Inside the cozy house Villekulla: the Lahti family’s 124-year-old home that starts Christmas in October
Ville and Mira Lahti and their children celebrate Christmas with extended family in a house built in the 1800s. Mira already immerses herself in the Christmas spirit in October because she believes it’s the best celebration of all. The festivities last three days, shared with both Mira’s and Ville’s relatives. The highlight is heating up the renovated yard sauna.
Amid white snowdrifts on a sloping plot stands Ville and Mira Lahti’s manor-yellow wooden house. Previously part of a large estate, it served as a hillside cottage for employees. It was separated from the main estate in 1988. Old houses weren’t highly valued at the time, so the home was sold as worthless. When the property was divided, Ville’s parents named it Villekulla after their son.
It’s easy for Ville to reconnect with the Christmas spirit of his childhood here, because this over-120-year-old house is where he grew up. Ville’s parents built a new home on the same lot, and in 2019, Ville and Mira took over caring for Villekulla.
In addition to the parents, the Lahti family includes daughters Freya, 9, and Saga, 2, as well as Bea the dog. At first, Mira and Ville wondered how living so close to Ville’s parents would work out. “Great,” they say now, and they appreciate the extra childcare. They see the grandparents every day, and also on Christmas, of course.
“The scent of hyacinth brings back childhood memories.”
Christmas arrives at Villekulla in October to the sound of Christmassy melodies—much earlier than Ville would prefer. Mira’s playlist features carefully chosen Christmas songs, both classics and the children’s favorite tunes.
As a visual marketer, Mira has built festive Christmas worlds in department stores. She’s taken inspiration from them for her own holiday decor, but with a calmer touch: nothing too flashy, and muted colors even at Christmas.
The family prefers dim lighting—candles instead of strings of lights. The same atmosphere carries into the yard sauna. Even though it has electricity, Mira brings lanterns to the Christmas sauna, and Ville lines the path with outdoor torches.
They renovated the house to suit their style without modernizing it completely, keeping its age in mind when making interior choices. With color, wallpaper, and paint, they created a relaxed yet stylish look. A key goal was a spacious dining table for hosting large gatherings.
When the property was divided, Ville’s parents named the house Villekulla after their son, Ville.
Before Christmas, Mira and 9-year-old Freya make paper stars and Christmas cards together. Mira likes to make a homemade Advent calendar, filling kraft paper pouches with fun activities or small treats for Freya and Saga. Amaryllis and hyacinths decorate the house, and Mira cuts evergreen branches from the yard for flower arrangements.
“The scent of hyacinth reminds me of my childhood,” Mira says.
The family’s Christmas preparations also include a trip to the Maatilapuoti farm store in Kirkkonummi to pick out a tree. They always go together as a family. While there, they buy a Christmas loaf, which they enjoy with fish on Christmas Eve. The Lahtis decorate the tree right away, hanging the ornaments they’ve collected over the years—made from paper, wood, clay, or felt. One thing the tree still lacks is a star.
“Our old one broke, and we just haven’t gotten around to buying a new one,” Mira explains.
In Mira’s opinion, Christmas is the best celebration of all. The festivities last three days, shared with both Mira’s and Ville’s families.
On Christmas Eve, they head next door to Ville’s parents’ home, where they visit the Christmas sauna that Mira and Ville remodeled. Ville’s mother arranges the fish dishes and prepares the traditional Christmas ham and casseroles. Ville is a vegetarian, so there’s also tofu “ham.” Finally, they serve a traditional dessert passed down by Ville’s grandmother, nicknamed “mössö” ("mush"), made with citrus fruit and quark.
When Mira’s relatives arrive on Christmas Day, the celebration moves to Mira and Ville’s home at Villekulla. Everyone contributes food potluck-style. Along with the traditional Finnish Christmas dishes, there might be Karelian stew, Russian pickles, and sour cream. Christmas Day also happens to be Mira’s birthday, so there’s always a berry-filled cream cake for dessert.
Mira’s sister’s family stays over on Christmas Day to enjoy the sauna and spend the night. This spacious house easily accommodates guests, and the children love having more kids around. Rice porridge is saved for Boxing Day.
“Christmas is for children, and even the grown-ups enjoy having extra energy around. After Boxing Day, we settle in with just our own family,” Mira muses.
Christmas arrives at Villekulla in October, when the first holiday tunes can be heard.
The Lahti family’s wooden house was parceled out from the Bergkulla estate in 1988.
Ville brings lanterns and candles into the Christmas sauna, and he lines the sauna path with outdoor torches.
