“Tyst, Linny.”
“What did he say?”
Linnea smiles mischievously. “He told me to shut up in Swedish.”
That makes me chuckle. “Well, I think he didn’t want you to share his secrets.”
We all laugh, and then it’s finally time to open presents once we are all seated. The Åkerman family has a tradition in which each of their children, meaning Jasper and his sisters, take one present from under the tree at a time, read the name tag, and then bring it to the person who it is for. The parents, farmor Lovisa, and I follow them from the sidelines.
When Linnea hands me a third package with my name written on it, I whisper, “I don’t have anything for you all.”
“Don’t you worry about it, sweetie! We made a deal years ago that us parents don’t get any presents and only spoil the children. Our kids still try, but we don’t expect it,” Anne reassures me.
“I love how you talk about them like they are still little.”
“It’s sometimes hard to accept that my babies are all grown-up. I guess the holidays with the family are one of the only times when we revert to the same roles we had back then.”
Like they are trying to prove her point, Elise and Linnea start what I assume is arguing based on the tone of their voices.
“What’s going on?” I ask Anne.
“The girls bought something for their pappa together, and both wanted to be the one who gave the present to him.”
Jasper goes to his sisters as his mom explains the situation. The trio huddles, and there are many heated whispers between them until the girls walk to their dad together, smiling and holding the package.
“Sorry, Pappa, but we just got excited,” Linnea explains in English.
Nils smiles broadly. “No worries; it reminded me of our previous holidays when you were younger.”
The rest of the gift-sharing goes smoothly after the little hitch. I don't know where to start when it’s time to open the gifts. There are five beautifully decorated gifts on my lap.
After careful consideration, I choose the largest one that says it’s from Anne and Nils. Unwrapping the red gift wrap with silver snowflakes, I find a box inside. Once I open it, I see it’s filled with things I haven’t seen before.
“We thought you would like a little welcome to Finland box,” Anne explains.
Their thoughtfulness touches me. “I love it. Thank you so much.”
“We collected our favorite things and added some extra. You can go through it later.”
The following two packages are filled with Finnish chocolate. I tried some earlier today, but I can’t wait for more. American chocolate will never taste the same after Fazer milk chocolate, which is smoother and creamier than most back home.
I notice that Jasper is growing antsy next to me, so I pick the one I know his sisters got me.
“Linnea and Elise, can I open this now, or should I wait until I’m alone?”
“You can open it now. We hope it’s the right fit, but if you want a smaller one, we kept the receipt,” Linnea tells me.
Based on her comment and the softness of the wrapped gift, it’s something to wear. But I have no idea what it could be. I open the present and slowly take out a blue jersey. Not any jersey, but ahockeyjersey.
“Ooh, is this a team Finland jersey?” I swoon as I know the Woodpecker colors are red, white, and black like in their logo.
“Yes. Check the back.” Elise winks.
Turning the jersey over, I hear Jasper mutter ‘fuck me’under his breath before my brain catches up. In bold white letters, the name Åkermanis spread across the upper back, and below that is what I assume is Jasper’s jersey number.
“Why number seventeen?”
Jasper clears his throat. “My pappa was also number seventeen, and that’s how I got the idea. I’ve had the same number since the junior league.”
