Back in Helsinki whenever December has been black (as in without snow), it has been difficult to get the Christmas feeling started. Of course, one part of that is, that I don’t have any Christmas decorations in my apartment. It changes when I travel to my close relatives where I usually spend my Christmas holidays. Or alternatively when I travel to Lapland for Christmas. As you can imagine, here down under the summer days, when the temperature occasionally goes over 30°C, it doesn’t help to get the feeling that Christmas is coming. It is yet another new thing to experience here.
During the winter or even before that on one of my bike rides, I noticed a group playing a Finnish-originated game called Mölkky. I thought then that most likely at least some in the group are Finnish. Later I have learned that the game has gained quite a popularity here and it mostly goes by the name of Finska here. So, in a hindsight, they weren’t necessarily Finnish in the group playing the Finska. A couple of weeks ago, one of my colleagues invited me to play it in the park, and it was great.
Another Finland related activity this month was to ride about 20km to a Finnish Society. They have a Finnish shop there, where they sell an assortment of Finnish candy, coffee, mustard, and other treats. But most importantly they occasionally make decent Finnish rye bread. I mainly went there to buy some Finnish candy as a Christmas present. Luckily, I remembered to ask if they had rye bread and they did. I have to say, it tasted great after 10 months of not having one. They also have a sauna built in their backyard but unfortunately, it is currently under some repairs.
On one clear Sunday evening, I visited Eureka Tower, to catch the sunset from high up. The observation deck Eureka Skydeck on the 88th floor is the highest in the southern hemisphere at 285 meters. The lift that takes you there is the fastest in the southern hemisphere with a speed of about 9 meters per second. As a comparison, the Näsinneula lift in Tampere, Finland goes about 6 meters per second. My ears did lock quite a few times in both directions. It had quite nice views over the city but from a photographing perspective, the challenge was to avoid the reflections from the windows. There was also a small outdoor space, but it had a netting in front and high winds.
At the start of Christmas week, I suddenly found that I didn’t know where I’ll be spending Christmas. I was originally supposed to spend it with my colleague’s family, but their Christmas plans changed, and they wouldn’t be home for Christmas. Luckily, another colleague invited me to their Christmas lunch on Christmas day. Christmas Eve is nothing down here as Christmas Day is the main event. Kids are supposed to leave snacks and beverages for Santa on Christmas Eve, and he would then come at night to leave the presents under the Christmas tree or in the stockings hanging in front of the fireplace. So, the market for rental Santa Claus services is a bit smaller than in Finland.
One of the participants had heard from my colleague that a dude from Finland is joining the Christmas lunch. He had gone through the trouble of finding out Finnish traditions, google translating ingredients and instructions, and then baked gingerbread cookies from scratch. And this all during Christmas week. I greatly appreciated it and it tasted just about right. Otherwise, the Christmas lunch consisted of ham, turkey, roast vegetables, sprouts, green beans, and oven-baked potatoes. As a dessert, there were pudding, trifle, and pavlova. All in all, a lot of delicious food and good company.
Christmas Lunch 
A hot dessert, a Christmas pudding
The corona situation is still good here, as the state of Victoria has now 58 days in a row without locally acquired cases. The hotel quarantine program has been started again and there are some cases, but hopefully this time there won’t be any leaks. Soon we can leave this 2020 behind us and hope for a better 2021.
Round of golf at Yarra Bend Golf 
The view from Quarry Park
Jone's adventures Down Under 