Guess where I was on Sunday!

[oneshot]

I had a little trip out on Sunday (along with 115 others! - 75 of them children)

This is me

And this is Mrs Oneshot

Yes that's right - I went to see Santa!! - flew up to Rovaniemi to spend a few hours in the snow with reindeer, huskies and riding on snowmobiles and of course visiting Santa in his house.

A good day was had by all but very tiring - flew out from Birmingham at 7:00am and landing back there at 9:30pm

[Bibs]

That looks very, very cold!

Did you sit on Santa's knee and tell him what you want for xmas?

[esprit22]

Did he have a "real" beard?

[oneshot]

Actually it wasn't as cold as it looked. It was around -1C and there was no wind. The previous week it was -12C Those suits are mighty warm as well. It actually felt colder getting off the plane in Birmingham as it was windy.

No I didn't sit on his knee! and of course he has a real beard

[esprit350]

was he dressed in the coca cola colours? ie red and white

[james125]

i remember my gran took me years ago, it is such an experiance. old or young everyone should go.

[Katie]

WOW Wonderful! Always fancied doing that!

[Jukka]

Interesting, you visited Finland.

Chistmas tourism is quite big business in Lapland, north Finland. They are waiting over 100 000 tourists this year, allmoust all from UK.

Yesterday was in news that some tourists took snowwar too serious. They got injuries and also visited in policestation.

Just now it's not so cold in Lapland, forecast to Rovaniemi -1 to -10 this week. And Ivalo (= more north) -3 to - 13. Luckily here south Finland +3 to -3. Should be 20 degrees warmer, waiting for climate warming.

[oneshot]

Yes Rovaniemi airport did look a little like a British airport with all the UK planes lined up on the tarmac (well on the snow which was on the tarmac!)

Not wishing to do the stereotypical thing but there was a flight in from Liverpool

Howard - he was indeed in red and white

I would thoroughly recommend it to people - it really is an experience - I happened to be with father Christmas while all 75 of the children we took went to see him (I was taking photographs.) He was very good with all of them and although had very limited time was not rushing them at all.

The countryside was beuatiful with the snow and very odd for it to be totally dark at 2:00pm

[Louise]

That is just the coolest thing!

One of our yr3 girls went last weekend. She was woken up at 3am with a letter from Santa inviting her over because she had been so good.

She came back with lots of photos, a hat, fluffy toy and the biggest goddamn grin I have ever seen! Wonderful.

You are, a very lucky boy!!

LouX

[Backmarker]

Looks and sounds great Dave..........pity the kids spoil it for us grown ups

Graham.

[arbell9]

Sounds like great fun, did you say you had been a good boy and wanted a GT3 to sit along side you 350???

Alex

[mayevora]

Nice one David. Always did fancy taking the kids there. Sister and her kids did a four day break there last December and hasn't stopped raving about it since. Got to get round to going before the kids are too old.

[Atle]

Everybody knows, Santa is Norwegian and lives on the North Pole. Like me, Santa really enjoys his frequent visits to Finland.....

Whooops, sorry Jukka now I have thrown in a burning torch...

[Jukka]

Haha

Everybody knows that Santa comes from Finland. Over years Norwegians and Swedish tilts against windmills, but is't hopeless.

[Atle]

Haha

Everybody knows that Santa comes from Finland. Over years Norwegians and Swedish tilts against windmills, but is't hopeless.

Ok, Jukka I tried - you are right that the United Nations, or Walt Disney or whoever with international authority has rightly and finally declared that Santa Claus is Finnish.

Really, really bad lobbying and marketing from Norway, its a scandal. Another scandalous announcement, the international school survey PISA just recognized Finnish students, teachers and schools as the highest quality in the world (or was it Europe) while Norway is in the dunce class, way behind - despite having the highest monetary expenditure of them all! So much for having too much oil in the ground; unlike nations who have to work hard for a living we are becoming a bunch of lazy and spoiled brats, we are. Just like me.

At least we have Al Gore visiting here these days, for the Nobel peace prize. The World