A tryst with Santa in Rovaniemi

The official hometown of Santa Claus keeps the festive spirit all year round while the experience of watching the sky come alive with the Northern Lights is the cherry on the cake

On the Arctic Circle line

Santa Claus may visit only during Christmas, but in the capital of the Finnish Lapland, Rovaniemi, you can meet the cheery fellow throughout the year. That is not the only reason to visit this dreamy town that is about a 90-minute plane ride from Helsinki. Here, one can cross to the other side of the Arctic Circle on a reindeer sleigh, sled or snowmobile and chase the dancing Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, which is on the bucket list of every traveller. In fact, this little town keeps the Christmas spirit alive throughout the year.

Santa Claus village

In 1985, Santa Claus decided to open an office in Lapland’s capital and in 2010 Rovaniemi received the status of the ‘Official Hometown of Santa Claus’. An encounter with him is the most magical experience one can have as childhood stories come alive in this town, where he meets people throughout the year.

An elf opens a bright red door, and after a warm greeting, takes one around. The entire place has a ‘Christmassy’ feel with gifts strewn around, letters and a warehouse stacked with presents. A ‘Wall of Fame’ is plastered with photos of famous people who’ve met Santa Claus while another wall marks the countdown to Christmas reflecting the number of days left for the festival. And then it’s time to meet red-robed Father Christmas as he sits poring over letters. He is all one expects him to be — smiling, jolly and the very soul of cheer.

Ask whatever you want and he will try to answer it. At the end of my 12-minute chat with him, he handed out this piece of advice — the Arctic Circle is the place where dreams come true so make a wish before leaving. And I did exactly that. The meeting with him will be recorded for those who want to cherish the encounter and of course, there will be a picture.

Meeting Santa Claus is not the only highlight of this village — say hello to his favourite reindeer well at the Santa Claus Reindeer Village. If you happen to visit in summer, feed the lovely animals with those gentle eyes and if you are there when the landscape is snow-covered, then head out for a sleigh ride.

Don’t leave before sending a few postcards to nieces, nephews or other young acquaintances from the official post office of Santa Claus. This is the place where letters written to him from children across the world get delivered — about half a million letters arrive each year and are opened by the elves.

Santa Claus village is also the place where one can take a momentous step across the Arctic Circle which passes through Rovaniemi — this is on the wish list of many avid travellers.

The dancing Northern Lights

If you happen to be in Rovaniemi from September to March, then watch the dancing lights which light up the Nordic sky in colours like green and purple adding to Lapland’s magic.

There is of course a scientific reason as to why this happens, but the spectacle is truly phenomenal. It is better to go with a registered company because their experts know the exact places where the chances of spotting them are better. You may have to step outside the town or go near a lake where the pitch-dark sky makes it more likely to get a chance to watch this heavenly dance. Patience plays a huge role in this so don’t lose heart if you don’t see them for some time because it’s truly a life-changing moment when they appear.

Take a husky ride

Bearhill Husky is one of the places where visitors can sit on a sled and a cart pulled by Alaskan huskies. Even if it is not snowing, the experience is really interesting. The sled is tied to 10 dogs in pairs, who bark excitedly as they are rearing to go. It’s amazing to see how fast they run once they get the command from a person standing behind the cart. Dog lovers, on their return, can visit the kennel.

Make reindeer handicrafts

A warm hug, a cheerful smile, a cosy home that smells of freshly baked cinnamon rolls and a quaint workshop in a log cabin — that’s what you can expect when you visit Irene Kangasniemi who lives in the middle of the woods, making Finnish handicrafts.

She and her husband, Ari, have been here for nearly 40 years creating Lappish knives, jewellery, chandeliers, traditional drums, spoons, cups and many more interesting crafts from materials like reindeer antlers and leather. Sign up for a workshop where Irene talks about the importance of Finnish handicrafts and then visit her cheerful home where she serves coffee, berry pie and juice that she’s all made on her own. Indeed Lapland truly epitomises why Finland is the happiest country in the world — it has a dreamlike quality that is not easy to find.