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14.12.2009: Touring in the beautiful winter of the North

Our Christmas tour in Finland has been a great success so far! :o) We're all really inspired by singing in churches. The church concerts were almost meditative; we even asked people to save their applause for the end of the concert, so it was all about music and peace and relaxation. I think we'll have to have more of this next year. Now we've started the concert hall section of the tour, and it's great to see houses full of happy people.

Jussi and I had the honour of attending the Independence Day reception in the Presidential Castle in Helsinki on Dec 6th. It's the biggest celebrity happening of the year for Finns, and it was a great pleasure to represent Rajaton there. We consider it an important acknowledgement for our work. We have met the President often through the years, but this was the first time we were invited to the reception.

The weather in Finland has been like a long fall; all rain and darkness and temperatures around 0°C and a little above, but now, eventually, we got some frost and it's -15°C and beautiful clear skies. We drove up north to Oulu, and it was winter-wonderland all along the way. The snow-white trees deserve every poem they've inspired! :o) It was a bit scary to pack for this part of the tour and not really remember how the cold air feels, but I tell you, it is GREAT! Fresh and lovely! It's only a question of what you wear. We're getting into the Christmas feeling along with the music we sing every day, and now the wintery views crown the whole thing. Christmas is COMING, ladies and gentlemen, and we are ready!

Thank you for checking out how we're doing; we wish you all the best for your Christmas time!

Essi