Today, Dec 6, is Finland’s Independence Day. I will spend it on a ferry to Sweden. How appropriate.

I have never been as Finnish as during my first two years living in Sweden. I moved to Sweden in April, and by Christmas, I was an ultrafennomaniac. I read only Finnish classics, I listened to Finnish music, and I basically spent my weekends on those ferries, going back to the old country, to the old hood and the old buddies.

And to spread the message of Finland, I also decided to bake some joulutorttu, traditional Finnish Christmas pastries, that have a spoonful of plum marmelade in the middle.

The problem: couldn’t find that marmalade in Stockholm.

I was baffled. In Finland they always have mountains of those jars at stores but when I went to the best stores and asked around, and to the small stores that were supposed to have it in Stockholm, I still couldn’t find it anywhere.

As a last resort, I walked into the Finnish church that was next to our office, up on a hill, next to the Castle, to see if maybe they could offer me some guidance as to where I could find the marmalade.

I walked into the offices, and knocked carefully on the door. No answer, so I tried the door, opened it and stepped inside. A lady walked towards me and asked me what I wanted. I told her that I was looking for some plum marmalade for my joulutorttu and that I was wondering if she could tell me where I could find it.

She looked at me, and laughed, just a little.

As she opened her mouth to answer, two other ladies popped their heads out of their offices and the three of them said, in unison: “Make it yourself.”

And that, my friends, is Finland in a nutshell.

Make it yourself.

Happy Independence Day, Finland. Many happy returns.