A cozy Christmas at the old vicarage: “These rooms have space for a wonderful family Christmas”
When Kaisa and Ville acquired an old vicarage as their second home, they renovated it meticulously. As part of the renovation, the house was split into two sections: a formal area and a day-to-day area.
Kaisa and Ville Huhtaniemi’s grand Christmas table is set for both their extended family and their own household. Ville has smoked the ham in a grill. On the table, there are casseroles and fish. Christmas at the old vicarage brings together childhood traditions and new customs.
“The best part is spending time together. This house is filled with stories and memories. These rooms have space for a lovely family Christmas. It has always been my dream,” Kaisa says.
Kaisa and Ville dreamed of finding a vacation home in Kinnula, Central Finland, where Kaisa was born. The old vicarage, which had been on the market for a while, turned out to be exactly what they were looking for. Kaisa’s parents had lived there in the early 1970s. Her sister was born in the vicarage, but the family moved out before Kaisa was born.
“I was immediately on board with buying this house. I pictured our family, as well as my own sisters and parents, spending Christmas around a long table while snow dusted the trees in the yard. Ville took a moment to think about the scale of the renovation.”
The Huhtaniemi family includes Kaisa and Ville, and children Amalia, 9, and Samuel, 7. They love their second home more than anything. On Boxing Day, they sled with sleds and kicksleds. A perfect slope runs from the house toward the sauna, just right for an exhilarating ride.
The wooden bench on the glass porch was given to Kaisa by her grandmother Olga. In a swap, Kaisa gave her grandmother a wider bed and received this bench that traveled from Karelia as part of an evacuation convoy.
“I was immediately ready to buy this house. Ville took a moment to consider the scale of the renovation.”
The most recent renovation had been done just before the turn of the millennium. In the renovation carried out by Kaisa and Ville, the vicarage was divided into two areas—a festive wing and a day-to-day wing. The festive wing evokes a manor-like atmosphere, while the everyday side has a more rustic, country feel.
“In the everyday wing, there is more exposed, rough-hewn log surface,” Kaisa explains.
The over 100-year-old vicarage was built in 1913. It serves as the Huhtaniemi family’s vacation home. The house has eight rooms and a kitchen, totaling about 200 square meters (approximately 2,150 sq ft). It’s beautifully situated by a winding river. In addition to the main building, the property includes an old log storehouse and a cozy sauna that was built from an old barn.
When the wood stove crackles, they bake traditional S-shaped Christmas cookies passed down in the family. “The original recipe comes from my mother’s aunt’s old baking book. It’s funny that Samuel’s nickname is also S,” Kaisa says.
As dusk falls in the vicarage, candle holders glow in every window—just as Kaisa has always hoped.
Kaisa’s father, who helped with the renovation, sanded the darkened log walls to make them lighter. After her initial surprise, Kaisa fell in love with the bright look of the vicarage’s kitchen walls.
Christmas decorations are hung on the old wall rack. It could share stories dating back to Kaisa’s mother’s childhood.
Christmas quietly settles in at the vicarage with the aroma of gingerbread. Kaisa and the children do their first baking as early as November. For Christmas Eve, they prepare a dessert with cookies, raspberry jam, apple juice, vanilla ice cream, and lingonberries.
Old holiday decorations such as straw goats, straw mobiles, and small flag banners fit the vicarage better than the family’s city home. Kaisa and the children make angel ornaments from hymnals discovered in the attic. Kaisa dreams of an angel chime with a sound as beautiful as the one she remembers from childhood.
“Evergreens, tulips, and poinsettia bring the real spirit of Christmas. You won’t see plastic in our holiday,” she says.
As dusk falls over the vicarage, candle holders glow in every window—just as Kaisa has hoped since childhood. Board games come out, and there are more than enough blankets for cozy relaxing. The magic of Christmas is here—it’s a time of well-being.
“I pictured everyone gathered around a long table for Christmas.”
Christmas Eve morning starts with rice porridge in the everyday kitchen. A few gifts have appeared under the tree overnight, so Samuel and Amalia hurry through breakfast. The kitchen table and benches were made by Kaisa’s father in a woodworking class.
The endearing rocking chair once belonged to Kaisa’s great-grandmother. It was in such poor condition before its restoration that a bicycle tire had been used to fix its legs. The white wall cabinet hides kitchen supplies. At the end of the table stands the only old piece of furniture originally found in the vicarage. It was discovered in pieces in the attic and Kaisa’s father repaired it.
A new pantry was recently built in the vicarage’s kitchen. During the renovation, building materials were reused whenever possible. The pantry doors used to lead from the glass porch into the entryway.
“These rooms have space for a delightful family Christmas.”
The calmest spot for relaxing in the house is the library. The armchairs and gold-toned bar cart were bought on an online second-hand marketplace. The wallpaper is Sense of Silence Nocturne by Boråstapeter—the first wallpaper Kaisa chose for the vicarage.
The back room, or guest room, also features the Sense of Silence Nocturne wallpaper.
The bishop’s chamber earned its name because that’s where the bishop stayed during official parish visits. From here, you have the finest view of the river and two nearby lakes.
The children’s room has a wooden bed made by Kaisa’s grandfather. It was brought in from Kaisa’s childhood home. The summery wallpaper is Falsterbo Birds by Boråstapeter.
“The scent of evergreens, tulips, and poinsettia brings a real Christmas feeling. You won’t see plastic in our holiday.”
On Christmas, rice porridge is enjoyed in the kitchen, but the main holiday meal is served in the parlor. Santa also arrives in the parlor. The rug, woven decades ago in Iran, covers the floor. The parlor’s floor was painted with Virtanen’s Porstua and the shade Usva from Uula’s traditional color chart.
Thanks to the renovation, the festive wing gained a manor-like ambiance, while the everyday wing offers a country atmosphere.
Before the renovation, every room had plastic flooring, lowered ceilings, and white-painted walls. Underneath, the original plank floors were found. Removing the drop ceiling added about half a meter to the ceiling height. Some rooms now have new plank floors, including the former maid’s chamber—currently a guest room. The floors were finished with soap washing. True to tradition, the maid’s chamber is directly behind the kitchen. The mint-green hostess cupboard found its place here. It used to belong to Kaisa’s grandmother on her mother’s side.
Amalia enjoys helping her mom in the kitchen. Baking treats and creating decorations are always family favorites during the holidays.
The table is set with the vicarage’s finer china—gold-edged, floral vintage dishes and cloth napkins. Dessert is served in clear glasses. They drink milk in style from footed goblets.
Today, the vicarage is a mix of how it really looked decades ago and how one might imagine an old vicarage could look. Parts of the structure have turned up clues and messages from previous renovation crews dating back to 1925.
Kaisa’s father keeps an eye on the edges of the field—from spring planting to autumn plowing—to find just the right spruce. Together with the grandchildren, he brings it home on a mild day right before Christmas.
Kaisa shares photos and stories of the vicarage on her Instagram account @paikkapappilassa.
