Lapland for Christmas

[mrssillysausage]

Hi
We have booked to go to Lapland at Christmas, flying on 23rd and back on Boxing Day. Staying at the crazy reindeer.
Has anyone else been?
Any hints or tips you could share?
We are travelling with our four and nine year old girls.
Thanks in advance! X

Check what’s provided – if you’re travelling on a Santa break package, as we did, you’ll get a thermal suit included which makes a huge difference. We also had boots included – but bear in mind that you’ll be walking down snowy steps from the plane to the airport and onto a transfer before you get the boots, so you’ll need something to cope with snow (the same goes for having gloves, hat, ski jacket and warm layers on the plane). My own pair were also warmer and a better fit, although DD wore her two pairs interchangeably.
Pack different weight layers –there’s a limit to just how much we could fit underneath a thermal suit (and a bigger size would have swamped my DD entirely), so I quickly realised that there was no chance that we could zip it up over both her ski jacket and thicker hoody (plus thermals). Instead, we had some thinner jumpers which went under the ski jacket and could put the thermal suit over the top (again with thermals underneath). The same went for my own suit, so having a variety meant there was always something which worked.
Double layer your gloves – and if possible try them on together before you buy. We had thermal gloves and waterproof ski gloves. One of my own top buys for Lapland was some silk glove liners to go under my own thermal gloves – I was constantly having to pull my right glove off, to take photos, to fish tickets out of a pocket, to pull my DC’s gloves back on (again!) and simply could not do any of it with the thermal layer.
Buy more handwarmers – we had two sets of reusable handwarmers with us, which worked beautifully the first time we used them (just bend to snap the metal disc and they heat up instantly). I then managed to drop one in a snowdrift where it vanished entirely, and when trying to heat them in boiling water to reuse them, one popped, and the other two flatly refused to go squashy again.
Make sure your hat covers your ears or consider a balaclava.
Have a hot water bottle. The apparently thin duvets on our beds were impressively warm, so we could certainly have managed without our hot water bottles. But there’s nothing quite so comforting as curling up with one when you’ve been cold.
Take a rucksack. You probably won’t have a huge amount to carry but once you’re in a thermal suit, you have limited accessible pockets, so something to stash the essentials in and keep your hands free to mess around in the snow is useful.
Consider how to carry your phone. Even with my glove liners on, my cold fingers managed to fumble my phone and drop it into a snowdrift on day one. Thankfully the powdery snow meant it emerged unscathed (although with 3% battery) but I regretted not taking the waterproof case I own.
Bulk buy batteries. Even if you manage not to drop your phone into a snowdrift (highly advised!), the cold temperatures drain batteries much faster. Plus you’ll be snapping away at the gorgeous scenery and capturing some fantastic family memories.
Take hot chocolate for use with the room kettle! I don’t think you can drink enough hot chocolate when you are out there in magical Lapland!
Make sure you’ve got plenty of lip balm too.
An integral part of the Santa visit is the present, of course. These are not usually terribly inspiring: Barbie dolls and Action Men perhaps. But some operators (Nordic Experience, for example) allow you to supply your own and slip it to an elf at the appropriate moment.
Waking up in the dark and it being full dark by mid afternoon definitely confuses your body clock, especially on the first day with a two-hour time difference and a very early start for the flight. Be prepared to think it’s bedtime by 5pm!

Excellent advice from Ricekrispie22
Never underestimate just how cold it is. We went to Lapland one February when it only got down to -12, but the cold really gets to you if you are stood still. Don't bother with snowmobiling. The children will be put in a sled and towed. DD sat in a towed sled for 2 hours and nearly got frostbite. Husky driving is brilliant, but a very cold experience, especially for the person not doing the driving, and ditto the reindeer sledging. You need to keep moving to stay warm.

Layers are key, but don't wear cotton. You need under layers that wick the sweat away from your skin. Decathlon is a good place to find all the right gear.

Also a snood or scarf that covers most of your face is essential, especially for sleigh rides, husky driving etc as you have the icy wind blowing into your face.

And the gloves must be waterproof.

We did same dates a few years back, was magical - you will have a great time. Got down to -27C outside but hotel was very warm and so was our pool at about 28C for pool and hotel maybe 25C so layers were ideal. Our company provided all you need for outside though do need to get 50 metres in snow and reverse before get things so some suitable footwear needed. We had own snowboots. Thermals are useful especially for kids. My then 5 year old struggled with the cold a bit but there was a warm restaurant on all trips you could pop into.

Also useful to take some drinks / snacks with you - had massive luggage allowance and food / drink over there is expensive and limited. Kids were very happy to have it and saved us a bit.