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With our own house finally, the plan was to have a real Christmas tree for the first time, but it wasn't to be, which means the plastic fantastic will have to do. I don't mind of course as I don't think I am up for what I would consider should be, a "must do" tradition in Finland - stealing a tree from someone's forest. Most Finns don't do this of course, but I believe that it really should be part of the Christmas spirit of giving. There is supposedly a fine for being caught stealing Christmas trees of something like 50€ per meter, but I think it would be worth it. Just so you know, Finland is pretty much filled entirely with lake and Christmas trees, so even if a million or five were cut down just for this holiday, it wouldn't even make a dent. 

Actually, it could also be seen as a government initiative and rather than theft, it would be sanctioned. They keep the forests under the powerlines clear but the trees grow back, so they have to keep cutting them down occasionally. Many of the trees would be the perfect size for Christmas trees and currently most of the trees come from overseas I think  and at about 40€ each, it means that while a bit of tax stays in Finland, the majority goes outside the borders. 

That is 40€ that could be spent at the Alko, the government monopoly on alcohol (except mid strength and lower beer) in Finland. The excuse is that it combats alcohol problems in society, but if anything, I believe it makes them worse as they have essentially made alcohol something special, rather than normalized it and taken away its social stature. On a side note, while everyone is "scared of getting Corona", the Alko (bottle shop - or "bottle-o" if Australian) was packed full of people. Social distancing is a thing, unless it gets in the way of getting drunk. I guess that alcohol kills germs though, so if you drink enough....

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![OI001034.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/BZQfcXM1-OI001034.jpg)

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Anyway. Tonight we erected and decorated the tree with Smallsteps, who can't put on a normal face anymore if asked to look at the camera. I hope it is a phase, but at the very least, she can look back at four year old her and say what her parents say, "what's with that face?" She is still cute in my eyes. 

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![OI001021.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/05wcUvQX-OI001021.jpg)

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My wife was looking for a basket to put the tree in so as to cover the stand, but couldn't find one that fit. IO found the perfect one at home and I think because it is the first year without him, it is even more fitting. Viski's toy basket complete with toys will be the base for the tree this year and of course, my wife cried when she saw I had done this, in a bitter sweet kind of way. 


![OI001033.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/DPcuUSuV-OI001033.jpg)

We don't have many options for decorations for the tree and the last years we have just had a range of silver balls on it, but this year we decided to have a heart theme, using decorations we haven't used for several years. Smallsteps liked the idea a lot and she enjoyed the process of decorating the tree with my wife, while I took some photos, sans the silly face. 

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![OI001024.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/pY5iylmE-OI001024.jpg)

![OI001022.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/HS7WtBQl-OI001022.jpg)

![OI001018.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/Um62Gg7Q-OI001018.jpg)

![OI001023.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/kgLrHgUd-OI001023.jpg)

![OI001019.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/hK549DSB-OI001019.jpg)

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We tried, but she couldn't quite get the star on, which might be party due to me being too short to get her high enough, but next year I'll get her a ladder if she doesn't grow 50 centimeters more - which is about as likely as me growing another 50 centimeters in the same timeframe. 

You might notice that the background is unfinished drywall. This is in our entrance and this area has been put on hold until we can gather a little more funding to cover the finishing of it, but it is fine for this year and gives the always in trend "industrial Christmas" look that people crave in their own homes. 

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![OI001026.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/Tf5lP1ZC-OI001026.jpg)

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This is a shot from the entrance to the house and I added in the shelving for shoes on the right today. Where the tree is will eventually have a large, sliding-door cupboard there for more shoes and jackets, but that will be some time off as well. The green line behind the tree is the handrail for the stairs which is still to be painted white, but it is so long we have nowhere else to put it for now. 

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![OI001031.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/dd9JbzPC-OI001031.jpg)

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And of course, to finish off the decorations, a dachshund to stand guard over the presents, which will be very sparse I think this year and will be placed under the tree on Christmas Eve eve, rather than Santa dropping by. Finns are apparently too impatient to wait until Christmas to celebrate, so they have the main day on the 24th, with the 25th and boxing day put aside to nurse the hangover, I assume. 

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![OI001025.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/GWSkA9AS-OI001025.jpg)

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These were taken on an Olympus EM-1 MkIII, with an Oly 12-40mm 2.8 Pro lens and off-camera flash - quickly edited on my phone in Lightroom mobile to crop and bring up the temperature slightly.  

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![OI001032.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/5B1R6aq4-OI001032.jpg)

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So there we have it, Christmas tree decorations in the KP home for 2020. Now, I don't care one iota about Christmas, traditions or religious connotations at all - I don't care about the presents either - but it is fun to do something different with Smallsteps once a year and she enjoys this kind of thing a lot, as does my wife - who does care about the presents. It is funny how some people make a fuss about not having a tree or whatever because they aren't Christian, but I find it silly. Perhaps that is why it is called the silly season. 



Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]



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