Holly Jolly Christmas

Oh wow. I knew that everything in America is bigger but I did not expect that about Christmas! It was amazing and now I realize what my host mom Heather meant when she said that Christmas is her favourite holiday. I am so blessed to spend the Christmas time with this family. 

After Thanksgiving, you are allowed to put up Christmas lights and that’s how the waiting starts. There are beautiful decorations on the main street in Platteville and Christmas music comes from the speakers for the whole month. On Saint Nick’s day we put shoes in front of the fireplace and in the morning there was a little gift on each shoe. The Connolly’s Xmas ornament tradition was one of my favourite things! Everyone gets one ornament every year and it’s about the big thing that they did in the past year. After getting the ornaments, the family decorates the xmas tree together while eating Grammy’s Xmas cookies. When we finished the tree, Hannah sang Oh Holy Night with her beautiful voice. That moment definitely got the Christmas spirit going on. 

Family Ornament 
 
Silly kids 
 
Christmas lights park, it was amazing!  
Ugly Xmas sweater day in school with McKenzie  
Early Christmas with relatives  
So many presents and it's just a start, they said!  
That's Papa style, he likes duck tape!  
Papa happy about his present 
 
They know how to make me happy

On the 24th we went to Church and sang all these Crhistmas songs. At the end we made a huge circle where each one of us had a candle and while singing Silent Night we lit up all the candles. On Christmas eve, we put up milk and cookies for Santa and we also got radar pajamas, so that Santa can find us. There is a little ‘tracker’ in the pajamas so when you wear that on the Christmas night, Santa will know where to deliver the presents. ;) Before going to bed, Mike read The Night Before Christmas for us (Alyssa fell asleep on my lap). 

Radar Pajamas  
I love being a big sister 
 
 I love her 
 
 Story time 
 
Gingerbread houses, mine has the Finnish flag on top

Here we celebrate Christmas on the 25th which is one day later than in Finland. The kids woke me up at 7am (yay), we had a competition of finding one special ornament that was hidden in the Christmas tree. After that we started to open presents each one on our turn. I was amazed to get so many gifts, I guess I have been a nice girl this year! After all the presents, we still had some candy in the stockings in front of the fireplace. The grandparents and Aunt Sherry came over and we spent a nice Christmas together. I had a holly jolly Christmas and I hope you did too! Enjoy New Year’s Eve & take care! 

Presents waiting under the tree  
She is happy of her deer earrings
 
 Pikkuveli = little brother 
 
 Some bunny loves you 
 
My face when I saw that Santa got me beats  
She seems pleased 
 
Our little Elf got her first tablet 
 
Yeeah, he's got the beat(s)  
Thank you Santa, I love you  
Christmas lunch  
A little different from Finland, but I still got the ham  
I have been a good kid  
Favourite ones  
Tomorrow is the last day of 2014, hope you had a good year!  

Ps. Thanks to Mama bear (Heather) I got this new post done, she made this blog the task of the day for me. So when others are doing dishes & laundry, I am working on my blog!

Love, Heini

Thanksgiving thoughts

What is this holiday really about? Could there be something behind of all that cooking, eating and resting? I say yes. The holiday is about spending time with your loved ones and having a moment to think how blessed we all are to have to food in our table and the people around us. While we were praying on the dinner table, I felt tears coming to my eyes. They were tears of happiness and even more, tears of gratitude. I love it here and I can’t say thank you enough to all the people who made my exchange year possible.

I have been thinking about my life lately more than usual. I’ve wondered why does life go like it does and how can we make the best out of every day. It’s not easy to leave your whole life and go to a different country to start a new life from nothing. But when you have the courage to do that, what happens next? Can you affect in your life or does it just kind of happen? In my opinion, you can definitely affect in it. It’s all about your attitude. Your decisions are the results of your attitude. Even Buddha says: ”The mind is everything; What you think, you become.” 

I was talking to one of my friends the other day and he said: ”There are no good or bad things, they are all just experiences.” Exchange year is one huge experience and it is not either good or bad. It is definitely not just black and white; you have all the colors that there are. There are so many feelings, that sometimes you have never anything felt like it before. You need to take it as an experience, just like all the things that come up during the year or general in life. When you have the right attitude you will make the best out of every day. And that’s what I want. 

Go on with a happy spirit
 Cleaning with Nathan
 
I prepared the turkey this year!

 Straight from the owen
Hannah made the cheese & sausage in the shape of a turkey!

Pumpkin & pecan pie 
 
 Grateful to have them as a host family
Turkey & mashed potatoes
Party potatoes, buns, chocolate chip bread, pumpkin pie & mousse
Stuffing & bean casserole
 I also made the pumpkin pie!
Our cutie pie Bella
 
 Going black friday shopping!
 Let's do this! 

 So tired but happy 

Found snickers bigger than my head! Lol 

Having real American breakfast; deeelicious!
Every day matters! 

Christmas decoration & music on main street
 I love it here! 



 I hope you are having a nice week! Love, Heini