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Finland - Christmas in Santa's Homeland
Derek Mackenzie-Hook
 Once upon a time, visiting Father Christmas meant standing in a long and bad-tempered queue at your local department store. Today, however, with the might of 'pester power' wielded by children, winter trips to Santa's natural habitat in Finland are becoming increasingly popular.
Once you experience winter in Finland, you'll understand why Santa Claus lives here. Snow-covered forests and thousands of frozen lakes - it's the stuff that dreams are made of and you can see it on the faces of everyone. Santa has created a snow-carpeted playground full of magical experiences for everybody. There are so many fantastic things to do: exhilarating snowmobile safaris, reindeer and husky safaris, all types of skiing, ice fishing, kick sledding and endless fun in the snow.
 In Lapland, a certain magic fills the air and knowing that Santa has his natural home here only adds to the excitement. Deep amongst the pine trees, we may find him in a Lapland type log cabin covered in snow, or even a traditional Lappish Kota (like an Indian Wigwam) and for sure there's always a warm and friendly welcome with presents for all the children.
The traditional Christmas atmosphere can also be found throughout the country. In the city of Turku, in southern Finland, the Christmas Peace has been declared to the entire country every year since the Middle Ages and takes place at 12 noon on Christmas Eve. Known as the Christmas City, Turku certainly also knows how to celebrate Christmas in the 21st Century and offers the best of Finnish Christmas's in an urban setting.
Do bear in mind the extreme temperatures of Lapland, which hover well below freezing in a winter that lasts seven months of the year, so its worth noting that this is not the most suitable type of holiday for babies or very young children.
USEFUL TOURIST INFORMATION
Santa's Cave, SantaPark is located inside small mountain. The cave offers Christmas experiences with Santa Claus and his elfs. Santa's Cave is situated 2 km from Santa Claus Village and Rovaniemi airport, and 5 km from the centre of Rovaniemi. (Lapland)
Tel: +358 16 3221
Fax: +358 16 322 2992
Email: rovaniemi@rovaniemi.fi
www.rovaniemi.fi
Santa Claus' Village
Tel: +358(0)16-362 811,40-5393100
Fax: +358(0)16-362 326
email:erasetti@erasetti.fi
www.erasetti.fi
Finland Tourist Board
www.finland-tourism.com
Finnair - Known as the official airline of Santa Claus
www.finnair.co.uk
To visit Finland contact:
If you haven't got the time (or the money - visiting Santa in his natural habitat doesn't come cheap) to visit Finland for a holiday, there's always the option to visit Lapland in a day, as several companies offer the experience as a whistle-stop excursion.
www.santa-holidays.com
www.cosmos-holidays.co.uk (day trip option)
www.emagine-travel.co.uk (day trip option)
www.indigoholidays.com (day trip option) |
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