At Jenni’s wooden house, Christmas means crafting and baking: “The wait doesn’t feel so long when there’s something fun to do together”

In this wooden-house neighborhood, the yards gradually become covered by the first snowfall. Behind the red door, a smiling girl with braided hair peeks out, inviting us in quickly so the cats, Mister Mini and Herra Kaneli, don’t dash into the yard.

The youngest member of the Virta family, Helmi hurries from the hallway up the stairs into the gingerbread-scented kitchen, where her mother Jenni is putting the finishing touches on the gingerbread greenhouse by attaching the roof pieces with royal icing. She’s decorating the structure with dried flowers collected from the garden and roadsides.

“I want to try something new every year. The gelatin windows in the greenhouse keep sliding out of place, and the walls are a bit crooked, but that’s just part of the fun,” Jenni laughs.

In their nearly hundred-year-old wooden house, the family takes a relaxed approach to holiday preparations. There’s no sign of rushing or Christmas stress when they start getting ready in late October or early November.

“Christmas doesn’t happen without crafting and baking. And the wait doesn’t feel as long when there’s something fun for everyone to do.”

Jenni is responsible for most of the Christmas atmosphere. The first decorations to appear around the house are the wreaths she makes herself, a tradition and skill she learned from her mother when she was a child.

In her wreaths, Jenni favors materials from florists, which hold up better when dried than conifer branches that shed. She decorates them with natural finds like branches, grasses, and cones, as well as animal figurines borrowed from Helmi.

Jenni also uses greenery and natural materials to decorate the homemade children’s Advent calendars, holiday arrangements, and table settings. Helmi’s story-themed Advent calendar is made of moss, branches, cones, toys, and recycled materials, and features a hedgehog as its main character. Jenni hides surprises for the boys in Christmas stockings trimmed with eucalyptus branches.

When it comes to Christmas flowers, Jenni chooses them based on both beauty and cat safety. She especially likes cut amaryllis and the christmas rose, which also works well in various holiday arrangements.

“I have a love-hate relationship with hyacinths. They’re beautiful but often smell too strong.

The Christmas tree is the crown jewel of the holiday home, completing the festive atmosphere in the living room. Every year during Christmas week, the whole family goes together to pick one from a nearby Christmas tree seller.

On the day before Christmas Eve, the tree is adorned with red ornaments that were purchased when their oldest child Onni was little.

“We keep the tree up well past Christmas because we love its scent and the cozy feel it brings.”

Jenni loves all things beautiful, and she finds it wonderful to collect ideas and materials for decorations throughout the year.

For Jenni, Christmas crafting means unwinding, setting a festive mood, and enjoying unhurried time with the children—yet also having personal time to work on decorations that matter to her.

Gingerbread dough is one of Jenni’s favorite materials because you can make anything from it. In addition to the greenhouse, she has also created a house modeled after her father’s forest cabin.

Gingerbread baking and Christmas crafts are a shared activity for Jenni and the family’s youngest children, Helmi and Aarre. In November, the kitchen table alternates between dough and various papers, strings, and tapes, as mom and the kids bake gingerbread and create paper stars.

Besides decorations, the trio also makes part of the gifts themselves, such as embroidered hand towels, mosaic projects, and gingerbread houses for friends and relatives.

In Jenni’s opinion, crafting and baking should always be approached with a relaxed mindset. If a gingerbread house fails, you can always eat it, and a paper star can easily be replaced with a new one.

Everything is based on simplicity and speed. Most of the projects are done in one go.

“I try to come up with easy decorations and gifts that children are able to put together. Only wreaths, sand-dried flowers, and some of the gingerbread projects are my own thing.”

We only display the prettiest decorations that fit our home’s decor and color scheme. The children’s colorful creations decorate their bedrooms.

“The kids love abundance and bright colors, while I prefer a pared-down style and earthy tones. I’ve solved this by choosing materials that I like for us to use in crafting. That way, the overall look of our home stays calm and harmonious.”

They ease into Christmas when the children’s school break begins. On the days around Christmas Eve, they visit relatives and friends.

“Christmas goes more smoothly when the celebration is spread out over a longer period. In recent years, we’ve aimed to spend the actual holidays at home. That way, there’s no rush or stress of packing up, and we get some family time free from the hustle and bustle.”

Christmas Eve morning starts early, as the youngest children rush downstairs to open the small surprise gifts from their Advent calendars. In the morning twilight, the family enjoys a Christmas breakfast by candlelight. After that, the house fills with the smell of gingerbread as they bake the traditional Christmas Eve cookies, accompanied by Jenni’s curated holiday playlist.

While the children play and watch festive kids’ shows, Jenni cooks rice porridge and fruit kissel. After the Declaration of Christmas Peace, it’s time for Christmas porridge. Soon, the doorbell rings, and the long-awaited visitor in red walks in.

On Christmas Eve evening, the table is laid with savory dishes, and the sweets—like Jenni’s cakes—are saved for Christmas Day.

Once the children are in bed and the house is quiet, Jenni and Jere spend time together and exchange their gifts.

“Christmas Eve night is peaceful and happy because all the holiday rush is behind us. That’s when we have time to enjoy each other’s company and all the beauty around us.”