Tanja @tanjaostman@dingdash.com

@sinbach thanks for sharing! Very interesting! Jordan is smarter than most of us... I am happy that he uses his intelligence wisely.

@otso On ihan tuore kuva Jyväskylästä (Jyväsjärvi)! Löysin sen netistä...

Ice skating on a frozen lake in Finland.

...and the same goes for the rest of the 🌎.

@sinbach @bethany you are so funny with your teasings! 😂

@sinbach @Cherishingsparrows2020
And the great thing is that it's not only delicious, but healthy as well!

"Many people are surprised to find that the right kind of chocolate is actually very heart healthy. Dark chocolate contains many nutrients including fiber, magnesium, iron, copper, calcium, protein, and manganese.

Dark chocolate is high in antioxidant flavonoids and polyphenols that combat oxidative stress and inflammation. Flavanols are the main type of flavonoid found in dark chocolate. Flavanols have been shown to have numerous heart healthy benefits including lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow to the heart

The darker and less processed the chocolate, the higher the amount of catechins are in the chocolate. Catechins are super antioxidant flavanols with beneficial effect on cardiovascular health. Catechins can effectively lower blood pressure, prevent oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol..." Read the rest here: https://drjockers.com/12-best-heart-healthy-foods/

@Cherishingsparrows2020 I am fond of dark chocolate. And it feels good to enjoy it with a good conscience because there's almost no sugar in it. Organic even healthier.

@sinbach @bethany @Olamide thanks for the old film clip! It would be interesting to know if there was a temporary rise in traffic accidents. I remember when they changed our currency from mark to euro. 1 euro was about 6 marks. I felt like a child, because the new numbers told me nothing. For a couple of years I had to count. And learned the 6 times table... very well. 😂

@bethany @Olamide Ok, I surrender! Do as you want! Don't want to become your enemy because you do things differently over there... 😂

@bethany @Olamide @Berrybunchfamily but an honest question, why are you driving on the wrong side of the road? I wouldn't stand everybody driving on the wrong side if I would visit England and drive on the right side.

@MaryMamuzich @bethany @sinbach ... and some stumble over too long dresses. 🤣

@MaryMamuzich @sinbach yes, she was a martyr. There is a legend about Saint Lucia... I don't know how much of the details are true. This tradition is much more "family friendly" than the story. The Lucia day is on Dec 13th. Sometimes they have contests to choose the Lucia of the city / school etc. Therefore it's been criticized by some people, because they think it's a beauty contest. But they don't show much skin, and they are chosen not only for their looks but even how good they sing and traditional values. For example Finland's Lucia use to visit hospitals, nursery homes etc. where she sings with here "maidens", reads poems and talks to people. Many see her as a symbol for light and joy, and spreading the message of Christmas.

@sinbach you are right... I think they have real candles in Lucia concerts in churches even here. But there are Lucia's in every school and kindergartens and they have electric lights for safety reasons.

@Williams_girl ❤️

@bethany @sinbach Here you see a picture of a Lucia crown with candles. They are covered to protect the head from dripping stearine. But I have heard of many incidents with burning hair and clothes. It's not uncommon to burn the person walking before you with the candles that are held in the hands of "tärnor", the girls walking behind Lucia.

@Williams_girl I love your heart even if I don't know you!

@sinbach They were riding through our village about 1 km. But nowadays most Lucias wear electric lights. I agree it would bee talented to ride with candles. But Finland's official Lucia use to wear a crown with burning candles!

Lucia, a very Swedish Christmas tradition that we have even in this area of Finland. These were riding horses. In this picture they are singing Lucia songs and traditional Christmas hymns.