Samikshaa V Baaliyan
Who didn’t dream of meeting Santa Claus as a child? I was no different. Even if you didn’t grow up in a culture or religion that celebrated Christmas, themagic of decorated trees, gift-giving, and the jolly man in red was hard to resist. So, when I discovered there was an actual place where you could meet Santa year-round—at his real home—I could hardly believe it. It felt like a dream come true.
The idea of experiencing the Northern Lights, staying in a glass igloo, and going on a reindeer sleigh ride—everything that had been sitting on my bucket list for years—all in one place, made it feel like magic truly existed.
Back home in India, February to March usually marks the end of the snow season. But when I checked the weather forecast for Rovaniemi in April, it was still snowing. I couldn’t help but wish for two things: a blanket of snow and a chance to witness the aurora borealis. I had only planned two days in Rovaniemi and with so much to do, I wasn’t sure which one to wish for more. But as luck would have it, I got to experience both! While I didn’t actually see the snow falling, the landscape was still covered in white—and that was more than enough.
I had hoped to catch the Midnight Sun too, but it doesn’t begin until mid-May. Still, with daylight stretching until 10:00 PM, it felt surreal. And it just means I will have to come back for that magical experience another time.
The moment I got my Schengen visa, I rushed to book my flights to Rovaniemi via Helsinki with Finnair. The flight was incredibly comfortable—great amenities, delicious food, and smooth service. There was some turbulence while landing in Rovaniemi due to strong winds, but we made it safely. We arrived in the evening and checked into our hotel at the city center. Walking to the supermarket that night was an adventure in itself—the wind was so strong, and even though the temperature read -5°C, it felt more like -14°C!
The next morning, we headed to the most anticipated part of our trip: our stay at Santa’s Arctic Igloos. My friend and I were beyond excited. We couldn’t stop taking pictures—from every angle, inside, outside, and of the snowy landscape. We were like a couple of overenthusiastic tourists, and we loved every second of it.
Our first glimpse of the glass igloos was absolutely magical. We couldn’t resist video calling our families back home to share the moment.
After checking in, we went to explore Santa Claus Village. Our first stop: Santa Claus Reindeer. We took a peaceful sleigh ride through the snow, guided by a kind reindeer pilot named Kitto. Some of the reindeer had only one horn, or none at all. Kitto explained it was shedding season, and their antlers would grow back within three months.
Next, we warmed up with some hot chocolate at a nearby restaurant and made our way to the Arctic Circle Post Office to send postcards to our loved ones. Standing right on the Arctic Circle line—felt surreal.
Then came the highlight—meeting Santa himself! As we walked in, a screen read: Santa is taking a nap and will be back soon. But just 10–15 minutes later, we were face to face with the legend. I shyly asked him if I could make a wish, and he kindly said, “Why not?” I wished to see the Northern Lights. He smiled and said he would pray for it, though he couldn’t promise anything. We had a sweet conversation, took a few photos, and left with hearts full of childlike wonder.
We spent more time strolling through the village, picking up souvenirs, and soaking in the festive atmosphere—it felt just like Christmas, even in April. We completely forgot our age and embraced the joy of being 10 years old again.
That night, back at the igloos, we kept checking websites and forecast portals. There was only a slight chance, but we stayed hopeful. Relying on the aurora alert system, we went to bed around 11:00 PM. When we woke up at 5:00 AM and saw a message on the alert system, we felt so disappointed—had we missed it?
I checked the forecast again, and it showed a high chance of auroras around 5:30 AM. Then suddenly, I saw soft pink lights dancing across the sky. We were confused—weren’t auroras supposed to be green? A quick internet search revealed that under rare conditions, due to high solar activity, auroras can appear pink or even purple.
It dawned on us—we hadn’t missed the lights. We were witnessing an exceptionally rare version of them! Maybe it was Santa, maybe it was the universe answering our wish—but we were the only ones awake to witness that breathtaking show. We ran outside like kids, laughing and chasing the lights, trying to capture every moment. It lasted only 15–20 minutes before the sky cleared, but it was more than enough to leave us speechless.
Feeling like we had just stepped out of a fairytale, we had breakfast, packed our bags, and boarded our flight—our hearts full, and our minds already dreaming of the next magical destination: Switzerland.
