Lapland this December - yes or no?!

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Posting shamelessly here for traffic. I need opinionated people and people who have gone to Lapland in equal measure!

I booked a holiday to Lapland for the Christmas holidays (December 2022) ages ago. My children will be 9 and 10. Booked through Canterbury. 2 nights.

I’m now thinking again - do we commit to going (more than £3000 in total) or pull out?

is it really amazing? Is it worth it? I love snow, my children have great winter ski kit so I’m not worried about them being too cold etc.

Is there another obvious fun way to go to Lapland without the Father Christmas your bit?

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO. I’ve over thought it all.

Can I afford £3000? Not easily, but yes I can do it. It means we won’t go away this summer (we’ll go camping but that’s v cheap).

happy to answer questions. Thank you all.

So. AIBU to go to Lapland this winter or should I save the money for something else?! Thank you!

Oh go!!! I’ve only heard amazing things and all the people I’ve spoken to have agreed it’s 100% worth every penny. Definitely a once in a lifetime kind of trip. Plus with your children ages you might running out of time for them to believe 😉

Id love this and my kids are all grown haha! Yes absolutely go and have an amazing time

Oh I’m desperate to do this! We are planning to book for a few years time when ours are 4,6 and 8. Haven’t voted as no idea but hoping to get some good advice on this thread too!

We did it with Canterbury Travel 5 years ago when then kids were 5, 7 & 9 and it was totally amazing! Best holiday we've all had together. Totally magical and I'd thoroughly recommend the trip and Canterbury Travel. Enjoy!

Thanks guys. So… my children don’t actually believe in Father Christmas being a real person in Lapland. They never really have and although we do stockings etc I haven’t directly lied to them about him being real. We talk about St Nicholas who WAS real and we talk about Father Christmas but they worked out it was me when they were both pretty small!

Absolutely go. I took DS when he was 5. I'd tell everyone who can afford it to take their kids, it's worth giving up a summer holiday for a year!

The other thing that worries me is there are no interior pictures of the accomodation (is it really basic?!) and the schedule seems to involve mainly “preparing to be an elf” which I think my children might just be a bit old for. They would probably embrace it but would be mainly interested in the snow and husky rides and I’m worried that the activities will be brief and they’ll want more time than possible doing the things they’d really like. There are activities like sorting letters for FC which I’m sure they’ll do happily enough, but it’s not terribly exciting. Hmm.

I think we should have gone 4 years ago. We went to U.K. Lapland 5 years ago and they loved that.

Personally I’d rather have a week in the sun for 3k, especially if they don’t believe in Santa.

We went last November with my then 9 and 6 year old! They loved it! Santa was only a small part of the main day and I don’t think its the bit they remember. They loved sledging, the huskies, reindeer ride and just being in the snow most. It really was a magical trip. The whole elf thing is a bit cheesy and probably more for younger kids but the kids did laugh along. x

We went with Canterbury Travel, great fab experience, DH didn’t agree, DS was 10 DD 3. It was magical, loved it, need Grandkids to go now lol

Do it. You will never regret it and it will be the best holiday of your whole lifetime.
my dc were past the Santa age when we went (with Tui) and it made no difference to the magic of the place. In fact we had a better time because we didn’t have to spend half our trip to Santa Claus village queuing to see him and he more time to do the other activities.
it was by far the most expensive holiday I have ever had but also the best. It was -26c while we were there but the clothing we were given by Tui was fab and nobody was ever cold. And I absolutely loved the tickly sensation of breathing in through my nose and feeling it freeze a little.

£3k is pretty reasonable. How long is it for? We had a brilliant time and the bit my children were least bothered by was Father Christmas - and they believe in him.

Tbh I think your 10 year old might find it a bit young for them. Depends on your 10 year old though.

Go! I’ve been with my family and it was the best experience for the kids and the most amazing and magical day making memories.

If you aren't bothered about Santa just book a flight and a log cabin. You mention ski gear so maybe try Levi (probably need to fly via Helsinki). Or go to Central Finland where it will still be snowy. Somewhere like Kuhmo has well-marked cross country ski tracks. Skiing/skating on a lake might be very exciting for your DC.

If your DC don't believe in Santa it may be cheaper to just go to Finland on your own and book snow sports, husky sledding etc. independently.

We went in December, absolutely magical.
I would choose Sweden over FInland, as the hotels are nicer and definitely choose somewhere you can see. We have been to both, and it is basic but the best fun and the most wonderful memories you can imagine.
A beach holiday simply does not compare to the beauty, magic and timelessness of a visit to Lapland. Try and book packages that include some activities.

Thanks all. Lots to consider! We’re booked for 2 nights which they call “three days” but I call one day and two half days really. Hmm.

If I was given a choice, I'd probably book a week long ski holiday somewhere like Ruka in Lapland and then go see santa as a side trip, do dog sledding and maybe a bit of skiing.

We went with Canterbury - it was fantastic. Definitely go!

I'm Swedish and would absolutely choose to go to Lapland on the Swedish side and skip santa and all of that. I think you are paying a premium for something your kids won't be particularly impressed by given their ages.

Go to Jukkasjärvi and stay at the Ice Hotel for a night or two, do husky rides, see the northern lights (Abisko is the best place for this) where you can also do ice climbing, snow mobile rides, visit raindeer farms, ski (downhill or cross country), and then finish the trip in Stockholm. It's super cosy there in December with all the lights and markets. You can fly from Kiruna to Stockholm in about an hour and a half, or you can take the overnight train and get a cabin on the train for just you and the family, it takes 15 hours.

I wrote a long reply which then disappeared. Anyway, I would choose to go to Lapland in Sweden in your situation, and ship anything santa related as your kids are older. You don't want to pay a premium for that.

Depending on how much time you have, you can fly to Stockholm, then take a domestic flight up to Kiruna. There you can stay at the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi for a night, then go to Abisko which is the best place to see the northern lights. You can also do ice climbing, snow mobile tours, skiing, visit raindeers, stay in a cosy cabin etc. I would then fly (or take the overnight train where you have your own cabin) back to Stockholm and spend a couple of days there. Stockholm is super cosy in December with lots of lights and markets. You would probably need 4-5 days for this though.

I wrote a long reply which then disappeared. Anyway, I would choose to go to Lapland in Sweden in your situation, and ship anything santa related as your kids are older. You don't want to pay a premium for that.

Depending on how much time you have, you can fly to Stockholm, then take a domestic flight up to Kiruna. There you can stay at the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi for a night, then go to Abisko which is the best place to see the northern lights. You can also do ice climbing, snow mobile tours, skiing, visit raindeers, stay in a cosy cabin etc. I would then fly (or take the overnight train where you have your own cabin) back to Stockholm and spend a couple of days there. Stockholm is super cosy in December with lots of lights and markets. You would probably need 4-5 days for this though.

We have been 4 times and even got married there. Absolutly love it but we always booked with Inghams. Father Christmas is an optional excursion with them. You get more days for your money, can book trips through their reps on day 1 and they specialise in ski so can also organise lift passes etc if you wanted to do the ski too