A SONG OF ICE IN FINLAND
Reindeers and huskies abound in Lapland, Finland, where the family of Dr. Aivee and Z Teo enjoyed a White Christmas, sought out Santa Claus in his official home, and where the appearance of the Northern Lights surprised them all
FINLAND IS HOME to the happiest people in the world, ranking first in the world according to the World Happiness Report, for two years running. And when every day feels like Christmas—being surrounded by powder-white snow, going on dog-sled rides, and meeting Santa Claus—it’s no surprise just why this is so. Dr. Aivee Teo, her husband, Dr. Z Teo, and their family have been going to Japan for the past couple of years. But when the time to plan their Christmas holidays came, Aivee thought it was about time to switch things up a bit. “We’ve been going to Japan for the past eight years, and before that, we would spend Christmas in Los Angeles. It’s a lot of been there, done that, so it was time for a change.” Aivee and Z always travel abroad during the holidays, more specifically to snowy white destinations. “We wanted some snow, and I’ve been reading about Lapland—the huskies, the ice fishing, igloos, Santa, and all that—so that’s what we wanted to do.” The couple’s family, and the rest of their extended family members went off on a three-city tour in Europe to Copenhagen and Helsinki, with Lapland, Finland as their last stop, the final leg lasting for five days. While the travel agency took care of the necessary arrangements and activities for their trip, Aivee and Z made their own suggestions, and prepared for the trip as best they could. Aivee says, “We’re 20 in a group, so we have to consider activities for all of us. But we were there for the kids, what they would experience. I mean, the kids won’t find shopping in the cities exciting—I didn’t want the trip to be about me. I wanted it to be about them, so I wanted to head to places where they can really do a lot of activities.” They were taken aback by the starkly cold weather in Finland—no matter how many thermal and winter clothes they layered on. Aivee recalls, “Thermal wear, of course, and layers, socks, long-sleeved shirts, gloves and everything else. But whenever you take off your gloves to take a photo, your hands get frozen to the point that you think you might lose them! (If so), I (would) not be able to work! It was negative 13 degrees when we were there, it was crazy! My hair, my eyelashes were frozen!” Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland, Finland’s northernmost province. Sunlight is sparse, and the temperature drops to negative double digits. Handling a horde of tourists is still new to them. But there’s much to delight in Lapland, and the reindeer-shaped province has worked their geography, climate, and culture to their advantage. Their first day there had a spectacular start. Atop a treehouse, streaks of the Northern Lights gave the best welcome possible. The phenomenon wasn’t expected while they were there, and they weren’t even
hoping to catch it—but it happened on that day and the day after that, and Aivee and the family consider themselves blessed with the once-in-a-lifetime sight. “Actually, the Aurora wasn’t something I had in mind when we went there. In fact, when others would ask where we’re going and I would say we’re going to Lapland, they would assume it was for the Northern Lights. But it was never my intention, because I didn’t know whether or not it was the season for it. The first day, it came out, but the second night, after all the activities, my sister woke us up and we saw it again. The whole sky was covered. The kids were thrilled, jumping up and down.” While it’s difficult to top such a start, the rest of their stay was nothing short of being in a winter wonderland. After a few days of calling the treehouse their home, they moved to an igloo hotel. Dr. Z says, “It’s not as warm as like in a hotel, but it’s still cozy and nice. It was one of the best sleeps I’ve ever had!” Activities revolved around the icy climate, as expected. Z took their son ice fishing, a two-hour activity that was calm
ing and harder than expected. “The hole is so small, which makes it really hard to catch the fish. So you have to drill your own hole in this frozen lake, and wait. But the nice thing about it is, while you’re ice fishing, they set up a bonfire, where you can roast marshmallows and hotdogs, because it’s going to be a long wait. They also give you warm beverages in these old-style, copper-like cups. They would play the guitar, sing songs, and the kids are playing in the snow, throwing snowballs, or playing frisbee.” The family’s husky ride was a riot of an experience, both for its speed and the stir it caused on social media. Dr. Z explains that they are in their natural habitat, and there wasn’t any animal cruelty involved. “There were around five huskies pulling you, and they allow one person to drive, with two passengers. Z was driving with the kids on board. They were shouting like they were on a roller coaster,” Aivee says, “These huskies are very, very active. Literally, if you don’t press the brake, they’ll keep on going. They get angry and start barking when you stop their momentum. They’re so hyper that they just want to keep on going. That’s just how they are. I admire how well-taken care of they are, how well-fed.” Finns have longed considered Rovaniemi as the official hometown of Santa Claus, and tourists and locals alike flock to the Santa Claus village and Santa Park to meet the man in the red suit and his retinue of elves and reindeers. Aivee and Z brought the kids to meet Santa Claus, of course, which makes one wonder: How are they going to top this vacation? Aivee says, “I think there’s really a period when you can bring your kids with you on vacations. Because when they become teenagers, that would be a different experience, a different phase or stage of family life—and they might not even want to go with you anymore. So I think, this age, we travel while we can, just the five of us, enjoying activities like these. I would rather invest in travel, especially at this point in our family life, it’s the best gift we can give to them. I feel like I really get to know my kids in a different way. I hope that they will also do this with their own family. For them, it’s the best holiday ever.”