Christmas in Finland

Offering a landscape of snow, Christmas traditions, together with Santa and his elves, Finland is the perfect setting for a magical white Christmas. Here at 50 Degrees North, we want you to experience an authentic Finnish Christmas with local traditions weaved in.

Christmas Traditions in Finland

Christmas traditions in Finland are based around family and the warmth of the family home. Christmas in the Nordic countries is celebrated on Christmas Eve. In the morning of the 24th of December families gather together for Christmas rice pudding, served hot and topped with cinnamon, sugar and other spices. After breakfast, everyone heads out in the snowy forest to hunt for the perfect Christmas tree and bring it back for the whole family to decorate.

In the afternoon most families pay a visit to the Christmas Sauna to bath and relax. Some attend a Christmas Eve service or visit the cemeteries to light candles for deceased relatives and loved ones.

Then it is time for Christmas Eve dinner, which usually consists of a variety of special holiday foods, such as herring dishes, gravlax, smoked salmon, root vegetable casseroles, mixed beetroot salad, liver casseroles and pâtés and of course the king of the table - the oven baked ham.

Following the long leisurely meal, the children’s wait is rewarded when Santa Claus himself come for a visit in his reindeer sleigh and brings some gifts for every kind child, big and small.

Image: Visit Finland

Our Christmas Tours stay in beautiful places away from the crowds, offering you a genuine Christmas experience. Our tours include winter activities, and festive traditions including delicious food and Santa’s visit of course. Christmas time in Lapland is also a great time of the year to see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) but you need to be above the Arctic Circle to see them. Depending on the lodge, children can decorate the tree, help prepare cookies, enjoy Christmas arts and crafts and meet local children where possible.

Christmas in Aurora Village, Finland tour will offer you an authentic, rustic Finnish Christmas experience with lots of snow for children to roll around in and build snowmen. Offering a landscape of snow, Finnish Christmas traditions and a hearty cuisine together with Santa and his elves this tour will set the perfect setting for your white Christmas. All your nights are in a glass igloo cabin, making it a great holiday for young children to watch the Northern Lights from their beds, fingers crossed.

Image: Kakslauttanen

For a action packed Christmas experience, we recommend Christmas in Winter Wonderland. Combine the traditional White Christmas with the Finnish traditions together with husky and snowmobile safaris, reindeer farm visit and a private visit from Santa himself and much more - this tour will give your family memories that will last a lifetime.

If you want to combine a White Christmas with winter activities and the Aurora Borealis you can experience both on our Santa, Elves and Glass Igloos tour where you will be spending one night in a glass igloo and the rest in your own private, cosy, log cabin. This tour is escorted so all your worries are taken care of.

We have more than 20 authentic, local Christmas tours in Finland, Norway and Sweden listed here