Lapland - The Magic of Christmas Awaits

A blog about Lapland in July? No, I haven't lost the plot (not completely anyway!), but now is a great time to book a memorable, magical getaway into the Arctic!

Lapland is a region of Northern Europe, rather than a country. It spans the northern-most parts of the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Finland. Much of Lapland lies inside the Arctic Circle, so there are limited hours of daylight, but that just adds to the magic. In winter, it can be knee-deep in snow, which is ideal, as that's exactly when most visitors would be there in search of Santa and the Northern Lights. Lapland is an average flight time of 3 hours 30 mins from the UK, depending on where you are flying from and to, making the day trips very easily achievable. In fact, most winter visitors to Lapland in the months of November and December opt for the day trips. If you want to stay longer, you can do short breaks or even a week. It is important to consider what you want from your visit. Some resorts are very commercialised, and have many flights arriving each day, making them busy with visitors, which in turn can limit your experience when there, as you may miss out on certain activities due to lengthy queues. We visited Lapland in December 2019 with our two young children, who were 7 and 4 at the time - perfect ages for this kind of trip. We wanted to go to a more isolated and authentic part of Lapland, so after a lot of in depth research, we opted for the north of Swedish Lapland, and visited the remote village of Pajala. The airport only allows one tourist flight to land per day, making this the ideal authentic Lapland experience. The flight itself is an experience too, with activity packs handed out for the children, before they all get invited up to the front of the aircraft for a Christmas Carol Concert. Very festive!

There were around 160 passengers on our flight and we were efficiently divided into four groups of around 40 people per group. We remained in these groups throughout our trip. The coaches from the airport to the winter village left at staggered intervals, so that our arrival was also staggered. This meant that we would never have to queue for anything. We were greeted by the welcome sight of a huge covering of snow, much to the delight of the children - big and small! We had taken our own protective thermal clothing, but on arrival, we decided to leave ours in our bags and borrow some of the inclusive thermal clothing instead. We might as well get their's wet, rather than carry wet clothing back home with us! So on arrival at the winter village - at which we were warmly welcomed by the locals - we stepped into the warmth of the lodge and got into the thermal suits, ready for the activities to commence.

The activities were well organised on a rota basis, once again, to avoid queues and to ensure that everyone got to do all the activities they wanted to. There was plenty of free time built into the rota too. Activities included a sleigh ride through the forest pulled by a reindeer, a self-driven snow mobile adventure, a sleigh ride pulled by Huskies which went through the forest and past what would have been a lake, had it not been frozen over and then snowed over! There was also sledging and tobogganing opportunities that we could do at our leisure. The children loved the sledging activity so much, so a significant amount of time was spent going up and down the hill! There was also a little igloo to sit in, or you could opt for the warmer wooden teepee-type structure, which was well equipped with seating and an open log fire, flanked by friendly locals playing Lappish instruments and singing Lappish songs. It really added to the experience. This was also one of the locations where you could get free berry juice and biscuits. Great to keep you going and warm you through. Speaking of food, the restaurant provided (inclusive) traditional Lappish food, including meatballs with mash, soup, etc. The activity highlight was of course a private meeting with the main man himself - Santa! After searching for his cottage in the forest, and a stop by a fire on the way to have more berry juice and biscuits, we finally set eyes on the fairytale cottage. A knock on the door from the children was responded to with the friendliest, "Hello, come in, welcome," we have ever had. As you stepped into the room, you could feel the warmth. Not just from the roaring log fire, but from Santa himself. The magic literally filled the air and even us as adults were overwhelmed by the presence of this man. He gave each of the children a small gift, just a token momento. A life-long dream for us, and a new dream for the children, finally fulfilled. A moment to treasure and a memory made to last forever.

A skidoo ride back to the village in a blizzard was thrilling, and before long, we were back to enjoying sledging and snowball fights at the lodge. We ensured that we sent postcards home and purchased a few small souvenirs too. Writing out the postcards in front of an open fire, whilst sipping hot chocolate and watching snow fall outside was a wonderful moment. If you keep a close eye and have clear skies, you could catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights too. On the flight home, all passengers were rewarded with a certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle. It was certainly an experience to remember. Being so far north, Lapland has around 3 hours of daylight in December, and it doesn't get fully light, so it is a strange feeling to be doing daytime activities in the dark. It all added to the atmosphere though. The certificates are something we will always keep safe. Another memory of a truly magical trip to a spectacular winter wonderland.

Created by: Julie @ Worldwide - Explorer Travel Holidays, July 2020 #lapland #santa #winterwonderland #christmas #holidays #daytrips #whatdreamsaremadeof #WorldwideExplorerTravelHolidays