Why is it so Cold Santa?

The farther north you go, the colder, more authentic it is
(says Jane Knight)
THE TIMES Saturday 6 November 2010)

Santa's Log cabin in the woods at Harriniva

It's minus 29C, and I've never been so cold. My finger are burning with the cold and I'm wearing so many layers, topped by special overalls supplied by the hotel, that I make the Michelin man look anorexic.

"I don't like Lapland any more, it's too cold," moans my four-year-old son as we set off husky mushing in the weird half light that prevails here. The mass of howling, barking, biting dogs are so keen that I forget about the cold and concentrate instead on stamping as hard as I can on the brake to stop us toppling over.

This is off the wall, yells a 13-year-old in our group. It also makes a great follow-up to a morning of skidoo-riding, in which we zoom in a convoy of snarling mechanical beasts down forest tracks where the tree are bent with snow.

We're in Harriniva, way north of the Arctic Circle, because it seems that the farther north you go in Finnish Lapland, the more authentic the experience. When I started researching a trip to see Santa, I was shocked at the number of companies based in large ski resorts or where you were bussed to the different activities.

There's none of that here because, although we're in the middle of nowhere, all the activities are on the hotel's doorstep. So too is Sweden, just over the frozen river.

But there are disadvantages. Getting here has pretty much taken a day, with a mad run from one end of the airport at Helsinki to the other to catch a connecting flight to Kittila, followed by a 45-minute bus ride to the hotel. The rooms are simple, with only a shower in the en suite when what you need is a bath. And it is always a huge bun fight to get to the buffet for food that makes school dinners seem tasty.

But we've come to see Santa, which is what we do via a visit to a shaman, who tells us how the first reindeer learnt to fly, and a turn on the reindeer sleigh-(the non-flying variety). Each family has an appointment, and we are bundled up in a sleigh and head off in the gloaming, following a row of twinkling lanterns in the woods. As we draw up at a log cabin, where Santa is waving at the window and "elves" are running between the tree ,I'm as excited as a toddler.

Inside, the cabin is just as you'd imagine: crackling fire huge double bed and an elf taking notes in the corner. Santa, who looks like the real deal with paunch and a proper beard beckons us towards his chair. He answers all my son's questions. "Where is Mrs Claus?" "Buying presents; the elves can't make them all." 'What do you do in January?" "Sleep for a month." "How do you give presents to all the children in the world on one night?" "With a lot of help from the elves. '

We have one last question before we leave to get ready for a gala supper, in which Santa will give presents to everyone. "Why do you live where it's so cold?" asks my son. "Because my reindeer like it," says Santa. You can't argue with that.

What more do I need to add?  This is an independent ringing endorsement of our Father Christmas tours to Harriniva.  If you like what you see, why not  get in touch on 01206 708888

Secrets of Enjoying your encounter with Father Christmas in Lapland

Father Christmas in Lapland

I was just indulging and enjoying enjoying my cup of coffee in Cafe Nero this morning with the Sunday newspapers, and came across an article in the Mail on Sunday (Page 56 October 31st 2010) where Fred Mawer (The Craft Traveller) wrote an interesting article on enjoying a visit to see Santa in Lapland at Christmas.
Imagine how pleased I was to see Nordic Experience mentioned, and listed as one of the suppliers of trips to Lapland. (I would link to the article, but currently it's not showing on their website)

Anyway, as Fred quite rightly points out, "Analyse carefully what's included in your package", all of the various competing products offers variants on a theme, and it can be quite difficult to decipher which ones offer the best content, as opposed to the best price.

Nordic Experience were mentioned as "a good bet for uncommercial Lapland trips", which shows that Fred has done his homework.  We don't offer the cheapest trips to Lapland, but we do offer an experience that is different to that of the other holidays on offer.

We have two main locations that we offer the chance to visit Santa in Lapland (Harriniva & Nellim).  Both of these are small scale family run hotels, which pride themselves on a warm welcoming experience, rather than a bland no-nonsense approach that you might receive from a larger hotel chain.

After all - a visit to see Santa in Lapland at Christmas is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to see the joy and wonder on your children's faces as they meet father Christmas at his home in Lapland.