Discovering the village of Santa Claus

December 20, 2017

Alla scoperta del villaggio di Babbo Natale

Discovering the village of Santa Claus

One can only imagine the excitement children feel when they meet Santa Claus. You see them there, in vibrant silence, watching the big door that opens and closes, letting the little guests enter Santa Claus' house. About 350,000 children arrive at Santa Claus Village every year ( www.santaclausvillage.info ) .

A 10-minute drive from the city of Rovaniemi, in the heart of the Lappish forest – right on the Arctic Circle, 66° 33' 39” – this homage to the myth of Santa Claus was built in 1950. And it was an immediate success. There are three main attractions: Santa's office, the post office and the reindeer area.

Santa 's office opens with a suggestive journey through typically Christmas lights, ice and sounds up to the time machine, the one with which Santa Claus stops the passing of the hours on the night between 24 and 25 December. A large hall then leads to the room where the real Santa Claus welcomes the children: a greeting, a caress, a few words (he knows all the most famous languages in the world) and a souvenir photo to take home. Families are invited to sit down together, for an experience of joy shared with their loved ones. Once the visit is over, you can move to Santa Claus' post office , which is part of the Finnish post office and, as such, works like a real post office counter. The elves handle Santa's incoming and outgoing correspondence (16 million letters since 1985!). Also available here are authentic Santa Claus stamps and a special stamp, a collector's item designed by artist Jukka Talari. It is in this area of the Village that children can write their letters and post them in the official letterbox. Delivery is guaranteed. www.santaclaus.posti.fi

Not far away, crossing the square where the passage of the Arctic Circle is marked, a traditional Lappish tent indicates the place where the reindeer are gathered. Santa has 23 of them, who take turns pulling their famous master's sleigh and entertaining families.

At the Santa Claus Reindeer Park Experience you can offer reindeer lichens (they say they are like candies for these animals, but children are invited to keep their little hands up to avoid unpleasant horning, albeit involuntary), or you can try driving the sleigh in short distances or, again, booking safaris: there are many tour proposals aboard reindeer-drawn sleighs, during the day or at night, to admire the northern lights. There is no age limit: the sledges are lined with soft furs and warm blankets are provided. If there is no snow, the tours are guaranteed with 'rubberised' sledges. www.santaclausreindeer.fi

Then, all warm in one of the many restaurants in Santa Claus Village. A short distance away – only in winter – there is also the famous Ice Bar&Restaurant, where everything is frozen, even the glasses. It is part of the Snowman World, where you can also visit the igloos used as rooms, admire gigantic ice sculptures and jump down exciting snow slides, sitting on maxi rubber dinghies specially designed for children. www.snowmanworld.fi

By Laura Sciolla

(Rovaniemi Tourism & Marketing Ltd.)

Article published in the magazine Nascere Mamma| Winter edition