JESC Countdown: T-14 Days - My Top 5

Hej, everyone! I'm back and better than ever, and for the next two weeks I'm going to be doing a Junior Eurovision Countdown!

I love JESC, and it's one of the best occasions to party in my household!

Without further ado, here are my Top Five Junior Eurovision Songs:

Belarus - Musyka Moih Pobed

Poland: Nie zapomnij

Russia: Water of Life

Armenia: Tarber

1 - Albania: Besoj

Yup. I'm Team Albania, all the way. Besoj forever~

Eurovision Countdown: Surviving Until the Final

If the anticipation of Eurovision is getting too much to bear, here are some things you can do to keep yourself occupied until the 23rd.

• Rewatch/watch the national finals.
• Rewatch/watch past Eurovision contests. 
• Listen to some of the artist's other songs. 
• See if any past contestants have released any new music.
• Play a Eurovision trivia game. 

Eurovision Countdown: Converting Your Friends into Eurovision Fans

Here's a completely fail-proof (read: it probably won't work on anyone) guide to converting anyone and everyone ever into a hardcore Eurovision fan.

• Everyone knows that Eurovision songs grow on you the more you hear them, so play your favorite country's song on repeat at full volume until everyone around you starts to love it as much as you do. 
• Invite your friends over to watch a Eurovision marathon. Start in 2010 and work your way up from there. Bonus: Pretend you don't know the winners of the last ten contests by heart. 
• Talk about nothing but Eurovision in the days leading up to the final. You're probably going to be doing this anyway, but now you can tell yourself that you're doing it for a good cause.
• Make Eurovision party invites and send them to all of your friends/co-workers/colleagues/fellow human beings. Someone's bound to show up, right? 

Disclaimer: This how-to guide was created in the spirit of pure fun in order to pass the time until the final. You should probably consult someone who knows things about people, AKA not Kaija, before attempting any of the above. Kaija doesn't know how people work, or even what they are, really. Proceed at your own risk. 

Eurovision Countdown: Getting Ready for the Big Day with a Eurovision Manicure

As the big day draws ever nearer, you might want to start thinking about all the flag-themed things you can incorporate into your daily life. In my house, this means changing all of our virtual wallpaper to Eurovision wallpaper, hanging our French, Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Danish, and Austrian flags up with pride, wearing flag-adorned clothing from the UK, and painting our nails with the flags of all our favorite countries. Here's what my Eurovision manicure looked like last year:

Eurovision Countdown: Party Invites

If you're anything like me, Eurovision just wouldn't be the same without an epic party. Your party doesn't have to be roaring for you to have a good time; just invite your closest family and friends for the event so you can enjoy good food and interesting music with the people you love best. In my house, our party is always small - it's just me, my mum, MorMor, and a friend - but it never fails to be amazing.

If you're thinking about hosting a Eurovision party of your own, here are some example invitations to spark your creativity.

Stay tuned for more party tips, including Eurovision foods, what to wear, and more. 

Eurovision Countdown: The Do's and Don't's of Picking Sides

With less than a month to go before the big day, the excitement grows daily. I know that I can barely wait!

Unfortunately, none of us have conveniently blue time machines to take us forward in time, so let's waste some time discussing the do's and don't's of picking sides in Eurovision.

Rooting for the home team: Winning.

Voting for the home team: Weak. And also not allowed.

Rooting for the neighbors: Winning!

Voting for the neighbors: Meh.

Rooting for a song based on the betting odds: Weak.

Voting for a song based on the betting odds: Now, this. This is unforgivable.

Rooting for the country you share that 'special connection' with: Awesome!

Voting for that country you share the 'special connection' with: Winning.


Now that we've established who not to vote for, let's take a quick look at some FAQ's.

Question: My mum likes a different song that I do! Whatever am I to do?

Answer: Check the betting odds and suckle from the teat of opportunity if your favorite song has better odds of winning; say nothing if your mum's song is actually better than the song you like.

Question: My friends are rooting for the colonials!

Answer: You need better friends. Also, that's not a real question.

Question: Why is it called Eurovision if they're letting Australia participate?

Answer: Shhhhhhhh. Just accept it, child.

Question: I can't wait for Eurovision! What can I do?

Answer: This is a very dire situation. The best thing to do is to rewatch previous years until you feel better. No, scratch that. Rewatching old Eurovision shows is the best thing you can do in any situation.

Question: My wife likes a song I hate! My house looks like a battlefield! This is ruining my marriage!

Answer: It happens to the best of us, brother. The only thing to do is close your eyes, pray to the almighty Eurovision Gods, and wait it out.


Post-Script: Please note that Kaija knows nothing about marriage counseling, music, friends, or time travel, and that this advice is meant purely for entertainment purposes. Unless it helps you. In which case, I will gladly take all the credit. All of it.