Four Go To Lapland sounds a bit like an Enid Blyton escapade, doesn’t it? And in fact, the reality of my day-trip to the snowy lands of the north pretty much lived up to that spirit of adventure.
Together with my eight-year-old daughter Coco, my friend and her 15-year-old son, I flew to Rovaniemi, the official home town of Santa Claus, on a 7am flight from Gatwick.
Well, we had to start early if we were to get all the way to the North Pole and back in one day.
Thrilling: Taking a husky-sledding excursion was one of the highlights for Jo and her young daughter Coco
I felt festive as soon as we arrived. Trees were covered with snow and when we shook the leaves, flakes gently drifted all around us. It was utterly magical.
The light, too, was amazing. They have only two hours of sunlight in Lapland in winter, so the resulting glow was ethereal, and lent a marvellous atmosphere to the place.
You won’t be surprised to learn that it was absolutely freezing during our trip, so we were togged up in industrial snowsuits.
Thankfully there were stands everywhere with elves (yes, real elves!) handing out hot, spicy berry juice, which was just what we needed.
Feeling Festive: Santa with one of his reindeer in Lapland. Rovaniemi is his official hometown
We didn’t need much encouragement to keep moving, however, as the day was action-packed.
Our first activity, sledding, was just as exciting as we’d hoped. Coco’s eyes were as round as saucers as the huskies pulled us along.
The snowmobiles were also great fun as we were allowed to drive them ourselves. Coco sat behind me and we headed off into the forest. The light was beginning to fade by this point, but candles were dotted around the trail for us to follow, which was a beautiful touch.
One of our favourite activities was the trip to the elves’ workshop. Santa’s helpers even divulged a few of their secrets to keep the kids completely entranced.
Family fun: Writer Jo and her daughter Coco were all smiles despite the chilly winter weather
Next was the visit to Santa himself, and we promised him we had been good all year because no one wants to miss out on a little gift, do they?
TRAVEL FACTS
Thomson (thomson.co.uk, 0871 230 2555) offers day trips to Lapland from £372pp.
This includes return flights from Birmingham on December 4, transfers, sleigh rides, a snow village tour and meeting Santa Claus.
Even though this was the climax of the visit, the whole day was so enchanting that meeting Santa was more of a sideshow for Coco really.
Her favourites were riding with the huskies and meeting the reindeer, although to be honest, it was exciting to just walk in the beautiful forest and play games (well, it was for me anyway).
It was ambitious doing it all in one day and we were exhausted – but happy – by the end of it. It’s funny seeing the photos of Coco all bright-eyed and twinkling in the morning compared to how shattered she was when we got home at 11pm.
We were sad not to see the Northern Lights, but then again, it’s not every day you’re handed a present by Father Christmas himself.
