Trip to Lapland - ideas for special gift

[Doingthingsdifferently]

We are taking our two DS (7 and 3) to Lapland this Christmas which is very exciting (and very much a trip of a lifetime thing). We have to take a pre-wrapped present for each with us for Santa to give to them. I am probably over-thinking this, but I would like it to be something a bit magical and that will, hopefully, stand the test of time for them to keep to remember the trip by. I am really struggling for ideas, does anyone have any ideas or inspiration?

What about something like a music box, or an ornate snow globe? Trouble is they might be less enamoured with them as they're not toys, but the kind of things they could have in their homes forever on display.

This is quite nice

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/560508910/personalised-snow-globe?gaorder=mosttrelevant&gasearchhtype=all&gaviewwtype=gallery&gasearchhquery=snow%20globe&ref=srgallery-1-8&organiccsearchclick=1

Yes, I'd agree with OrcinusOrca something like a snow globe rather than Lego or the like.

www.giftsfromhandpicked.co.uk/gisela-graham-christmas-range/38932.html

Thank you so much OrcinusOrca these are lovely ideas and those snowglobes from Etsy look perfect

I'm sure someone will come along with more ideas soon. It sounds like a lovely idea though, to have something they can keep forever and associate with this magical trip. I would love to have something like a snow globe from years gone by, so I am very much going by my personal taste

A snow globe could be quite heavy though for traveling. How about a tree bauble (maybe newbridge silver or a Swarovski crystal star) or a piece of jewelry?

I know that a keepsake sounds lovely, but assuming you are on an organised trip, you will end up on a bus afterwards where most other children will have been given a toy to play with. I'd be worried that my dc would feel a bit deflated with a decoration.

When we went I got the dc to write a letter to Santa and he gave them an item from that list (one each of a doll they had both asked for).

Hi everyone,

I hope you won’t mind me posting but we went to Lapland last Christmas for x4 days and a trip to visit Santa in his grotto was the special part of the trip - Each child received a snow globe from him too so if you’re visiting a Grotto you may not want them to have two?

I packed my two’s stockings to leave out for them from Santa and they had money to buy baubles, soft reindeer and husky teddies etc there. As we flew out on Christmas Eve they got to open their bigger gifts with family on the 23rd.

As a previous poster suggested, I saw families in take their children’s letters to the Santa grotto and they’d packed one item each from the list. Maybe a camera so they can take special photos?

They won't ever forget! We went when my DSs were the same age as your and now they are 13 and 9 and they still talk about it now.

We knew over a year in advance that we were going so the previous Christmas, on Christmas Eve, Father Christmas "accidentally" took the bottle opener we'd left out for him to open his beer with... I took it to Lapland with us and arranged before our "private audience" for the tour rep to give it to Father Christmas who, full of apologies, gave it back to us when we met him. Incontrivertible proof that this was the absolute, real FC!

Can you get your DC to write their letters to him before you go? If you take the letters with you and do what we did with the bottle opener he can then show them the letters and give them one of the presents from their list there and then, telling them they will have to wait for more on Christmas day.

If you want to stick to the keepsake ideas then what about a small personalised bauble with their name and the date threaded on a ribbon and tied round the neck of a small cuddly reindeer toy?

We did Lapland last year with Canterbury and DS had to do his list to Santa and then his present was from the list.

We also saw DS list when we went to the Elves post office [santa]