My original plan was to go home for Christmas, at least for a few days, after all, Europe is not that big and it is possible. But then I saw the prices of Christmas flight tickets and my plan went out the window. So Christmas in Finland.
At the beginning of December, the other guides and I agreed to have a joint Christmas party and Secret Santa (where everyone draws someone and gives them a gift). Everyone who wanted to participate had to register and on Christmas Eve we met after and between work. Everyone brought, cooked, and prepared something... In the meantime, some of us got the message that we would be working in the evening. We gave each other gifts, and there was some confusion. We have two boys named Han and two named Li... One Han and Li did not register for gifts, but they received a gift. The others signed up, but didn't get a gift... There was just a mix-up of names and then the gifts... Fortunately, everyone took it well...
We stayed together for about an hour and then we, the workers, had to leave. I was picking up a family who was very nice, which I was happy about. At the frozen lake, we saw a mini piece of the aurora at first, but then the sky clouded over and there were clouds everywhere... So we entertained our clients with stories about the northern lights and life in Finland. Although we didn't see anything else, the clients were satisfied. I then drove them to their accommodation, it was 11 pm and I almost cried on the way back home. It wasn't like Christmas at all... Moreover, I felt alone, no one was home - Paula was also at work, the rest of the guides were at a party, it was was dark, empty, and sad everywhere... I can say that it was a totally different and probably the strangest and most un-Christmassy Christmas I have ever experienced.
And New Year's Eve was in a very similar vein. This time, however, I expected to work in the evening because I had no work during the day. In the end, I had the day off, but the forecast for the northern lights was quite high, so I decided to join a tour (to help a little and take a few photos for myself). The tour was very nice, but it was terribly cold (-35°C) and no aurora! We spent almost all the time inside by the fire, where it was at least a bit warm, but after a while the hot juice was covered with a layer of ice anyway… I warmed myself by the radiator and was actually looking forward to being home in bed with warm socks on my feet! We ended the tour a little early and welcomed the new year with a glass of bubbles at home. But even there, I was wrapped in a blanket and tried to warm up. What a pretty cold start to the new year!
And the low temperatures are sticking with us now. We've had temperatures between -20° and -35°C for a few days now... I've discovered that I'm not really built for it and that I probably won't be a participant in polar expeditions. As an experience, it's good, I can handle a few hours outside, but my toes are freezing even with three pairs of socks... Now I understand why they have saunas everywhere! After such a cold, you need to warm up your body!!!
