Fresh and pure, Lapland really is one of the most unspoilt areas on earth. Why not go there this Christmas and explore this land of legends and nature in whichever way you choose. You could treat yourself to a fantastic winter adventure for all the family, cross the Arctic circle to the Home of Santa Claus and experience the thrill of reindeer sleigh rides and snow mobiling against the backdrop of a magical winter wonderland. Lapland is actually situated in Finland, close to the Artic Circle. In Finland, families gather together on Christmas Eve which is the most important day of the year. At the stroke of noon the ‘Peace of Christmas’ is proclaimed in Turku, the former capital of Finland. This marks the ‘official’ beginning of the Christmas celebrations and most families enjoy the first part of their Christmas meal at this point. Around five in the evening, families go to the churchyard, for a special service where candles are placed on the graves of loved ones. On Christmas Eve, children await the arrival of Father Christmas. He differs from his counterparts in other nations in that he actually enters the house for a visit at this time instead of during the night when the children are asleep. Father Christmas always asks the same question upon his arrival: ‘Are there any good children here?’ The answer is always an enthusiastic ‘Yes’. Father Christmas has a basket filled with gifts and as his helpers distribute them, he tells about his journey from his home in Lapland and how he must hurry along to complete his rounds. After the children sing a final Christmas song, he moves on his way to visit other homes in the area. One holiday operator offering fun for all the family is Artic Discovery who provide extremely exciting winter holidays, from standard winter-sport packages to the holiday of your dreams. Why not try the amazing snowmobile action package in the highest mountain chain in Lapland. Experience the thrill of driving one of our powerful Yamaha XT 500 machines over all types of terrain on some of the 400 kilometres of trails in Hemavan. Visit www.arcticdiscovery.com.
