A Christmas Eve Aurora in Santa’s Village: Childhood Dreams Made Real

If you'd told me at the age of eight that I'd be spending Christmas Eve one day with Santa Claus, beneath an aurora sky between the Northern Lights, I'd have laughed and returned to circling things in a toy catalogue.

But there I was, 32 and in the midst of a snow wonderland in Rovaniemi, Finland—Santa's Village, aka—where the sky burst open in greens and purples. It was all my childhood dreams had ever dreamed of… and more.

The Decision That Changed My December

I saw some Finland vacation packages on the web a couple of months ago. I had been tangoing on the subject of a white Christmas for years. Goa, Shimla, even Manali could not provide me with what I was longing for: an authentic winter fairytale. A friend who had recently come back from Lapland said to me, "Don't wait. Go there. It's surreal."

Two weeks into the holidays, I reserved one of those Finland adventure holidays with Catch A Trip that had offered reindeer sleigh rides, ice fishing, and—if the gods decided to smile upon me—the Northern Lights.

I opted for a Finland trip package with Santa's Village, one night in a glass igloo, and a guided aurora hunt tour. For a kid from Kerala, where snow is still a concept as far as the possibility of shaved ice from a summer beach, this was venturing into another world.

The Arrival in Rovaniemi

Santa's Village suddenly appeared around the corner, and it left me gasping in the middle of nowhere. Fairy lights encircling wooden cabins, fireplaces aglow, children making snowmen in front of log cabins, and continuous ringing of sleigh bells it was as if the North Pole had come to us.

The kid in me shrieked near-tears when I saw Santa. Not the mall Santa we've become so used to this fellow had actual white hair, a beard that hung from his shoulder to mine, and the warmest laugh I'd ever heard.

The Night the Sky Danced

December 24th. Christmas Eve. The day I'd been waiting for. At around 8 PM, our guide Mikko burst into the lodge and yelled, "Get outside. Now!"

Overhead, blazed the sky. Not blazed a real, fairy-tale, heart-wrenching aurora. Folding crests of green and purple rolled along the horizon like unfolding drapes. I did not even think about my phone. I did not even think about photographs. 

More Than the Lights

There were snowmobiling trips in the woods, dog sledding with huskies that appeared to be more cheerful than me, and nights spent indoors in a glass igloo watching the sky. 

It was all so meticulously organized. My Finland package with Catch A Trip had this personal touch that made the whole thing not like a tourist schedule but more like a gradual revelation of a fantasy. All that I had requested to be included in my trip was well taken care of by Catch A Trip’s team. It was like having a personal genie by my side.

Even the food was unforgettable, warm soup, fresh salmon, mouthwatering desserts and much more was part of the royal spread.

Why You Shouldn't Wait

I’ve traveled to a few places. But this—this was something else. Make it happen. Research those Finland vacation packages with Catch A Trip, book those Finland adventure holidays, and let yourself believe once more. Because honestly? Seeing the aurora swirl over Santa's Village doesn't just complete a bucket list—redefine what you thought of happiness.

And if, like me, you might leave a piece of your heart in Lapland, praying to come back someday.

Just… don't wait too long.