Christmas / Elf Night

Hello!

Do you hate Mondays? Are you feeling tired and cranky? Are you feeling like you need a hug this morning? If so, then watch this awesome clip...
 


 I hope I made you smile. I sure laugh every time when I see this scene. Why am I showing you a clip of a silly elf trying to hug a raccoon? That is because we just had our annual Elf Night this weekend and that is one of the funny scenes from the movie Elf.

This tradition of Elf Night started back in the USA when we first saw the movie Elf back in 2003. In our opinion it is the best Christmas movie. It is funny, cute and full of Christmas spirit.We watch it with friends every year before Christmas. During the movie we eat a ton of candy because elves' four main food groups are candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup (*giggle*).

This year we had our Elf Night at our friend's place in Joensuu. We took a bus there on Friday night and came back on Sunday. It was a great weekend!! I had so much fun. Thank you Reetta and Sami!!
Before we watched the movie we went to a adorable Christmas market in Joensuu. I got some of my Christmas shopping done there. Besides the actual market, there were cute little shops there too! I have plenty of pictures to show you what was going on there.

Me on Saturday...

Christmas market...

Santa was there too! He was singing carols with his elves.

We also visited a forge and a little shop where they sold all the wrough iron things they had made. They were awesome!

Santa again.

Santa is telling the kids to behave and be nice!

This little shop was way too cute!! They had all romantic French style decor and little nic nacs for sale.

This style is a bit too romatic for me but it is pretty to look at in the shop.

Horse and carriage. We didn't take a ride but I did get to pet the horse.

There was an exhibition of old style Christmas in Finland. Things used to be so much more simpler in the old times.

Christmas trees used to have real candles and all the ornaments were made out of straw.

Rice porridge and apples were a Christmas time treat back then and they still are part of the holiday menu in Finland.

Reetta and I baked ginger bread cookies too! This time we wanted to try putting blue cheese into the ginger bread cookie dough. It is a very Finnish thing to eat the ginger bread cookies with blue cheese. Don't say yuck before you taste it! It actually tastes really good. So this time we thought we mixed the cheese already in the dough. Usually you spread the cheese on the baked cookie.

Here's an unbaked blue cheese gingerbread cookie.

These sticks were the best. You could taste the blue cheese in these. The actual cookies didn't as cheesy as we had hoped.

Reetta rolling the dough.

Riittalicious as an elf.

Me rolling the dough.

Baked cookies. Nice golden brown color.

We made about a half of the cookies without the cheese.

We also bought a mix of candy.

We also had candy canes. You can't have an Elf Night without them.

The best Christmas movie ever!

Reetta and Sami's version of a Christmas tree.

 

I'm a cotton-headed ninny-muggins. Just watch the movie and you know what I mean.

Cheers!

All the yummy treats to enjoy during the movie.

On Sunday after we got back home, I lit the second Advent candle.

That was our awesome weekend. What did you do? I hope you had fun too.

Today I wish you a great Monday! And remember: The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.