“May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve.”

– Unknown

For a few years I have seen countless posts about Santa Claus Village on Instagram. My love for Christmas was inherited from my mom. She always made Christmas magical. She filled our home with the aroma of cookies, made countless pecan tassies, the tree was stunning and she moved the decorations around for days until she thought it was just right, and she proudly displayed her beloved Christmas Village with pieces on every flat surface in the living room. So naturally going to Rovaniemi, Finland and meeting Santa quickly became a bucket list item. Today was the day – time to check off another bucket list item.

After touring Helsinki, Laura and I made our way to Helsinki Central Station and boarded the Santa Claus Express overnight train. We left at 19:29 and we were set to arrive in Rovaniemi at 7:20. We booked a second floor sleeper car so we would have our own bathroom. The cabin was tiny, and the bathroom was like an airplane bathroom. I quickly settled on my bed, ate a sandwich I brought on board, caught up on Facebook and Instagram, wrote about Helsinki and got my things ready for the next day. Laura headed to the restaurant car and surprisingly had a good salad and some wine. I had no issue sleeping on the train, it wasn’t a deep sleep, but the gentle sway rocked me to sleep, and for me, the cabin temperature was perfect. Laura was not as successful on the upper bunk.

When we arrived at Rovaniemi Station we easily found the city bus that would take us to Santa Claus Village. There was a beautiful light snow, and the sun didn’t rise until after 9:00. For €4 we rode through the streets of downtown Rovaniemi and after a short ride we were there – at Santa Claus Village!

At first I was a bit annoyed, as we arrived at the village at 8:00 and nothing was open, nor could we check our luggage. There were a handful of people in the same situation, and we all made the best of it. To be honest, we realized a little after 9:00 that it was the best thing that could have happened to us – this place got very busy, and all the peace and tranquility were gone shortly after 9:00. Not to mention, seeing the village in the dark with all the Christmas lights made it more special.

Once the Main Information building opened at 9:00, we were told that check-in for luggage still was not open, but thankfully Laura asked if Santa was there for us to visit. The staff told us he was and we should go before the crowds come. They offered to watch our luggage so we could go! We hit the bucket list jackpot. With no line, the long quiet walk through the building past decorated trees, gifts, and lights just added to the anticipation. Then it was time – Laura and I were brought into the room to meet Santa! Since there was no one else in line we chatted with him for quite a bit. They took photos with both Laura and I, and some solo. Honestly, no one gets this much time with Santa Claus – he’s a busy guy! When we exited the room feeling that magical Christmas glow, we were hit with a mass of people heading up the stairs to see Santa. Boy did we luck out! Then the icing on the cake was luggage check opened – perfect timing!

We then got some much needed coffee and gingerbread coookies, and toured the rest of the village. We saw reindeer and went to the official Santa Claus post office to mail some post cards, then visited with Mrs. Claus. She has her own house and told us it takes 99 years of training to become an elf – yeah I’ll be dead before my training finishes. By the way, she also told us she helps the elfs wrap all the toys – in case you were wondering what she did all day.

Our time at the village came to an end around 11:30 as we had to get to the Rovaniemi airport to meet our shuttle to Northern Lights Village Pyha where we will spend our next two nights.

What a wonderful morning! Some may find it a bit commercial, others, such as myself, a true lover of all things Christmas, found it magical. It brings to mind the words written by Francis P. Church, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”. I met him and he lives in Rovaniemi, Finland.

Ciao 💕