Flight of fancy to see Santa; Nature's light show provides fitting finale to Lapl and day trip which is magical for all the family.

Byline: RussellYoull

"WAKE up," we whispered to our two children in the dead of night, "We're going to see someone special."

As five-year-old Emily and Jamie, three, blinked and rubbed their eyes, it was time to let them in on a secret that my wife and I had been keeping quiet for weeks. "We're going to meet Santa Claus!" Immediately they shook themselves free of their slumbers and jumped out of their beds.

"Really? The real Santa?" asked Emily.

"Yes, really, the real Santa" I told them, desperately trying to hide my own excitement. "Come on, we have to catch an aeroplane to visit him at his home. Bring your warm things, he lives in Lapland where it is very cold and covered in lots and lots of snow."

And so, still hours before the crack of dawn, just two days before Christmas, we jumped in the car heading for East Midlands Airport and our early flight for a magical day trip to Lapland.

After a short journey to the airport, with Emily and Jamie's eyes now wide as saucers, we checked in and were soon aboard the First Choice Santa Special flight to Kittila, deep inside the Arctic Circle in northern Finland.

That is where the magic really began.

The flight was packed with eager youngsters desperate to meet Santa and a flight crew who seemed just as excited themselves to be jetting off to the icy north.

Every child was handed a special pack, complete with Santa's Little Helper hats, colouring books and crayons for the three-hour flight to Kittila, our destination airport.

En route, there were Christmas carols, colouring competitions and festive fun by the Santa sackload.

As we made landfall over Scandinavia, the Arctic dawn began to break to reveal an incredible scene from our aeroplane windows, a huge blanket of pristine white snow, and the excitement moved up another level.

Then, a message from the flightdeck: "Hello boys and girls, this is the captain...

we've just seen Santa flying past on his sleigh and if we shout loud enough, we might just be able to get him to land on the roof of the aeroplane."

Cue a cacophony of children yelling "Santa!" at the top of their voices. Then, as then noise died down, a slight pull on the controls and their aeroplane juddered slightly as the captain announced: "Santa's on the roof!" Mouths agape, Emily and Jamie's faces were a picture. At that moment, they truly believed we were indeed carrying Santa atop our plane. How else could they explain the slight bump a moment earlier? The magic did not stop there. Landing in Kittila, we were soon on the ground and shepherded into a hall where we were fully suited and booted in our Arctic outfits - superwarm clothing to keep out the -20C chills. Everything from socks to snowsuits, balaclavas to boots were provided and we were among the first on to the bus for the short hop through a spectacular picture-postcard forest snowscape to Santa's Secret Village.

We got off the bus and headed straight on to a sled pulled by a snow buggy - we were wasting no time... we were off to see the main man in his grotto before the crowds descended on Santa's cottage. Sledding through the forest with flecks of snow and the fierce cold nipping at our faces, we followed a path lit by lanterns in what was already quickly turning into Arctic dusk. (The daylight hours really are incredibly short here, so I would definitely advise taking the sled to see Santa earlier rather than later.) Off we jumped to be greeted by Santa's helpers with cups of warm berry juice outside a sleepy log cabin. A few minutes later we were beckoned inside.

And there he was. Father Christmas.

Our jaws dropped. Everything inside was perfect. A giant Christmas tree, a log fire, piles of gifts and twinkling lights. Sitting in a huge armchair with his flowing white beard and red suit was Santa. Never mind the kids, as far as I was concerned, this was the REAL Santa.

"Say hello to Santa," we prompted the kids. But they were in a daze, stunned by the scene which confronted them. Like all kids, they had queued in shopping centres and at Christmas tree sales to meet 'Santas' before - but for them, this was different.

This was pure magic.

They edged close to Santa, sat beside him and told him their names before starting to regale him with their Christmas lists.

It was then, at the moment that disaster struck - our camera picked that moment, that exact magical second, to give up the ghost and break down. Incredible, here we were in the Arctic Circle, with Santa and no picture to prove it!

It was Santa himself who smoothed things over. "Don't worry," he soothed. "The memories will last a lifetime." And, like true Christmas magic, I know they will. That scene is burned into my memory better than any photograph could ever reproduce. Santa handed the kids their presents and waved goodbye. We were whisked back to the village to let rip with the fun on hand there. Husky sled rides, meeting Santa's reindeer, a visit to the village Ice Hotel, sledging and joining traditional Lapland storytellers for tales of Christmas past.

We filled our bellies with hearty winter food in Mother Christmas's log cabin restaurant before filling the rest of our day with yet more sledging.

Before long, it was back on the bus and back to the airport.

On a thrilling day, even Mother Nature had one last Christmas surprise in store for us. As we flew back, out of our window appeared the stunning phenomenon of the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights, which lit up the night sky with nature's most incredible light show.

A fitting end to a magical day. As Santa himself said: "The memories will last a lifetime."

GettingThere First Choice offers family holidays in Lapland, staying three nights full board at the 3-snowflake Hotel Snow Princess from pounds 2,352 total for a family of four based on two adults and two children sharing. This price is based on departing from East Midlands Airport on December 6, 2009. First Choice also offers one-day Lapland trips from pounds 1,588 total for a family of four, departing East Midlands on December 18, 2009. For more information go to www.firstchoice.co.uk/lapland or call 0871 200 4455. Other airports and departure dates are available.

CAPTION(S):

Sun spot: Reindeer in Kittila where temperatures drop to -20C That's so cool: Jamie and Emily Youll in the Kittila Ice Hotel. Santa's little helper: An elf greets Jamie and Emily Youll. The real deal: Santa brings a sleigh full of presents for the children arriving at his village in the frozen north, deep inside the Arctic Circle.