Lapland UK 2012…(Part One)

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Finding an authentic Father Christmas is very difficult. From the £5 a head Santa that effectively sits in a shed in the city centre to the frosty trek to Lapland itself, most Christmas-loving parents want their child to believe that they have met THE Father Christmas; the grandfather-like figure who is destined to load up his sleigh, rouse his reindeer and make that most magical voyage into the night sky on Christmas Eve across the world.

It’s difficult.  I was searching for a “career” Santa as opposed to someone who’s bundled out of the pub at lunchtime and gone back to clock watching at the minimum wage position as Santa with a shameful fake beard and not even enough decency to hide the elastic strapping it around his head. Oh yes, I’ve met him. It scared me silly that the spell of Christmas could so easily be broken by someone like him ~ and so I set about finding someone my boys could believe in year after year…and I found him.

So, this year, approximately £350 lighter for the four of us (this included spending money, money for lunch and an additional bear ~ we’ll come to that later) and after two beautiful invitations arrived in the post for our boys asking them to help Father Christmas, we clambered into the car, boys still in pyjamas (there was no way I was risking a vomit-or-worse situation in their best Father Christmas visiting clothes) and brummed, as our Little Adventurer likes to say, off down the motorway for the next hour and a half.

Naturally we arrived late, but the elves didn’t mind in the slightest and we caught up with our group by the elf doorway inside.

In the foresty darkness, twinkling stars overhead, we grasped our elf passports and joined in the fun, dancing and singing to open the door to Lapland UK.

After successfully gaining entrance to LaplandUK, the huge woodland door swung open and we wandered, mouths open in wonder, into a snowy wonderland to meet our Saami.  We were team Husky again (of course) and all Husky passports needed to be checked.  Charlie Jensen waited patiently and said thank you to the Saami, much to my manners-loving delight.

Dadda love…

Passport checked, authentic husky noises made to show our team spirit, we were off to help the elves!  It saddened me that some parents would rather preserve their superficial dignity than have fun with their children on a day like this. After being asked to join in, to howl like huskies and wave our paws, there was a severe lack of parent participation.  We all know that our children generally look to their parents for assurance that they are doing the right thing, for a boost in their confidence especially when little, vulnerable and in a crowd of strangers.   In any case, Dadda andd I had a howl and headed off with the crowd.

We passed the nutcracker. Jensen loves these little (7 foot) soldiers.

We were on our way….and part 2 is coming up!