Outsourcing Christmas Stress
Published 14.12.2006, 09.02
The rush into the Christmas season can be stressful, but nowadays, more and more Finns are easing the stress by rejecting the idea that they have to do everything themselves.
In many families home-baked treats are an essential part of the Christmas tradition. And, courses by homemakers' associations continue to be popular.
However, year by year it seems there is more to do, people have to budget their time, even during the run-up to Christmas, and so commercially-prepared foods have be come more popular, even for such an important occasion as the holidays. This year, millions of kilos of commercially prepared delicacies will be appearing on the table this holiday season.
It is also a rush time for the services of cleaning firms and increasing numbers of families buy their entire Christmas meal from caterers. Even the Christmas tree, decorations and all can be ordered online and delivered to the door.
Many Christmas traditions reflect ancient lifestyles and superstitions. In the past it was believed
the abundance of the Christmas table would directly affect the success of the next harvest. Nowadays the strict requirement of a do-it-yourself Christmas is slipping away. Even so, for many taking the time and making the effort is still an essential part of the holiday.
Ham still number one
A baked ham has kept it place as the main Christmas dish. This year the Finns will consume over 6 million kilos of ham. While lighter alternatives, such as turkey, have made inroads, seven out of ten households again this year will have ham on the Christmas menu.
Demand regularly exceeds supply.
Domestically grown and produced hams are the most popular, and there simply aren't enough to go around. Imported, especially Danish hams are much less expensive, but domestic hams always sell.
As the average size of families has declined, so has the size of the Christmas ham. For this reason, the popularity of ham rolls, rather than complete baked hams has also grown.
Increased health awareness has meant one change: animals have been bred to be leaner, which means
less fat 
:thumbsu: and lower risks during the season of over-indulgence.