If there is a place where Christmas is, perhaps, "a little more" Christmas, it is Finland.
For the snow, for the cold, for
the "real" Santa's house
and for the reindeer that peek through the woods.
But if you haven't yet planned a trip to the country of the northern lights and blueberry powder, you can give a taste to those you love in the meantime.
Here are 8 ideas to put under the tree and to order comfortably at home, waiting to take off.
For the little ones (but not only) Everyone knows it: the Santa Claus post office is located in the Santa Claus Village in
Rovaniemi,
in northern Finland, where it is possible to meet him together with his elf and reindeer friends.
However, Santa Claus is well organized and it is also possible to request a personalized letter on the website https://shop.posti.fi/en/santa/santas-letter.
For animal lovers
On the
Reindeer Journey
- adopt a reindeer website, you can become mum and dad of a reindeer, receiving updates on her activities, tracked via GPS.
And maybe then go "meet" some of them with Reindeer yoga at the Kujala farm in Ruka-Kusamoo, where lessons are held surrounded by the queens of the forest.
For mindfulness experts
Bicycle to go to work, Nordic cuisine, time in nature, diving in icy waters: these are some of the ingredients of the recipe for happiness of the writer Katja Pantzar who experimented
with "Sisu", the philosophy of life
with which the Finns, for generations, they face the small and big challenges of existence.
A victory over stress, fear, laziness, today told in "Sisu. The Finnish way to courage, well-being and happiness" (ed. Sonzogno).
For those who want
Finland
to wear
Caps, headbands, scarves (and even do-it-yourself kits): these are the Finnsheep wool accessories, made with locally sourced organic materials and handcrafted by the grandmothers of Pöytyä, a family-run design farm (Myssyfarmi.fi ).
But there are also Annele's handmade jewels, which stars such as Dua Lipa, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Katy Perry like so much.
The brand draws inspiration from Finnish natural heritage, in particular from the berries and flowers that blossom after the cold Nordic winters (www.annele.world )
For body care Luonkos was the first in the world to introduce forest microbiome extracts into natural cosmetics.
Products include Finnish nettle, sea buckthorn and cranberry oils, oats, barley, clay and beeswax.
And also the birch: the bark dust and the coal which are products of the circular economy, i.e. they come from the secondary flow of the wood industry.
The Luonkos & Friends shop is located in Turku, in the south of the country, but also online (luonkos.fi/en).
For design lovers
Among the most important starchitects of the 20th century, with buildings all over Finland (and ad hoc travel itineraries), Alvar Aalto is also famous for the vase that bears his name, one of the most famous glass objects in the world, the Thirties and curved lines that recall the countless lakes of the Finnish landscape (www.ittala.com) For a truly green snow The Finnish manufacturer Pusu with the Spinnova company have recently launched the Pusu Loska Spinnova©, an all-mountain ski on the market versatile, which replaces carbon and glass fibers with innovative alternatives based on wood and waste materials (https://pusu.ski/en/product/loska-spinnova/) .