Christmas season

The Christmas season gets started already in late November with the tradition of pre-Christmas parties. The locals get together with their colleagues and friends to enjoy hot mulled wine, known as “glögi” and other Christmas treats.

Already since the 1930s it has been a tradition among families in Helsinki to gather at the end of November to watch the Christmas lights being turned on along Aleksanterinkatu, one of the main shopping streets in the city centre. Part of the tradition also includes admiring the Stockmann department store’s fairytale Christmas windows, which never fail to impress younger audiences.