We all know where Santa lives, right? The North Pole, of course! So, if you're going to look for the REAL Santa, it's going to be quite the journey. And it truly was the trip of a lifetime, especially for the under 12 set!
We set off with our dear friends the Walkers on a journey to Lapland, Finland. Lapland is the upper region of Finland, and is actually largely inside the Arctic Circle. The climate is described as subarctic (did you even know there was such a thing?) and it can sink to negative 45 degrees Celsius. Yup. At this time of year there is about 3 hours of "dim light" each day, and the rest of the time it is pitch dark.
We traveled by plane (3.5 hours), and then by bus (1.5 hours) up to our resort in Luosto. And it was worth every minute of the trip. 70% of Lapland is forest land, and it is impossible to describe the natural beauty. It is unlike anything I have ever seen. The lack of sun gives the landscape an absence of color, so the world looks like an Ansel Adams photo.
We were part of the Search for Father Christmas - and unlike the "American" version of Santa, with bright colors, music, and Disneyesque fanfare - Father Christmas is a low key, rustic, quiet sort of fellow. We spent two days roaming the countryside looking for him - aided by his Special Elves. There was Noisy Nod:
Snowy Bowy
Speedy Sam
And Tricky Dicky (Seriously. You can't make this stuff up)
At each location, the Elves would meet us and provide clues as to the location of Santa Claus. And they would have great activities to keep us distracted along the way. Such as snowmobiling:
Dog Sledding:
Reindeer Rides:
One Horse Open Sleigh (OF COURSE!)
And when the big day finally came, it was a surprise to one and all! We were taken about a mile deep in to the forest by snow mobile:
Where one, and only one lone house stood nestled in the forest. We were invited in by some lovely elves, and entered what appeared to be a study, desk piled high with letters to Santa:
A bell rang, and upstairs we go - the door swings open and it is.......Mrs. Claus!!!
I have to admit. I cried. The kids were so overwhelmed they couldn't speak. Mrs. Claus was baking mince pies for Santa, but was bemoaning the fact that she had to bake so many because the elves kept snitching them! She shared Santa's favorite cookies (Chocolate Chip), and sat with the girls for a while. Then she taught them the magic word, and a bookcase swung open to reveal a secret passageway!
Down the stairs we go....and who is waiting? YES! Santa! OK, so here's where you're going to have to use your imagination. Extreme cold kills camera batteries. How's THAT for timing??? Luckily, we have the whole thing on video tape, should you ever want to see the magic.
Santa held in his white gloved hands the VERY letters that Caroline and Georgia had posted to him earlier that week. After a few minutes where he talked, Caroline sat stunned and Georgia chewed on her mitten, Caroline stammers out "Am I on the nice list?" And much to her relief, she is.
Santa then presented them with a wrapped gift - items off their ACTUAL wish lists in the letter - he IS amazing!
Santa was, of course, the highlight. But we had just as much fun every night on our Arctic Adventure. We had elected to stay in the villas, which were lovely:
But, as you can see...a little on the remote side. As in, about a mile walk to the nearest place to eat dinner (well, the ONLY place to eat dinner. It's a little sparse out there). And a mile in sub zero temperatures with snow drifts as tall as Georgia is a loooonggg mile. We were dreading it - and it was the absolute highlight of the trip. We would bundle everyone up, grab the Walkers, and venture out into the night. It is absolutely, completely silent. All you hear is the crunching of your footsteps - the silence almost rings in your ears. So we ran, jumped, trudged, made snow angels, had snowball fights and made our way to dinner. We lost kids in snowbanks. We laughed so hard we couldn't walk any more. It took us about an hour each way, but it was my favorite part of the trip.
And when we made it? What awaited us - what pinnacle of Finnish dining?
Yes. That's right PROBABLY the best after ski in the world. After a mile in the snow, you really want something a little more definitive, don't you think?
But we were brave - we tried all the Lappish delicacies - such as reindeer jerky, reindeer salami, and other curiosities:
This is poroja potin - Reindeer in a Pot.
All in all - one of our best adventures yet! One we will never, ever forget! Merry Christmas to ALL!
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