Ken decides it’s time to start the Christmas season. They put the lights on a spruce and Kaarna asks if they would get a Christmas tree inside the house also. Ken answers:
- Of course. Would you like to steal one for us?
- You can count on me!
Ken gulps when he watches the video messages that just beeped on his phone.
- Who the hell was that? Kaarna screams.
- It’s JuhaSusanna. She wants to spend the Christmas here with us.
- No!!!!!! I don’t want any strangers here!!!!
(Photo of JuhaSusanna by @juha.susanna. Get to know her on Instagram!)
Ken says:
- I will tell her that she’s welcome.
- Why do you always have to be so kind to everyone! That’s just a shitty fucking dildo asshole way to live!!!!
- She was fun to be with at the miniature fair. You can do art with her!
The lovely winter only lasts for one day and then the ground is covered with deadly ice.
Ken and Kaarna do their daily exercise in the swimming hall.
On the next day Ken makes space for the Christmas tree, when Kaarna goes into the woods for tree hunting.
It’s easy to find a tiny Christmas tree under the power lines. Of course it’s illegal to cut a tree. But not immoral! Namely those trees would be destroyed soon enough anyway.
But Kaarna is not looking for a tiny one this year.
When Ken sees the tree, that’s bigger than he expected, he asks:
- Where did you get that from?
- If I told you, I’d have to kill you.
- That’s the Christmas spirit!
They get all carried away with decorating the kitchen.
They choose the oldfashioned ornaments and place them around the Christmas tree.
They can’t even stop after dinner, so they move on to the other rooms and just keep going until it’s bedtime.
This is a mistake, because now they don’t have the usul and very essential relaxing time with a movie.
Tonight Kaarna’s thoughts wander and she starts to miss Mari. She really can’t concentrate on her book. It’s hard to believe that John Irving has actually written something this boring. The author must finally be too old to create a masterpiece.
Following the schedule Ken and Kaarna get quite a lot done and November is over sooner than they even notice.
Kaarna is not happy with the new products though:
- Who would buy a tote bag with a childish fox print? I hate trying to sell useless crap for people. There’s got to be a better way to earn a living.
Kaarna would like to craft a new diorama, but she doesn’t have a suitable toy figure. Ken suggests that she could take one of his Disney princesses.
But Kaarna says:
- They don’t inspire me at all. The only Disney movie character that I like is the Beast, before he turned into to the slimy prince.
Later she notices that the Beast figure actually exists and happens to be on sale! Click click clickity click! Done!
Ken is working on a bigger project.
- Why oh why did I leave this on the last minute? What if I fail and get nothing done?
He wants to take part in the village Christmas calendar. Every day until the Christmas Eve someone creates a lovely decoration in front of their house, by the street. Ken has chosen the day number 6, which is the Independence Day of Finland.
The darkness falls already after 3 p.m. but Ken manages to finish the log cabin on time.
When the sun rises in the morning of the Independence Day, Kaarna goes out to admire Ken’s cabin:
- It’s great! So big! And well made!
- Thank you!
- But empty… No inhabitants? Can I put some Christmas elves there?
- Of course!!!
- I’ll go to the recycling center to see if they have any Xmas shit left!
Kaarna finds excellent elves on the Facebook group where people give stuff away for free.
She has to modify the creatures only a little.
When Ken sees Kaarna’s elves, he cries:
- Our neighbours will ban us from taking part in the village Christmas calendar ever again!
- This is just as accurate as any other composition! Not everybody’s holidays are peaceful and safe. Besides these little guys look very merry and joyful! Maybe they are having a traditional Finnish pre-Christmas party!
Time flies and Ken is worried if the Christmas cards will even arrive on time to all the foreign friends.
- Remember last Christmas when I swore I will do this already in the beginning of the year?
- Ha! I do! We always do everything in the last minute, don’t we?
- Everybody does, we’re not an exception.
Look Ken! The Christmas gift that I ordered last week just arrived!
- Who is it for?
- For myself! It’s the Beast doll!!!
- What??? Oh Kaarna, you just ruined Christmas!
- Why?
- Take a look at the package under the tree.
- Buying presents to yourself should be forbidden before Christmas.
- Mmmm, two hot beasts. That really shouldn’t be forbidden!
