Considering a trip to Lapland? Cork mum shares tips following family trip to Finland

Stars peer down from a darkened sky, trees stand tall in the shadows, and the ground glistens in the light of the Moon, crunchy underfoot, leaving deep footprints behind.

The night is still except for the sound of my two little boys, shrieking and squealing in delight as they roll around in mounds of fresh snow. It is after 10.30pm. But there is no going to bed just yet. This is Lapland.

In March, I flew with my boys, Flynn and Tadhg, and my mother from Dublin to Rovaniemi, Finland, the official home town of Santa Claus. I wanted it for my mum as much as for the boys. She had always dreamed of going to Lapland.

I had assumed a trip like this was out of reach, something one did as part of an organised tour at great expense, until research - and Facebook - told me otherwise. It was the same as going anywhere else.

I learnt that some years snow did not fall until mid- to late-December, that it was exceptionally cold in January, and that March, like February, was a good time to go. There were more hours of daylight, temperatures might be above freezing rather than several degrees below, the snow would still be there, and there was a greater chance of seeing the Northern Lights. It also made sense that you could see Santa at any time of the year in Lapland because he lives there.

We arrived in Rovaniemi, in an airport about the size of Cork’s, around 9pm and were greeted by the owner of our Airbnb, who had offered to pick us up and drive us to the house, 16km away. It was great - two bedrooms, a master bedroom and another with a sofa bed and bunk beds - and a sauna too.

The boys were not even in their full winter gear, bought for a song on Vinted, when they ran outside into the darkness and snow. The sleds came out immediately, then they saw the ice-slide, expertly carved to the side of the house, and a source of endless fun throughout our stay.

After a restful night’s sleep and breakfast the next day, we took a taxi the 4km to Santa Claus’ Village. Santa has considered Lapland as his home for centuries. His office and, my favourite, the North Pole Post Office are located in the village, alongside a selection of souvenir shops and restaurants, arctic animals, and the chance to try reindeer and husky rides. There are even accommodation options in quiet corners of the village, from cottages to glass igloos.

We headed first to the live web cam at the Arctic Circle Crossing and waved to family and friends back home, then took a photo in front of a pole with wooden signs bearing the distance between Santa’s Lapland and countries all around the world.

Santa’s Pets was a lovely way to spend part of the day. We met reindeer, alpacas, donkeys, goats and rabbits, and roasted marshmallows around a campfire. My mum and I warmed ourselves while the boys found another ice-slide and a small wooden play area.

After this, we lined up for a reindeer ride. This was a sedate ride in low-lying, fur-lined sleighs with heavy blankets, which carried two people each. A guide walked alongside the reindeer through the forest.

Children have a knack for injecting a dose of reality into the most magical of moments, though. Tadhg, aged three, spent most of the ride focused on the reindeer’s behind, and the reindeer’s toileting needs..

My mum and I loved taking a peek inside Santa’s Post Office and seeing rows and rows of letters sent to him from children all over the world, from Australia, to Sri Lanka, India, Malawi, Canada and everywhere in between.

We found the ones from Ireland. A sign informed us that about 500,000 letters from around 200 countries arrive here every year.

We bought shiny postcards showing Santa Claus’ Village all lit up and glowing at night, got them stamped with the special North Pole post mark and dropped them into the post box.

In Lapland, I discovered, you cannot expect to just see Santa. You have to seek him out in his office, where he usually has time for a photo and a chat.

Our second day in Lapland was spent relaxing at the Airbnb where the boys were happy making up games in the snow and careering down the ice-slide on a sled. The novelty of snow and the joy the boys got from it was worth the trip alone.

Just before dinner, there was a knock at the front door, and there was a giant man in red and white with a long beard standing on the steps, greeting us all by name. The boys watched, transfixed, as Santa asked to come in. He had a commanding yet calm and amiable presence. He was even taller than Daddy, the boys said afterwards.

He took a seat at the table and turned to face Flynn and Tadhg. He knew things only Santa could know. He knew their Nana, who stood beaming at the mere sight of this mythical being, was his biggest fan, and he remembered that once upon a time their mother had been a quiet little girl. He knew where Flynn went to school, that Tadhg was in pre-school and about their friends next door. Mrs Claus, he said, helped him to gather information on all the children who wrote to him.

Then, from his small sack, he pulled out two folded up pieces of paper. “Do you recognise these?” he asked them, unfolding the papers one at a time, and we saw that he held in his hands the letters the boys had sent him last Christmas. Santa told them stories of Rudolf, how his nose only glows red on Christmas Eve, about the special language he speaks ,and how old he really is. He let us take photos and videos with him and gave the boys a little gift.

With that, Santa said goodbye, told the boys he would be back to leave presents for them again on Christmas Eve, and wished us a wonderful stay in Lapland.

The next day, we headed back to Santa’s Village for a husky ride, which whisked us through the forest at speed, sliding side-to-side across snowy pathways.

We spent our last evening at the nearby Appuka Resort, a stunning spot beside a frozen lake with horses and reindeer. Guests coming to stay and even just for dinner, like us, had complimentary use of the resort’s facilities, which included different sleds and rubber ring doughnuts to hurtle down snowy hills and snaking ice-slides.

We went kick-sledding across the thick ice covering Lake Olkk, then headed inside for dinner in the cosy ambience of Appuka’s main Attia restaurant, surrounded by 100-year-old timber log walls with a large fireplace.

We did not see the Northern Lights, although they were out, albeit later than we could manage to stay up, but we did leave with memories frozen in time and a promise one day to return.

Flights: Ryanair Dublin to Rovaniemi, €333.25 return, 1 adult, 2 children (the writer’s mother travelled on a separate booking from London), as booked in late December 2024.

Accommodation: 4 nights Airbnb for 4 people, €704.19

For more information, visit https://www.santaclausholidayvillage.fi/