Other than Christmas markets there are a few shops we love to go to: Xmas garage (my O my), Kämp Galeria, Moomin shops, little shops of Helsinki Design District, Suomalainen kirjakauppa & Stockmann department store. And if, even then, you haven't found everything, don't worry, there are many shopping centers downtown Helsinki: Kamppi, Forum, City Center.

Outdoor activities

There are plenty of Christmassy activities to do outside, in Helsinki area. Ice rinks open this time of the year for example and I would really love to go and make this our new tradition (So far I've been too afraid because of past injuries). Christmas lights are giving the city a magical look, we love to go see them downtown especially the traditional lighting of Aleksanterinkatu, "the Christmas street" at the end of November every year. This event also has a nice Christmas parade and you can admire Stockmann's Christmas windows.

Our favorite outdoor activity to do pre-Christmas, is to go pet the reindeers at Nuuksio reindeer Park. This park is small but it is truly magical if you are like me obsessed with reindeers and it is a family friendly activity. They also serve hot drinks and homemade pastries in they traditional "kota" the Finnish tent with a fire in the middle. They even host Santa one day every year!

Pikkujoulu

Pikkujoulu means "little Christmas" and I think it's the best Finnish tradition ever! It's a Christmas themed party organised usually in November or December, it allows you to actually celebrate Christmas many times and with a lot of different people. Most workplaces organise a pikkujoulu so you can have a fun moment with colleagues. At my work we also organise a Secret Santa and some games for the occasion. Finns are typically very busy this time of year because they might be invited to many pikkujoulu hosted by friends and family. As I am a foreigner and my husband didn't know anyone in Helsinki when we moved, we were not invited to such parties and it felt quite sad. So we decided to start organising our own yearly pikkujoulu to invite acquaintances who are now good friends!

Happy Joulunodutus!