A Finnish Christmas Eve

Tiny adds the final touch to the well-appointed Finnish Christmas Eve table.

A sea-green damasque-esque (machine washable and doesn't need ironing) tablecloth is the setting for our mother's classic Wedgwood China -- "Napoleon Ivy as used by Napoleon at St. Helena." Tall gold-foil-cladded tapers frame the centerpiece, a masterpiece of the floral designer's art.  Drawing on our obsession with plant identification, we are able to name 12 different species of flowers, fruits and foliage, exotic and local. The White Pine from Down East lies down with the Eucalyptus from Down Under. A peaceable kingdom of the plants.

Napkins folded in the "Bishop's Hat" design mimic the silhouette of local fauna.

Ben and Ellen had decked the halls with two transcendent Christmas trees -- one inside, one outside -- and other festive touches here and there -- "just leftover things I had," said Ellen with disarming modesty.

Comments

[Jack]

Merry Christmas, Sissy. Nice meeting you this year!

[MI Reader]

Don't know if it's geographically possible, but I hope Heikki Luntta (? sp) has paid you a visit.

[Sissy Willis]

Heikki Lunta, I believe -- no special knowledge on my part: Looked it up on Google. Thanks for piquing my curiosity. :)

He left only a dusting of predawn snow that melted away after sunrise. Some years in these parts we get Christmas blizzards, other years, lots of warming sunshine and blue skies. As Mark Twain is said to have said -- attributed but not sourced, -- "If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a minute."

[Sissy Willis]

The feeling is mutual, Jack. :)

[Kippfest]

Awwww, look at that kitty go! Haha! I think cats are great!

[Zuleme]

My mother in law is Finnish, so we were probably doing about the same thing. Herring, right? And potatoes and kolrootslata ( I don't know how to spell that but it is kind of a turnip souffle and really good). I realized what made it good when I helped this year and saw a whole stick of butter go into it.
And a special ham from Wikstroms and marzipan pigs ( thought that may be a Swedish tradition, my father in law)
And glugg of course and a beer drink called Moma.