Himmeli

This christmas my friends and family will be receiving something from me that will turn the woolly socks around; for once I am on time with some christmassy thoughts. So no more last minute odd ball cards that arrive a few days before the new year.  No no, mine will be there as the first ones to arrive, for once.

Himmeli is a traditional old Finnish Christmas ornament hung from the ceiling. It’s made of short strips of straw tied together with strings to form a complex three-dimensional structure. Back in the day the Himmeli was hung above the dinner table to ensure that the coming rye crop would be plentiful. There are many different shapes and sizes of himmeli: the bigger the size, the larger the rye crop would be.

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