Of course as Christmas comes closer you will see huge numbers of people in Santa costumes, on streets and in department stores in cities in many countries of the world. Even some countries who don’t have Christmas or Santa Claus as part of their tradition, often like to join in the fun by taking their children to ‘meet Santa’ in December. And as all Santas take part in the Christmas spirit of friendliness and gift giving, in this sense you could say that it’s possible to meet ‘the real Santa’ almost anywhere in the world.
However, according to the tradition which has become established over the years, the ‘home’ of Santa is regarded as being in the Arctic circle, and specifically in Lapland. And just as there is an official Santa website, Facebook account etc, there is also an official Santa village. This is the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi in Lapland. There is a story attached to this, which is that Santa’s real home is in a nearby mountain but that he would like to keep its exact location private … so Rovaniemi is adopted as his official home town and it is here that he and his elves spend most of their time, working all the year round to provide presents for children around the world and being ready to meet visitors, especially in the run-up to Christmas.
People visit the village all the year round, but of course the winter months are the most popular. Parents take their children there for a range of activities including a sleigh ride, visiting the Santa Park and the elves and of course meeting Santa. While mainly a place for children it is also popular with adults, in fact some people even choose to hold their weddings there. Generally though, the visitors are families with young children. The most popular place for them to stay is in the Santa Village holiday park; this is a village of furnished cabins, most of them with a private bathroom and even a sauna, with all meals available at the nearby Christmas House Restaurant.
Three and four day breaks are typical – the nearest major airport is Helsinki, from where you transfer to your flight to Rovaniemi airport. This is only a short distance from the holiday village and transport is usually arranged as part of the package. Once there, as well as the typical activities many people also join in a range of winter activities such as sleigh riding, snowmobile safaris and other winter sports (though obviously the reindeer sleigh rides are the most popular). It’s less well known that the Santa village is also open in summer, and while you obviously don’t get the Christmas atmosphere, there is still plenty to do in summer including, most spectacularly, the chance to get a really good view of the Northern Lights.
For younger children there are additional fun and educational activities including a daily afternoon club.
Some people also like to buy local traditional products in the village. Obviously there are a lot of Santa themed products, but Lapland craft items are available too, such as treated reindeer skins and carved items. But even if shopping isn’t your interest, most visitors do go there because it’s in the village shop that you can get your official certificate to show that you’ve crossed the Arctic Circle, and everybody wants one of these to take home! You can even get a group diploma – a lot of people go to the Santa Village with their sports club or similar, so this makes a good souvenir.
There really is a lot to find out about the Santa Village, so you should spend a little time exploring their website - please click here.