Christmas Choir Concert & Indulging

My father and his wife will be out of town for the holidays so we decided I’d go there before he was leaving, a few days before Christmas so I could spend it with both of my parents as I always like to do. This I had been waiting for so much! I stood there overnight (more about that later) and today he dropped me at home so he could go to the church to practice with the men’s choir group ”Mieskuoro Laulajat” for they were performing later in the evening and I could get myself ready.

So tonight I was at Pirkkala’s church listening a Christmas concert sung by men’s choir group ”Mieskuoro Laulajat” where both my father and godfather sing in. The same concert was also at Tuomiokirkko some days earlier but I decided to go to Pirkkala’s church for I had never been there even I have been living here for over a year. And also because, even the both concerts had the same setlist, my own godfather was singing “Varpunen Jouluaamuna” (translated: “Sparrow on Christmas Morning”) there. He didn’t sing it at Tuomiokirkko so some other choir member sung it. And we had just been at Tuomiokirkko listening ”Patriotic Festivities” (Isänmaallinen juhla) where there was the same choir group singing. There was an actual news about my godfather performing “Varpunen Jouluaamuna” at Pirkkala’s church on Pirkkala’s official newspaper. Pretty cool...

I waited the song “Varpunen Jouluaamuna” the most but I liked many of the Christmas songs the choir performed; "Jouluyö, juhlayö" ("Silent Night, Holy Night"), "Nyt syttyy valot tuhannet", "Hiljainen joululaulu", "Tule joulu kultainen", "Toivioretkellä" and "Joulun kellot". They were so perfect! It was great to hear my father and godfather sing in the choir. The Christmas concert really lifted my Christmas spirit which has gotten a little bit down because there's no snow on the ground - but then I remembered that Christmas is not about snow but being with the people you love and eating well and the feeling of Christmas comes from the other things such as Christmas tree and decorating it and everything...

I’ve started to enjoy mornings even more and take more out of them than just wake up and eat something quickly and that’s my morning – it used to be like that... Sometimes when I’m in a hurry it’s still like it, but now I have tried to take more time to myself and indulge myself a little.

I have started to bake again and one of my morning started with fresh vegan scones with raspberry jam and vegan whipped cream (I know it’s not traditional like clotted cream). Having them for the first thing in the morning with a cup of tea was heavenly... 

Last Thursday we went eating out with my mom as a pre-Christmas dinner. We had decided that we would eat anything else but Christmas food so it will be for the first time in the whole year on Christmas Eve, for if (at least) I eat Christmas food any time of the year I got bored to it very easily and I still have to eat it after Christmas as long as it lasts. I don’t like to throw food away.

So anything else but Christmas food – that’s right; pizza. For a vegan or a vegetarian it more simple to take a pizza where you can choose your own toppings, even it’s usually the most expensive pizza on the menu – not to mention if you want an extra toppings besides the usual 3 or 4 toppings. Anyway, I chose red onion, pesto-roasted bell pepper, fresh tomato and fresh mushroom pizza. When the waitress brought them to the table I was first astonished the amount of cheese on the pizza but got over it because the pizza was so good... 

On the next day, on Friday, I was at the town and we met with my mother after she got out of work. She had suddenly remembered that a deal she had bought from the internet would expire on the same day. The deal was about to get a mud cake over a hot beverage at a local café. We were a bit in a hurry because the café would close in less than an hour. It was a comfy-looking tiny café with awesome looking baked goods and cakes on the display counter. We got the mud cakes and the waitress topped them with whipped cream. 

My hot beverage of choice was tea, of course, even mulled wine was also tempting because it was Christmas time. This time I chose vanilla tea for I thought it would suit best with the mud cake. 

The mud cake was so rich and dark and good, it almost felt sinful to eat it. But it soon disappeared from my plate... 

After we left the café we went to a Christmas Market – but that’s already on my previous post.

December has been so full of everything (concerts, eating out, seeing people, etc.) and I have enjoyed all of it! I don’t want this to end...

Christmas is in two days... oh yes, I do count days.