Ylläs

You know when you imagine something. Something beyond your wildest dreams. And you build a picture in your head of how it might be and how you might feel? Well, this trip surpassed that for me. When my Mother and Father in Law told us that they were treating the family to a trip of a lifetime to Lapland, we were just gobsmacked. This was 2 years ago, so you can imagine how disappointed we were when Covid hit last year and we soon realised we wouldn't be able to go. It was a little rocky this year also but we hoped and prayed that we would finally get to go.

We finally got the news we had been waiting for that December 2021 was a go ahead and we could begin to build the excitement for our magical trip. First, we had to tell the girls. We surprised them about 2 weeks before with an official letter from Santa and 2 boarding passes inviting them to his home in Lapland. It was a very emotional moment and allowed the girls time to process what we were doing and build up the excitement. December 2nd soon came around and we all met at the airport ready for our flight to meet Santa.

We flew with TUI from East Midlands airport to Kittilä in Finland. The flight was around 3 and a half hours, which wasn't too long and they provided cute little activity packs for the children. They even had a colouring competition and let the pilots pick a couple of winners. Erin won!

When we arrived at Kittilä airport, it was pretty smooth moving through the terminal and out to the unit where you were given your snowsuits and boots for your stay. The staff were pretty clued up just by looking at you as to which size suit you would need. Once we'd collected those we got straight on the coach to our hotel/lodge complex.

The scenery in Finland is just incredible. The whole journey to our hotel we were fixed to the windows, looking out on the glistening snow everywhere and the quaint little homes that were like mini log cabins everywhere. It was honestly so beautiful and we already felt like we were wrapped up in a magical Christmas adventure.

One thing you notice straight away is that daylight is very limited. There was really only about 3-4 hours of actual daylight per day and then it becomes dusky and eventually dark in no time. I kind of liked it though. It added to the magical feel of the place. It was almost like a winter's night every day!

We arrived at the lodges - our complex was called The Snow Elf, and we were instantly wowed by how big it was. The restaurant was right in the centre and easily accessible for everyone and the lodges, which we were staying in, were right at the bottom of the site. Each lodge was spacious and well equipped. They even had their own saunas inside! Very snazzy! Our lodge had 2 double bedrooms, bathroom, sauna, separate toilet room, and a lounge with kitchenette and log burner. It was very clean and well heated.

There were shops a short walking distance away. The walk was so lovely in the snow with our snowsuits and boots on. They really did keep out the cold and the only place you could honestly feel it was your face. We took a walk on our first afternoon there to the local shops just to get some bits and pieces for the lodges and then later that evening we had dinner in the restaurant on site. I have to say, the food was fantastic. They had such a big variety of different foods every night, which was buffet style. There was a good selection of hot and cold food as well as British and Finnish cuisine. Even vegetarians like myself were well catered for. The fresh pancakes for breakfast were particularly amazing!

On day 2, it was our trip to meet the big man himself, Santa! We were totally excited and had to get on the coach at 8:20am. It took around 50 minutes to get to The Snow Village and when we got there, it was still dark. I'm not sure what I was expecting to see when we got there but it was actually more magnificent than I could have ever imagined. The whole village is built from snow and ice every year! They have a different theme each year and the village is created around that theme. This year was futuristic and the sculptures inside were insane. It took your breath away to see the detail that had gone into each part inside and they still had people working away inside on various parts. There was even an indoor slide made completely from ice!

Once we had looked around the snow village, it was time to go and meet Santa! We were all loaded on a sled, covered with reindeer skins (you see them a lot in Finland) and we were pulled by a snow mobile through the snowy landscape with huge trees all around us glistening with snow. It reminded me of a scene from 'The Snowman' when they drove through the woods on a motorcycle, it was literally just like that. Sooooo magical!

The journey took around 5 minutes but felt like ages. We pulled up outside a quaint little log cabin set in the woodland. Outside was an elf serving hot berry juice (which was amazing by the way) and a lovely little campfire with hay bales around it to sit on. We were asked to take a seat and a drink and wait until Santa called us into his cabin. Once we were inside, Santa was just wonderful. He really took the time to talk to the girls and make them feel special. He gave them both a gift and welcomed a photo - albeit Covid compliant - and assured them he would be visiting our home with presents very soon. The girls were on cloud 9 as we left. They couldn't believe it was the REAL Santa!

After seeing Santa, we took some time to do a few other activities at the snow village such as playing on the sledge track, seeing the reindeer and even a short husky ride. The whole experience at the snow village was just wonderful and definitely something we will never forget. We headed back to the hotel soon after and took up sledging for the rest of the day. The site had lots of free sledges for children and adults to use throughout their stay. It really did make it so fun.

That night, as if we hadn't already had a ton of fun for one day, the most sensational thing happened. Whilst the girls were dancing at the kids disco, the staff made an announcement that the Northern Lights had appeared right above the site outside and we should go see them. We all hurried out, anxiously looking around the dark sky trying to see them. We couldn't really make anything out, it was kind of misty but definitely not defined enough to be the actual lights.

THEN, we made our way back down to our lodges and THERE THEY WERE! To see the Northern Lights has been on my bucket list since I can't even remember. But to see them in all their glory, for FREE, right above our lodge the night we had met Santa was just something else. I actually felt really emotional seeing them. The way the light moves and changes and appears so majestic, it was just incredible. Seeing it with your own eyes is just out of this world and I feel so lucky we got to experience that by chance.

The next 2 days there were free days where we could either enjoy the site, go sledging, take part in the kids activities or book excursions. We had had tasters of activities to do in Lapland and been lucky enough to see the Northern Lights so we decided to enjoy our free time between wintery walks and playing. The landscape was so beautiful on a clear day and it even snowed. The snow is so different to snow here though. It is just like powder. Far too dry to build snowmen from and when it fell, it honestly looked like glitter. Just amazing. The temperature dropped considerably for our last 2 days, right down to -30ºc! You have never felt cold like it! Your hair froze within minutes of being outdoors. Check out the photos below to see! Ha-Ha!

We had lovely walks, enjoyed mulled wine and Baileys hot chocolates and just soaked the whole experience right up. Everything about it was more than I could have ever hoped for and I feel so so lucky we got to go. The girls still talk about it now and I know it will stay with them forever. We were definitely sad to leave but the whole experience was truly magical and we will cherish those memories. If you ever get the opportunity to go, please do. You won't regret it :-)

(Thank you so much to my Mummy Eileen and Mike for our special trip and to our wonderful family who all made it so special, too. Love you all x)