Ääh. Although Finland is just about the "best" EU country in terms of Covid "low" numbers, our infection numbers have gone up since polar night (< 8 hours of twilight/daylight with daily 16 hours of darkness), cold, sleet, slush, and more indoors vs. outdoors, and well beyond sunny outdoorsy Spring 2020 numbers. So, after a lockdown Eastern, we, too, are facing a lockdown Christmas. I feel we are being tested here, faith-wise. Virtual Church services only, max 10 people, no Masses, no "mass" Eucharist, again, although, privately, you can ask for one. As I have noted before, Luther raged against private Masses but here we are again, out of Covid necessity.
At least we have learned tons of "virtual" reach-out stuff to do since March 2020, so we aren't caught with our pants down and desperate to learn all the new tricks, a whole new language and a way of being a
lähimmäinen, a fellow human being, a neighbour (literally the nearest one), not this time.
Our kids doing the traditional and obligatory (in Finland and Sweden)
Hoosianna, Hosanna, which kicks starts our Advent Season:
Hosanna, son of David,
He shall be praised!
The praised son of David,
Who shall go by the Lord's name.
Also, for everyone internationally, the legendary Finnish
Jouluradio, Christmas Radio -- ten channels, for free, not just in Finnish and Swedish but in English and international, from classic ("klassinen"), Jazz and Indie, to "Kauneimmat" (the Most Beautiful) Joulu (in Finnish) and Jul (in Swedish) to the more classical/religiously inclined to children's ("Lasten") to heavy ("Rouhea").