Finnish guy here, as well. I went to school in the 90s and the subtext was always that the local Lucia would be a blonde girl. We’d have one for our school, the town, and the country.
The mythical Lucia was burned at a stake, and I guess those flames both translated to the crown of candles that she wears as well as blonde hair. The mythical Lucia most likely looked pretty Hispanic.
I think the current Lucia wears the crown well, and the response has been that the charity organising it has received several times the donations it usually gets. I think we’ll need to wait another generation to get rid of the racist pushback.
Pants and shoes I try and buy in-store.
I’ve got my go-to brands for shirts and underwear that I know fit well, so I usually just buy a shitload when my old ones are worn out.
Outerwear is 50/50%.
Most online retailers will let you try and return goods. In the EU you can return anything bought online within 2 weeks, no questions asked (by law).
A lot of fast fashion stores might just burn returns, others might sell them at an outlet. And it cuts into they already thin margins. I try to avoid returns.