Finland is a country located in Northern Europe, known for its stunning natural beauty, vibrant culture, and innovative design. While you can’t put forest in a bottle, you can still give a gift that contains a little bit of Finland.
If you’re looking for a unique and creative gift for someone who loves Finland, or for someone who simply appreciates the finer things in life, here are a few ideas to get you started:
Beautiful gift ideas from Finland: Finnish design
Finland is home to a thriving design scene, with many talented artists and designers creating beautiful and functional products. Consider gifting a piece of Finnish design, such as a piece of furniture, home decor, or fashion accessories.
Some popular Finnish design brands to check out include Marimekko, Iittala, and Artek.
Finland is known for its delicious and unique cuisine, which includes dishes like salmon soup, reindeer meat, and berries. Consider gifting Finnish food and drink products, such as Finnish chocolate, lingonberry jam, or Finnish beer.
‘Fazerin sininen’, or Fazer Blue is perhaps the best known Finnish chocolate.
Give the gift of Finnish nature experiences
With its vast forests and thousands of lakes, Finland is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. If you’re not ready to visit Finland yet, consider gifting outdoor gear or an outdoor adventure experience, such as a guided fishing or hiking trip.
Finnish gifts: culture in a box
Finland has a rich cultural heritage, with a long history of folk music, dance, and storytelling. Consider gifting tickets to a cultural event, such as a traditional Finnish music or dance performance.
You can also get to know the Finnish frame of mind by buying some of the most beloved books by Finnish artists.
With its long, dark winters and beautiful summers, Finland is a country that values wellness and relaxation. Consider gifting a spa treatment or wellness experience, such as a sauna or a massage.
The best Finnish gift is the one that comes from the heart
No matter what type of gift you choose, a thoughtful and creative gift related to Finland is sure to be appreciated and treasured. Whether it’s a beautiful piece of design, a tasty food or drink product, an outdoor adventure, a cultural experience, or a relaxing wellness retreat, there are plenty of options to choose from to show your love and appreciation for all things Finnish.
What is the goal of a gift? To surprise, delight, add some utility… or all of the above? We spend a lot of money and time on things like Christmas gifts, but we rarely stop to think about what makes a great gift.
In this episode of the Hidden Brain podcast, marketing professor Jeff Galak explains what research tells us about great gifts. We have summarized the lessons and gift-giving tips in this article.
What is a great gift?
Does the gift have to be expensive?
When should you give a gift?
What is the best way to give a gift?
What is a great gift: focus on the giver or the receiver?
What kind of gifts do you like to give? Is there a common factor? Are they, for example:
Self-made
Nature-friendly
Creative
Unique
Intangible
If you notice common elements in all your gifts, you may be a gift-giver that focuses on yourself. The best gifts, however, often focus on the recipient. What does the recipient need? What does he value?
It’s only human to want to tell something about yourself with your gift. If you feel creative, it makes sense that gifts should be creative too. But it may also be that if the recipient has a scratched frying pan, the best gift for that situation would be a new pan.
The characteristics of a good gift:
It is intended for the recipient
It delivers benefits in the longer term
It is surprising but necessary
Does the gift have to be expensive?
A gift doesn’t have to be expensive to be great. A unique gift can also be valuable without being expensive. The podcast gives an example of gifts related to emotions and memories. A gift that tells the story of the history between the recipient and the giver can be more satisfying than a frying pan.
A gift can also be related to helping out in real life: watching the kids or the dog, so the recipient can go to the cinema, on a trip or out for a meal. It cannot be paid by credit card, which makes it even more valuable.
A really expensive gift can also cause negative emotions: jealousy, inadequacy and the stress of giving something in return. There are situations where expensive gifts are more acceptable: for example, parents can help with setting up the house without the young couple feeling they have to buy their parents an expensive snowblower as a present next Christmas.
On the other hand, suddenly buying a Rolex for a colleague raises at least a few eyebrows.
When should you give a gift?
Gifts come with expectations. Christmas presents or birthday presents are, at least in Finland, the gifts to which most expectations are attached. And when expectations rise, it’s harder to succeed.
So the real gift-giver’s tip is this: give gifts when least expected.
Delight your spouse with flowers on a Wednesday in March. Make a photo album for a childhood friend and give it to them out of the blue. It doesn’t have to be a big gift, but it will bring great pleasure.
If you are a spontaneous gift giver, remember to be kind to yourself on major gift-giving days. Invest less in Christmas and more in May.
What is the best way to give a gift?
It seems that to give a great gift, you would need to be a mind reader. Fortunately, we humans have this skill right on the tip of our tongues.
The best way to give a great gift is to ask the recipient what kind of gift they want. It may feel like cheating or forgetting your identity altogether, but research shows that it leads to better gifts.
A podcast is a series of audio files that can be listened to on the app of your choice. The best podcasts are great as the background noise for many everyday chores or a break from the daily grind, but what can you listen to them on?
Here are some tried and tested options for listening to podcasts.
Best podcast apps
Which app can I use to listen to podcasts? Most of the apps are free, but you can buy premium subscriptions if you want, which give you a range of benefits.
Editor’s Choice: Pocket Casts
I use the Pocket Casts app, which is available for both iOS and Android. One good thing about the app is the clear queue management, i.e. which episodes come next and in which order.
Overall, Pocket Casts does a good job with its free version. The basic functions work well and use is pretty intuitive. The app doesn’t crash or lose the point where you stopped listening.
The Apple Podcasts app has been around for a while, but a small hiccups eventually made me look elsewhere. I haven’t tried the latest version, so it may have improved.
With Google Podcasts, podcast episodes can be played directly in the browser, so it’s also great for quickly listening to individual episodes.
Listening to podcasts on Spotify: familiar, oh so familiar
Spotify, the silent but deathly monthly payment, has recently invested in podcasts and the app is split into two main categories: music and podcasts.
The good thing about Spotify is the familiar interface and the ability to discover new podcasts. The bad thing is the interface, which is familiar from listening to music. Although I use Spotify for music myself, I have not yet, to this day, switched to listening to podcasts there.
Spotify’s special features include the ability to listen to podcasts at 3.5x the speed of light, which is the equivalent of a chipmunk flying at the speed of light.
YouTube’s focus is not on podcasting, but it’s still one of the most popular platforms for podcasting, especially when video is involved.
Traditional podcast app management tools are not all available on YouTube, and you can get dragged down into the depths of YouTube even if you only intended to listen to one episode. But there is something inherently compelling about listening to podcasts on YouTube.
In addition, YouTube is rumoured to be moving deeper into podcasts. At the time of writing, youtube.com/podcasts is not accessible even though it is referenced in search results and on news outlets. So let’s keep an eye on it!
Starting something new is always an opportunity for change. A new day, a new week, a new month… and above all a new year. New Year’s resolutions are a sign that we want to change something in our lives – and the turn of a new year provides the right framework.
But what is a good New Year’s resolution? What to promise – and what not to promise?
New Year’s resolutions: fun and games, or something more serious
New Year’s resolutions look the part of the giver.
New Year’s resolutions are made in a merry group, in secret whispers or as a last straw. In this article, we focus more on those lighthearted New Year’s resolutions that are not a matter of life and death.
What is a good goal?
The nature of a good New Year’s resolution can be explored by thinking about what makes a good goal. People often talk about SMART goals, which is a very good lens through which to analyze your targets.
The SMART goal is:
– Specific
– Measurable
– Achievable
– Relevant
– Time-bound
The idea is that when a goal has all these characteristics, it is not only easier to achieve, but achieving it also has some meaning.
Examples of the best New Year’s resolutions
The best New Year’s resolution is one that fits your life now. New Year’s resolutions are not a competition in which the noblest goal wins. You can promise something small, something big, or promise nothing at all.
New Year’s resolutions are often linked to some positive change:
These big New Year’s resolutions can certainly guide you as the calendar year changes and you start to act on them. Maybe your phone rings and you remember “oh yeah, this year I was going to be a better friend”. Or rather, a message pops up in your Whatsapp group conversation that you would normally ignore.
However, such a big New Year’s resolution can be easier to forget. What does it mean to be more present? What is healthier eating?
What if you made a SMART resolution?
New Year’s resolutions do not need to be turned into efficiency super-pledges. You can promise to touch the bark of a pine tree, or touch the end of your nose every time you see the best of cars, a white beetle.
If you have a goal you’d like to achieve anyway, you can try making a SMART resolution. Take, for example, eating healthier. This is what the SMART resolution could look like:
SMART New Year’s resolution
I promise
– Specific
reduce soft drinks
– Measurable
to one quarter
– Achievable
from the current amount
– Relevant
to make me feel better
– Time-bound
from January 2023 until December 2023
If you know that you always drink a can of Coke on Saturday mornings, such a goal would mean that you would drink one can once a month on Saturday mornings.
It may be that, in addition to a promise, you should think about what kind of habits to associate with your New Year’s resolutions. You can also turn the resolution to focus on the positive.
SMART New Year’s resolution
I promise
– Specific
enjoy sparkling water instead of a soft drink
– Measurable
a quarter of the times compared to
– Achievable
the current amount
– Relevant
to make me feel better
– Time-bound
from January 2023 until December 2023
In this case, the focus is on what you get, not what you lose.
New Year’s resolutions deserve compassion
New Year’s resolutions should be tailored to your needs and you should be prepared to forget them by Epiphany. If you really need help, you should seek it with the help of a professional – especially if you feel that your own resources are not enough.
If you’re looking for small, harmless New Year’s resolutions, here are a few more ideas:
Improving the acoustics at home can have a big effect on the quality of life. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. The main objective of improving the acoustics is to reduce echo and attenuate disturbing sounds. An additional goal could be, for example, to acousticize a home theater or TV room.
You can get a feel for the normal, acoustically bare conditions of your home when you’re just moving in. The empty apartment echoes with normal conversation and it feels like all the sounds from outside are coming right in. Once the furniture has been brought inside and put in place, a lot has already been done for the acoustics:
The carpets have been put in place
Large furniture, such as sofas, absorbs sound
Large surfaces on the walls have been (acoustically) broken up by boards or shelves
Curtains are put up to cover the windows
In this article, we’ll go over some tips for home acoustics beyond those basics. We’ve been improving the acoustics of our home a little more than usual, because we’ve been using two different rooms in our apartment as a podcast studio.
Reducing echoes in the home with acoustics
Clap your hands together in the middle of the room and listen to the echo of the sound. Do it in different rooms and listen to the differences. In the bathroom, for example, the echo is often more noticeable because there are no soft surfaces to absorb the sound.
Unpleasant echoes make for a less comfortable living environment. Instead of poor acoustics, it’s easy to blame the source of the sound: children, the television, family hobbies or a neighbour. So if you notice that the echo in a room is particularly disturbing, you can start with these tips:
Absorb the sound with soft textiles
Imagine that sound is light emanating from your hands in all directions. Where does it bounce and where does it collect? For example, two hard surfaces facing each other will reflect the sound, making it feel louder. Soft carpets, rugs, tapestries or softer building materials will reduce sound echo.
Soft materials and curtains absorb echoes.
Suck out the sound with furniture
Your interior design choices can have a big impact on the acoustics of your home. Soft furniture such as sofas, chairs or armchairs absorb sound and improve acoustics. Glass tables, glass boards and other hard materials reflect sound and make the situation worse.
Create uneven surfaces in your home
Uneven surfaces disperse sound and dampen echoes. Create a variety of uneven surfaces in your home. For example, a bookshelf is an excellent acoustic element because books are naturally of different sizes and form a random and uneven surface. Minimalist interior design, on the other hand, requires different solutions, as there are no everyday objects available to create acoustic surfaces.
Interior products to improve acoustics
Here are a few different products that can give you ideas for improving acoustics with small interior design choices:
Rugs
Pillows and blankets
Curtains
Acoustic elements (lighting fixtures, for example)
Acoustic panels
Home acoustics with acoustic panels: panels for ceilings and walls
Acoustic panels have had the biggest impact in our home: a dozen acoustic panels have been installed on the ceiling of our study and bedroom, effectively dampening echoes. Opposite them, there is a wide bed in one room and a carpet that covers almost the entire floor in the other, so the sound doesn’t echo.
Curtained acoustic panels add a touch of flair and acoustics.
Acoustic tiles on the ceiling of a room are a long-term and permanent solution. We’re used to texture and geometry in the ceiling, but it’s worth trying to design the right panelling for your home.
The acoustic panels shown in the picture are Parafon Royal 60x120x3 cm. They are installed with a thin layer of mounting adhesive. Here are some tips for those considering acoustic panels:
Use mounting adhesive. At first we tried taping but the panels came down before long.
Accept that the ones with mounting adhesive will stick in place. We installed fabric-covered panels on the wall, which we later wanted to move. The paint came off with the adhesive and there were holes behind the panels.
Call a professional to install. Installing panels on the ceiling is both a painstaking and precise job. The easiest way is to get a professional to install the panels. He has the skills and the tools.
Do not accept broken acoustic panels. The downside of panels is that they take a hit reasonably easily. Do not install a panel on the ceiling if the corner is bumped or if the inside is peeking out from the edge. The panel is difficult to get off after installation and a bad-looking panel will haunt your thoughts as well as your eyes.
With fabric upholstery, you can decorate and accentuate at the same time. We upholstered a few Royal Parafon panels ourselves with Marimekko fabric and we have liked the result. Pre-patterned acoustic panels are also available.
These tips to make your home more cosy
Use the tips in this article to improve the acoustics of your home. I recommend walking around your home giving yourself a round of applause, so you can see where the acoustics need to be improved. The echoes reduce the comfort of living, especially in large and high spaces.
Also share your own tips for improving acoustics in the comments!
Manage cookies
We use cookies to optimize your experience on this site. The site may not work as intended if you reject the cookies.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Asetukset
Tekninen tallennus tai pääsy on tarpeen laillisessa tarkoituksessa sellaisten asetusten tallentamiseen, joita tilaaja tai käyttäjä ei ole pyytänyt.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.Tekninen tallennus tai pääsy, jota käytetään yksinomaan anonyymeihin tilastollisiin tarkoituksiin. Ilman haastetta, Internet-palveluntarjoajasi vapaaehtoista suostumusta tai kolmannen osapuolen lisätietueita pelkästään tähän tarkoitukseen tallennettuja tai haettuja tietoja ei yleensä voida käyttää tunnistamaan sinua.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
