Hey guys, have you ever felt a little bit like a kid around the Christmas time and wished you could fly to Lapland to visit the real Santa Claus? I have! And for a long time.. The only thing that really stopped me was the fact that it gets so cold in winter, and I’m more like a sun and beach person. But dreams eventually come true. And so last summer (so that I would not have to freeze) we went to visit Santa Claus in Lapland for a few days. And this story is all about the Christmas dreams. I know it took me almost a year to share this, but back then I didn’t have a blog so it’s only happening now. But anyways, I’m so excited! So here we go, as always I’ll start with my lists for those of you who are busy bees and do not have time to read the whole experience.
WE FELL IN LOVE WITH:
- Santa Claus! I had a nice conversation with him, and apparently off the season is the best time for that as there are no lines (or queues).
- Santa Village cabins. They were so cozy, nicely decorated and each had sauna in it! (This is not an advertising, we just really enjoyed it).
- All the handcrafted souvenirs, which they had plenty to chose from.
- Elves!
- The whole Christmas spirit. Even in summer once you enter this magic land you can alsmost feel like it’s Christmas!
BEST PLACES TO VISIT:
- Santa’s office. They have 2 of them! You can sit and talk with Santa, click a few pictures with him and all of that is livestream so your family and friends can see it live on their phones.
- Post office. You can write a letter to Santa there and post it on the spot.
- Santa’s breakfast buffet. I know it’s not really a place, but the atmosphere was so cozy and the food was as if made by my grandmother so I have to include it here.
- Well pretty much the whole Santa’s village, as they have Husky park, Elf’s farm, snowman world, Moomin snow castle and many other things. Some of them are not open throughout the whole year, so if you are planning your trip in summer, it is best to check before you go on their website.
As almost every child I was dreaming to meet Santa Claus one day. Well… it took some years (or actually a few decades) to make it happen.
As we arrived to Rovaniemi the mini van from Santa’s village was already waiting for us to hop in. A short ride through the forest and we were already standing in front of the Santa Claus office. My first impression was that this cute little village is so colorful and cheerful.
Since it was May, there was still some snow around but the weather was not cold any more. Perfect conditions for my dream to come true! (Although next time I would probably chose to come here in March so I could still see some Aurora lights). And so we headed straight to Santa Claus. The whole Santa’s office looks like a magical place with elves, lights and decorations. As I sat on Santa’s knees (well I had to fully fulfill my dream!) we started talking about how busy he is and that I am actually lucky to come in this time around as on Christmas days he only has half a minute to spend per person/family and people wait in line for around 2 hours!
Santa’s Village is full of cute souvenir shops where you can feel as a child lost in a wonderland. A lot of souvenirs are handcrafted. You can find anything from cloudberry jam (these berries are known for their richness in vitamins) to toys and clothes made from deer fur. It really takes some time to go through the shops and all Santa’s Village attractions. As we approached the gates to the Polar Circle it got even more exciting. in Santa’s Village there is an official line which if you cross you will step into the Polar Circle. And of course it was the first time for me (a person who is not a big fan of winter) to go so far to the North!
And finally, after all sightseeing and conversations with Santa Claus there is sauna waiting for you once you go back to your cabin. It is such a pleasure to try finish sauna. I would say it was a cherry on a top for our short sightseeing in Lapland. I hope you guys enjoyed my short story telling about Lapland and I wish to all of you to come visit Santa Claus at least once. He is waiting for you 365 days per year!
