Handmade stars

So it is December.

Unfortunately at the moment, the chances of having a white Christmas look a bit slim.

To beat the greyness of the weather, we have started decorating our home for the Holidays. Sofi is already old enough to get thrilled about everything Christmas related, including decorations. How many years we will be able to avoid the pastel coloured glittering ornaments is another story, but for now warm, earthly tones are still accepted by her.

A while back Minna ran across some beautiful wooden stars on a local online flea market. She soon found out the stars were handmade by Kalle, an 86 year old gentleman who lives in Kivijärvi, Central Finland. First, Kalle has cut down the birch trees, then dried the wood, cut the wood chips and finally shaped the delicate strings to form stars. A process which requires skill and patience.

Many times we have discussed how important it is to create our own Christmas traditions. We already have a few. A Christmas poem reflecting a bit of the year passed. Watching the Snowman movie and Declaration of Christmas Peace. And now these beautiful, timeless stars in the kitchen window.

Oh, almost forgot. Besides the wooden stars, there is another tradition to be launched this year: Ibérico Bellota. Proposed by Pekka, and eagerly supported by Sofi and Urho. Difficult to say which one of those three will be drooling the most when the delivery arrives.