Finland Ambassador Juha Pyykkö opened the door himself when I rang the bell to his home in Bonifacio Global City. The family dog Luna welcomed me with a bark and a wagging tail.
“You are not afraid of dogs, right?” he asked. I am not. Luna settled under the center table for the most part of the interview.
I told the envoy that I didn’t expect to be welcomed like a friend to their family residence. There was no embassy staff to mediate, no permits or clearances to secure before our meeting. He even replied to my email directly.
Pyykkö said that he could wear his suit and act formally, but he deliberately chose to not stand on ceremony. He even invited his wife, Riita Laakso, to join the conversation. It was a very relaxed afternoon.
I looked around at the residence and noted the lack of Christmas decorations. Pyykkö said that they will put up their trees on Christmas eve.
“We bring in the Christmas tree on the 24th. That’s been my family’s tradition since when I was a child,” he said. “My father brought the tree in the morning and then we put the candles and gradually decorated it. Then we’d have lunch and go to a sauna afterwards.”
I asked about the straw decorations that we often see. Straw decor is common in Finland. He explained that this is made of hay as his country is an agricultural one. Farmers make them by hand.
Pyykkö assumed office in Manila in Nov. 2020. He described the Christmas celebrations that year as subdued. In a way, this year is his first taste of a full-on Filipino Christmas celebration, which started in September. He said he finds it very nice. His family will fly to Finland to celebrate the holidays there.
The Pyykkös broke down their family traditions to me one by one.
One of them watches the declaration of “Christmas Peace” announced every year in the city of Turku on television. The tradition basically means a Christmas truce, a reminder for people to not get into trouble during this time.
“It’s an old tradition from the time when we were part of Sweden. Christmas Peace means that if you do something bad, it’s aggravated because it’s Christmastime,” he said. “My family, we close down in our home. This is very particular to us. We don’t go out basically until Boxing Day.” Boxing Day is on Dec. 26.
Traditions
The family spends Christmas eve at home to relax, read a book, watch movies together and sleep.
The Pyykkös have three children, Ester, Emil and Pepe. One of their favorite Christmas movies is “Love Actually.” Pyykkö said that they have probably seen it more than 15 times. Their son Emil insists upon it.
They also sing carols on Christmas eve before they partake of the Christmas dinner. Laakso said that their meals are all made by hand. It’s also the same menu for the past 22 years.
“There is herring, smoked salmon, beetroot salad with carrots, potatoes. For the mains, we will have the basic casseroles, one with potato, carrots and rutabaga. Then we always have the Christmas ham,” she said.
The Christmas ham is assigned to Pyykkö. He prepares it the night before and roasts it overnight. The ham will be topped with glazed mustard.
“It’s a big job,” he said with a wink. They’ve modified the menu a bit to accommodate two family members who are now vegetarians. Last year, they tried adding a vegan ham.
Laakso was the first to admit that it didn’t turn out to be good. Hence, they will try again this year.
Laakso added that one tradition they don’t get to practice anymore is going to the graves and lighting candles for their dead. They live too far away now. Pyykkö likened it to how Filipinos celebrate All Souls’ Day.
The family’s Christmas breakfast is also special. They share a pot of rice porridge. They hide a single piece of almond in the pot and whoever gets it will be assigned a special task, which is most likely just washing the dishes. But the family ends up splitting the chores anyway.
Real Santa
Pyykkö says whoever gets the almond feels so special and lucky.
Santa Claus is a big part of the Finnish Christmas culture. Pyykkö said that their Santa is not a commercialized one who sells products. He is a real person who lives in a village in Rovaniemi.
Children from all over the world write to him for requests. Laakso remembers a time when they visited him in his village. They lined up so the children could talk to Santa Claus for 10 minutes.
But Santa also paid a visit to their homes. Pyykkö revealed that they would sometimes hire a neighbor to dress up like Santa to talk to the children in their home and give the gifts they bought for them.
There was also a year when Pyykkö himself donned the red suit and acted as Santa for his children. Laakso got emotional and teared up when she remembered the words Emil said to her when he found out that Santa was actually their dad.
“He went to bed and said to me, ‘Thank you, Mom, for making us play this game all these years, for making us believe in Santa Claus, because it keeps hope for all children.’ I thought it was a beautiful thought. It is the true spirit of Santa.”
“Yes, you want to believe in him,” Pyykkö said.
So what are the common gifts they give to children?
“Of course, toys. There’s always a parcel that includes woolen socks or pajamas and books,” Laakso said.
Books are appreciated. Pyykkö credits his wife for turning their children into readers. He said that his youngest Pepe would have his coffee on the balcony every morning to read a book.
What if the receiver gets a book that they’ve already read? He said that the gifts can always be exchanged for what they like. They don’t get offended.
Happiest people
“We are very, very practical. Affluent people feel like they must buy jewelry, but we are not like that,” he said.
Laakso has already prepared the stuff that she will be bringing home to Finland this year. She prepared Filipino hampers that were so popular with family and friends last year.
Her shopping list includes dried mangoes, sukang pinakurat, local coffee, chocolates and Don Papa Rum.
“That was a success,” he said.
If Filipinos do find themselves in Finland, Laakso recommends they bring home chocolates, gin and Marimekko scarves.
I found the ambassador and his wife to be quite the regular, down-to-earth people. Pyykkö explained that even their practicality is like most Finnish people.
Perhaps, this is also one of the reasons Finnish people are happiest in the world. He named things such as gender equality, freedom and getting their taxes’ worth as the reasons they earned the title.
But the family’s tradition also speaks volume on why they are content. They slow down instead of rush before Christmas Day, to allow themselves to enjoy the time with people who matter. INQ