Visiting Rovaniemi and Santa’s village is amazing but doing it during the Christmas Holidays is even more magical. We are going to tell you what it feels like to spend Christmas in Rovaniemi.
Get in the Christmas spirit
In Lapland, it is not very hard to get in the Christmas spirit. Everything is covered in Snow, decorations sparkle everywhere and behind each window, you can see beautiful ornaments decorating typical houses. What we recommend is to take a walk around Rovaniemi city Centre and stop to admire the ice Christmas Crib. You might even be lucky enough to attend a performance of Santa’s helpers that come to the city to sing Christmas carols.
Another great thing to do is to make the most of the city centre by going to the cinema to watch a Christmas movie. Bring a blanket and a hot chocolate for an extra cozy moment!
Christmas Eve in Santa’s village
Visiting Santa in his village on the 24th is a great idea! Approaching Christmas, the atmosphere in his village gets even more special and you will enjoy seeing children playing in the snow and people gathered around a nice fire camp.
If you have not done it yet, it is also a great moment to write some Christmas cards to your loved ones and send it from Santa’s official post office. You will spend a nice moment writing them and your friends and family will definitely appreciate receiving a letter from Lapland!
To top off the day, why don’t you give reindeer sleigh ride a try? Even the shortest tour will make this day unforgettable. After that, go and say hello to Santa Claus in his workshop, he will be happy to have a little chat with you before his big night!
A typical Finnish Christmas dinner
One of the best things when celebrating Christmas is of course the food, and here in Finland, we get to try new things and delicious cuisine. What is great with the Christmas dinner is the variety that you will find in your plate. You can begin with different kinds of marinated herring and smoked salmon with some Rosolli salad on the side and appreciate the typical taste of pickled beetroot.
After that, trying the baked ham accompanied by a nice casserole is a must. And again, you will find diversity in your plate as Finnish people usually prepare casseroles of carrots, rutabagas, and potatoes for this special dinner.
If you are wondering what to drink, you should just enjoy a hot cup of glöggi, the Finnish mulled wine before diving into the last part of the meal, desert.
It is probably in Lapland that you will eat the best gingerbread cookies of your life so do not hesitate and try different ones. Joulutortut, Christmas pastries are also a delicious way to end your dinner but the one thing that you absolutely need to do is to eat as many chocolates as you can! Indeed, Christmas is the time to try brands that you have never heard of and taste many delicacies.
Christmas day’s fun
After this emotion packed day, it is great to spend a chilled 25th of December. You start the day opening your presents, eat leftover food from the day before and go for a walk in the enchanting nature of Lapland. And for the cherry on the top, you could go play in the snow, build a snowman and take the sledge out for a nice ride!