Christmas: Carmen Tyson-Thomas loves Finnish Christmas traditions

Christmas it’s a time to calm down for many, and that’s what it is, at least in terms of work, for the people of Helsinki Carmen Tyson-Thomasille. Different Christmas traditions are mixed in his new family, but one Finnish Christmas dish stands out above the rest.

Tyson-Thomas, 33, who plays in Torpan Poj, is the brightest star in the Women’s Basketball League, but now he doesn’t have to shine on the floor for a while. The games will not resume until January 8.

On Monday eve, Tyson-Thomas was still getting ingredients for the gingerbread dough, but otherwise the arrangements started to be on the winning side.

The spouse of Tyson-Thomas, who is from Philadelphia, USA, has a child from a previous union. Two women, one man and a 5-year-old Sleeping The family’s Christmas combines traditions from the United States, Finland and Venezuela.

“We eat at home. In the evening we go to my husband’s mother’s house, where many relatives come. Then we go to Sisu’s father.”

“Before, Santa came to visit, but nowadays he leaves the presents under the tree,” says Tyson-Thomas.

And the fir must definitely be real. Finding the right one is a careful process and you can’t always find it close to home in Oulunkylä.

“We’ve been all the way to Jätkäsaari, and this year we picked a spruce from Viiki. For some, choosing a tree is easy, but we look for the right tree for about 20 minutes. The spruce must be perfect.”

Tyson-Thomas has played in Finland since 2021, so the Christmas traditions and dishes are already familiar. He has one clear favorite among the treats on the Christmas table.

“Rice porridge. It’s the tradition I love the most. We have let Sisu ‘win’ and get the almond in previous years, but not anymore.”

“It’s a cool tradition that we don’t have in the US. Rice porridge is my favorite porridge, and this year it’s my turn to get an almond.”

There is no ham on the Tyson-Thomas family’s Christmas table, but there is turkey. In addition, the Christmas boxes that divide opinions receive unreserved praise from the basketball star.

“I love them and they go well with turkey.”

Like many parents, Tyson-Thomas feels guilty about buying too many gifts. He admits that even less would be enough.

“We’ve talked about it in previous years, and then we’re wrapping presents and we realize we’ve done the same thing again.”

To himself Tyson-Thomas only wishes for one thing – rarely found at the top of the gift list.

Socks.

“My husband and I have shared numerous memes about how the older we get, the more we appreciate socks.”

“That’s how you know it’s at the bottom,” Tyson-Thomas says and laughs.

Socks have also become their own thing in basketball circles. Team-mate Anna Gardziella shares pictures of Tyson-Thomas socks in the whatsapp group he founded. Especially the young players of HBA-Märsky show their dedication.

“They judge my socks and tell me if they are embarrassing or not. Those teenagers are the best, but horrible at the same time.”

“All cool socks are good for me: cartoon characters, burgers, pizzas, unicorns…”

Tyson-Thomas can wait a while before presenting their socks in person, because the women’s Basketball League is on Christmas break for a good two weeks.

ToPo leads the series after suffering only one loss in the autumn season. Tyson-Thomas is the league’s scoring leader after throwing an average of 23.9 points per game.

Kovi’s quote was seen in the last match against Kouvottari, when the number 37 was entered in the score column.

“I’ve been sick for a month, I had, among other things, bronchitis. My teammates joked that I should be sick more often.”

“Resting is on my list. Not very high, but there somewhere.”