Take the kids to see Santa in Lapland

Christmas is just a couple of months away so if you are planning to take the kids to Lapland to see Santa this year, now is the time to book.

Day trips are the cheapest option and they are popular, but Lapland is a quite a trek for little ones and there's so much more to do than visit Santa, so if you can stretch to a three or four-night trip it's well worth the extra money.

First Choice Holidays (www.firstchoice.co.uk/destinations/lapland-holidays) has three and four-night Santa trips to a choice of five resorts, each offering a variety of activities.

Other companies to try include Emagine (www.emagine-travel.co.uk), Canterbury Travel (www.santa-holidays.com) and Cosmos (www.santatrips.com).

Activities in Lapland include a ride on a husky dog sled or a snowmobile, a reindeer safari, tobogganing and ice fishing.

You can choose to stay in Rovaniemi, site of the SantaPark grotto and the Santa Claus Village where you can buy presents, and Santa's Post Office from where all the letters posted get a Santa stamp.

Or you can stay further north, deep in the Arctic Circle, at Levi, Yllas, Pallas or Kilipis where there are Santa workshop with present making and cooking baking activities that children can join, assisted of course by Santa's elves.

Most Santa trips include a visit by Father Christmas to the hotel on the final night and a present giving ceremony. With some companies you need to supply a gift for your child yourself but other will give a surprise present.

Expect to be about £500 per person for a four-night flight-inclusive package based on two adults and two children sharing a room.

To get the most out of a trip to Lapland, children should be at least three years of age. While older children might be less enchanted by a trip to Santa, they'll enjoy all the other activities.

Digg    Reddit    Facebook    Tweet This