If you’re travelling to Finnish Lapland over Christmas, you’re probably wondering how you might be spending the big day. Excitingly, as the official homeland of Father Christmas, you’ll be in one of the most festive places in the world. What’s more, there are some spectacular Finnish traditions that will help you celebrate just as the locals do. Here, we take a look at some of the biggest and best. 

It is safe to say that here at Activities Abroad we get very excited about the onset of a new winter season. Not only do the winter months in the Arctic bring with them a host of exciting family activities such as dog sledding and reindeer sleigh rides, they also give our families one of the first opportunities to go in search of the Northern Lights!

The first Auroras of this season were sighted at Brändön Lodge in Swedish Lapland on the 13th August 2024! On the same night the Northern Lights were visible across the UK and at several of our Arctic destinations. We experienced a significant geomagnetic storm in May, followed by another one in mid-August, which is quite a brief interval within the aurora seasons and a clear indication that we are in a solar maximum. If there was ever a perfect time to book a trip to the Arctic to witness the aurora, it's now!

What is Solar Maximum? 

For the full scientific explanation please head on over to our sister company - The Aurora Zone which has lots of fascinating scientific articles explaining such as 'What is the Solar Maximum' 

In a short (ish!) summary: Since human's earliest fascination with space, and scientists began observing the Sun's activity, it becsme clear that the number of sunspots fluctuates over time. This pattern typically spans about 11 years, though it can extend up to 14 or 15 years, and is known as the Solar Cycle. Within each Solar Cycle, the number of sunspots increases to a peak, called the Solar Maximum, and then decreases to a low point, known as the Solar Minimum. 

We are right in the middle of the current solar cycle which in short not only means more frequent but also more spectacular Auroras! 

Though Father Christmas may call it home, when it comes to experiences in Lapland, the man in red has some fierce competition!

There can be a lot of pressure deciding how you want to celebrate the new year, especially when you have the whole family to think about. That’s why we’ve carefully designed family new year holidays to take the worry away.

There really is nothing better to get you into the festive spirit than an appearance from good old Saint Nicholas but with all the times he’s come to us, isn’t it only right we visited him?

Though we all enjoy the summer here at Activities Abroad, we think there are plenty of reasons to get excited about the upcoming winter. With the crisp autumn leaves falling to the ground, we’re thinking ahead to white snowy landscapes of Lapland and that wonderful festive time of year.

No matter what your age, Christmas wouldn’t be complete without the famous man in red. What’s more, we know that for the little ones a meeting with Father Christmas can be a truly magical experience. That’s why we’ve carefully designed a selection of holidays that include personal and memorable meetings with Father Christmas, right on his home soil.

Sadly, the school holidays are over and it’s time to get back to reality. But why not give into some wanderlust thoughts and start thinking about your family winter break!

Here are Activities Abroad’s 10 unmissable winter experiences you need to have this year:

Lapland offers so much to families wanting to revel in all the joys that come with an escape to a winter wonderland. With so much choice, we understand that it can be hard to narrow down exactly what you want to do on your family break. So, in order to help you plan your next Arctic escape, we caught up with one of our Travel Experts, Laura to get her top three experiences to have this winter with your family:

Here at Activities Abroad, we know that most families can’t wait to tick husky sledding off their bucket lists. However, when you and your children actually get the chance to experience it for the first time, it can be quite daunting. So, in order to help prepare your family for one of the Arctic’s most exhilarating experiences, we have put together our top tips for any husky sledding beginner!

If you are anything like us then you have probably been longing for the chance to escape the heat of summer and cool down! Now it might still be the summer holidays but the good news is that winter is around the corner and here at Activities Abroad we think that there are plenty of reasons to get excited about the colder months!

Having worked at Activites Abroad for almost 9 years I have always dreamt about taking my family to Lapland.  I am very lucky to be able to visit many of the wonderful destinations that we offer as part of my role as Product and Operations Manager and I consider many of our local partners as friends rather than just business associates.

Our representative Katrina has been busy looking after our families staying in Harrinva, Jeris and Torassieppi this year. We caught up with Katrina to find out about her winter in Lapland.

What do families enjoy the most about Harriniva, Jeris and Torassieppi?

There are so many fun activities to enjoy especially for children. Children always love meeting the huskies. They enjoy the husky safaris and getting to cuddle the huskies. The reindeers are also very popular and a reindeer sleigh ride is a magical experience for the whole family.  The tobogganing is probably one of the most popular activities. It’s very fun and children don’t get cold as they are constantly running up the hill for another go.

Reindeer Sleigh Ride

Over the winter months our Activities Abroad representative Ben has been working in Nellim. As the season draws to a close we asked Ben to share his favourite experiences of the winter season.

Hot climates have always been my first choice of holiday destination. The very thought of visiting a cold country would get my teeth chattering uncontrollably, which prompted an avalanche of strange looks.

Since joining the Activities Abroad team, I’ve found a good deal of snow-based fun to change my mind.

Here are five activities which I definitely want to try, all of which you can experience for yourselves on our family holidays to winter destinations!

Husky safari

While my list isn’t in any particular order, this has to be right at the top. Dogsledding has long been central to the culture of the Nordic countries, and it’s easy to see why: the energy of the pack driving you over sparkling white lands must be amazing (correction: ‘is amazing’, as resoundingly confirmed by the whole office!).

Jo and Amy our Product and Sales managers are currently in Finland checking on preparations for our family Christmas holidays.

As they touched down in Rovaniemi it was clear winter had arrived and there was even a couple of inches of snow on the ground making everything look extra special!