Ho! Ho! Ho!

Recently, as I was scanning the boob tube, this late night travel show caught my attention, featuring the Santa Claus Village.



It's Christmas every day of the year in the rather commercialised (but quaint) "Santa's secret hideaway" in Lapland, northern Finland, where the redoubtable Mr. Claus spends his time preparing gifts for the world's children, and meeting and greeting an estimated 500,000 delighted visitors a year.



Co-incidentally the valley inside the Arctic Circle where Santa's Village is set is shaped like an ear, so, it is said, Santa can listen to all the children of the world. At the village all sorts of activities are on offer at Santa's office, the reindeer park and the SantaPark theme park, and of course you can use Santa's personal post office to mail a letter or card home with the coveted postmark. The highlight of any visit, though, is of course meeting the great man himself, and whispering your wishes into his friendly ear.

Merry Christmas to all!