Building Christmas Memories

Growing up my mother had a lot of fun preparing for Christmas.

 Meaning, decorating the house into something totally different. It looked great!

She even got pretty excited buying and shopping for gifts. Still does...

The baking of cookies always held a smile on her face. Ours too...

When Santa was to come she was exploding with joy! Me too...I couldn't sleep!

So...now I am an adult. I have kids and am "Lead Gift Purchaser/Gift Maker" of the family. Thanks Mikko...

Now I am making memories for my children and I often find it comes with challenges. My son doesn't even know who Santa is! Twice he has mistaken him for Noah from the Bible and my father, "Mommy, no it's not, that's Opa!" (LOL). I am wondering how to stuff the socks with stuff. We don't even have a 99 cent store...Cookies are fun except when I burn them....and decorating the tree isn't happening since they don't come out until the week before Christmas. Trillions of trees in Finland and I can't get one! (Unless I want a plastic one from the shop).

I am so crazy about this time because I feel like I HAVE to give the perfect gift to folks. Instead, I want to revert back to childhood and not feel like I HAVE to do all the work. I want my parents to give me money so I can go to the Secret Santa Shop at school pick out my dad a mug and mom  a mini-photo album.

Going to this beautiful Christmas fair in Helsinki was a quite enjoyable. I did my best to buy practical fun things. I was set on looking for this really old woman I met last year. She made these rulers with terry-clothe covers. They are meant for persons who are unable to bend over and dry their toes! I remember her smile so well and was determined to see her again. However I couldn't find her. It wasn't until I bumped into this table and found these "toe-dryers". I looked up and saw a different lady. It was her neighbor! She told me that the woman had died of stomach cancer and her design was placed at the Design Forum Shop in Helsinki! I nearly cried with this woman as if we both knew her so well. The Neighbor told me she had many great-great grandchildren...large family anyway. Her smile is imprinted in my memory...

I continued to shop and found some other items to knock off my list. I met up with my English friend and in the photo above baby was wanting to eat and her son seemed a bit hungry too throwing a fit behind her...and there we are smiling!

I left for Tuija's place to visit until I took off for my mum-in-laws who made a wonderful tenderloin steak and we watched the President's fancy party on T.V. Thanks for watching the boys! And Tuija thanks for the comment, "Simple is beautiful". I can't say there was any fancy bling at Christ's birth. I'd say that is the best gift I could ever receive, God's Son.