46 Christmas In South London, Friday, November 18, 2011


A magical trip to Lapland A


Santasleighs is one waytoset youona journeytofestive cheer quick smart. My boyfriend and Iwere one of fewcou-


SA former Scrooge, avisit to Esprit Santa’sLapland has changed every- thing. Riding reindeers, huskies and


❄ Lisa Haynes wasaguest of Esprit Santa’sLapland programme,which starts on December 1, and offerstwo nights’ half-boardatSanta’s Hotel HolidayClub, in Saariselka, from £1,589 per familyofthree ex-Manchester,or from £1,616 ex-Gatwick/Stansted. ❄ Packageincludes return flights, transfersand full dayof activities in winter wonderland. ❄ Santa’sLapland reservations call 01252 618345 or visit www.santaslapland.com


Travel facts


ples without children in towbut as child- free bystanders it wasobvious ages were all-important to ‘Lap up’ the experience. Nothing prepares youfor the sub-zero temperatures, in our case -22C. Average December temperatures usuallyhover around -12C butcan dip as lowas-30C. Standing in everydaywinter clothes, there’snoextreme wind chill butthe cold is beyond comprehension with aJack Frost bite to your ears and nose. Temperatures are soon forgotten at the quaint airportofIvalo when aman wear- ing traditional furs is standingoutside with abeautiful white reindeer to greet us. An elf leaps around talking gibberish and directs everyone onto private coaches, which takearound 30 minutes to reach the accommodation in Saariselka, wayupin Lapland’ssnowy farnorth. It’sagreat opportunity to soak up the


snowy scenes as the kids enter into the spirit singing along to Christmas carols – and as my feet de-frost, Iwarmuptothe idea of festive cheer. Light in Lapland is scarce in December


By Lisa Haynes


frosted windowasweline up for the all- important weather-proof clothing, com- prisingthermal outersuit, twopairs of thick woollen socks, snowboots, gloves and hats –all provided free of charge. Your packing checklist needs to focus on


what’sunderneath your outersuit. It’salso wise to takeextra mittens and balaclavas or scarvestocover face and ears. Lugging aSanta’ssack-worth of cloth-


ing, we crush through the thick white snow to our hotel, Riekonlinna. Situated close to the village centre, it’sa popular familyhotel and our room is clean butbasic. We test out our haul of snow- friendlyfashion with atobogganing ses- sion in the dedicated slope twominutes walk from the hotel. Adults and kids alikeare bombing down


the hill and the sheer thickness of the snow ensures anytumbles are painless. Snowmobile safaris and NorthernLights


visits are paid-for optional activities and weather dependent. Sadly, our chance to see the breathtaking Aurora Borealis lights were scuppered by an evening snowstorm. On a‘Santa’sMagic’ package, the two-


with around four hours of daylight in the earlyafternoon and twotothree hours of ‘greylight’ either side, rather liketwilight. Grand plans for snowchic go out of the


deers and then at breakneck speed by our very ownteam of six beautiful huskies – undoubtedlythe highlight of my trip. There’salso the opportunity to tryyour


luck with ice fishing and get creative mak- ing snowcarvings with blocks of ice and tools for each family. The wonderland logcabin is ahaven for


regular breaks to sup on hot drinks and thaw out and refuel with asimple butsustaining lunch of soup, spaghetti and meatballs. Children trudge in from the snowwith beaming faces, presents and high-pitched voices after their visit to see Santa Claus. Everyfamilyenjoys their ownprivate scheduled visit. Soon, it wastime for Ms Scrooge to meet her match and visit the man himself. Asnowmobile whisks us offatspeed


into the picturesque woods, stopping at clues to his presence –piles of presents, a sleigh –until we finallyreach the highly convincing traditional wooden cabin where excitable elves are throwing snow- balls and jumping up and down at our arrival. Suddenly, Ifeel six years old again. White-bearded Santa welcomes us into


night whistlestop break is geared towards the winter wonderland activity daysoit’s wise to be fresh for the earlystart, which makes the most of the shortdaylight hours. I’m thrilled as we’repulled around the stunning snowy forest (aka Santa’s grounds) in acosy sleigh by jingling rein-


his present-laden home and maintains the magic, talking in that gruff voice about his duties and even cracking acorny joke about his wife –“MaryChristmas”. My boyfriend leavesSanta’shut punching


the air.Ican onlyimagine the excitement a young child might feel. This is certainly one waytoguarantee the perfect Christmas –and wave farewell to your inner Scrooge.


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