First full-on holiday traveling alone with the little pandas came with a huge mission: Find the Real Santa. Let’s go!
First full-on Adventure of the pandas together
First full-on holiday traveling alone with the little pandas came with a huge mission: find the real Santa. Let’s go! 🎅🐼✈️
🧳 TRAVELLING
Straight off to Rovaniemi, the official village of Santa Claus — with a tiny stop in Helsinki along the way, where the kids YouTube-style practised their interview skills on each other and on friendly passengers who happily played along.❄️
The little pandas chose to look for Santa during the Christmas off-season, to make sure that when they finally found him, he would be well rested and ready to answer all the questions they had prepared. 🐼
An extra bonus: our plane was so empty that everyone got their own window seat, taking in the stunning views below. ✈️
When we arrived at Rovaniemi Airport, the little pandas were amazed at how small it was.
Once again — thanks to off-season travel — we practically had the whole place to ourselves. We can only imagine how crowded and unmovable it must get once Christmas season begins! 🎄
🏙️ ROVANIEMI
Rovaniemi welcomed us with unusually warm weather — most of the snow had melted and turned into ice. Picking up our car felt more like stepping onto an ice-skating rink. 🚗
Needless to say, the little pandas loved it.
Luckily, the Christmas magic was REAL, even out of season 🎄 — right at the entrance we met a super kind family heading out and inherited their two sleds 🛷🛷 (basically Arctic hand-me-down luxury ).
These sleds instantly became our VIP transport system for suitcases 🧳 and groceries , because dragging a luggage trolley across icy snow is about as effective as trying to rollerblade on butter .
❄️ Day 1: Let the Arctic Chaos Begin!
Checked into our appartment hotel , which turned out to be perfectly located right next to a beautiful lake. We thought we were far out in the wilderness, but the area is so small that everything was just a cat’s jump away. 🏞️
On the downside, the lights in Rovaniemi were still so bright that spotting the Northern Lights was a definite no-go. 🌌
And one thing is certainly true: in Finland, they really like to keep their houses sauna-level warm.
We then went full Olympics mode with sliding 🛷, and declared war with epic snowball fights
🦌 Day 2: Reindeer University
Visited a reindeer farm and became instant experts in reindeer love lives, boy vs girl deer drama, temper tantrums, and their VIP roles in Arctic life 🦌
Got a private “Don’t Die on Snow Mountains” safety tour with a local legend.
🍫 Day 3: Ice, Ice, Baby!
Today went to the ice hotel for steaming hot chocolate ☕🍫, mattress testing in every but really every available hotel room (yes, scientific research 🛏️🧪), and a private party at the ICE BAR.
🎅 Day 4: Tourist Wonderland Extravaganza
Visited the famous, very, VERY touristy Santa Claus Village 🎅🎄
Talk about lucky timing — the mild weather flipped the switch to instant snowy fairytale mode . Within minutes the area was covered in soft snow.
The little pandas went wild for sliding 🛷, the animal park , Santa’s house 🎅, and officially crossed the Arctic Circle with a fancy certificate 🧾
Marshmallows were roasted in a cozy tipi 🍡, and Finn even learned to drive a snowmobile 🛵
Was it the trip highlight? Nope.
Luckily, it was a fun stopover and not the central focus of our snowy adventure .
🚗 Day 5: Mama Bear vs. The Ice Roads
Mama Bear faced her own adventure: the Finnish driving test .
Three hours on remote icy roads, a surprise snowstorm 🌨️, and snow banks ready to eat the car .
Meanwhile, the little pandas slept like champions as we rolled through unreal, pristine snowy forests .
Final verdict: That drive? SOOO worth it! 🚗❄️✨ Mama Bear’s proudest moment 💪.
🏙️ Levi
was nothing short of awesomeness. 😍
Day 6: Cabin Life = Peak Happiness
After settling into our traditional red cabin off the beaten track , Mama Bear finally grabbed a rare moment of peace on the veranda — watching the little panda bears build snowmen ⛄ and zoom down the house’s very own hill .
Crystal-blue skies 💙, endless white landscapes , and temperatures officially dipping below zero 🥶.
Luckily, German-level preparation kicked in 🇩🇪🧤🧣 — meaning perfect layers, zero freezing, zero soggy socks, and maximum snow-day domination .
Day 7: Exploring the Snow Kingdom Levi🏔️❄️
Today we marched into the land of skiers and snowboarders 🎿🏂 — instantly hypnotized by the gravity-defying stunts of the pros . Naturally, the little panda bears had to test their own mountain legend skills 🛷.
Finn went full hero mode and bravely volunteered for ski lessons ⛷️.
Then came the discovery of the century: The Pancake House .
Was the one-hour wait worth it? ABSOLUTELY. ⏰
Not only were these the tastiest pancakes ever tasted, but the plates were so huge that Mommy’s famous Sunday pancakes suddenly looked like dwarf snacks. 🧙♂️.
Day 8: Operation – Finding the Real Santa Claus 🎅🕵️♂️
The BIG day had finally arrived. After months of serious “research” , the Panda Family had a theory about where Santa hides during the off-season… and it was time to prove it!
The little pandas, already trained in spotting fake Santas 🚫🎅, were on a full-blown top-secret mission .
Every single minute waiting for the Secret Santa Bus felt like an eternity .
Then it happened.
We were picked up by the mysterious Secret Santa Bus and driven deep, deep into the snowy woods 🌲🌲🌲… until we reached a hidden, secluded place where…
we were welcomed by real-life elves 🧝♂️
And so, the search began 🔍. The elves led us deeper and deeper into the mesmerizing, snow-covered woods 🌲❄️ — a scene straight out of a fairy-tale. Mama Bear was certain she had wandered into the real winter wonderland . It already felt magical… could this really be THE place?
Not so fast! 🛑
We were nowhere near the finish line. The clever elves had prepared plenty of surprises and challenges 🎁🧝♂️ to test whether we were truly worthy of meeting the one… and only… Santa Claus 🎅💫.
Adventure level: maximum. Excitement: off the charts 😄
The Ultimate Elf Challenge 🎄❄️
And so, the tests began… 🧝♂️
1️⃣ Opening the gate to the magical reindeers 🦌🚪
2️⃣ Convincing a grumpy lutin to unlock the elves’ house 😤🏠
3️⃣ Baking Christmas cookies 🍪🔥 (taste-testing strictly allowed)
4️⃣ Painting a Christmas masterpiece 🎨🎄
Once we officially passed, our trek continued even deeper into the enchanted forest .
We arrived at a secret hut… was this it? Nope! Just stop #1. Here, we learned about our personal elves , and the little pandas faced the final test: discovering where the elves actually came from — all while munching marshmallows 🍡 and sipping hot chocolate ☕ by a cozy fire 🔥.
Suddenly… a sound outside! 🎵
It was the magic slide that would carry us forward on our journey .
And if the magic wasn’t enough… snow started falling in giant, handball-sized flakes, turning everything into an even more spectacular winter wonderland ✨🌨️.
And then… there it was. A single, humble hut. We knocked. A low, jolly voice called us in…
The moment of truth had arrived.
And there he was… Santa Claus himself🎅 , even more impressive than we ever imagined.
He greeted each little panda by name 🐼🐼, and what followed was a beautiful, emotional conversation 💖. Yes, Santa knew it all. From the cheeky tricks the little pandas and their dad tried to trap him , to the big events of the past year 🌟. Then he pulled out a very special letter ✉️ — the pandas’ letter with over 15 questions addressed to him last Christmas!
With infinite patience, he answered every single one — and even more — all while being hilariously disrupted by naughty little elves hiding in every corner of the house .
The joy and tears in the pandas’ eyes confirmed it… we found him. The real Santa Claus 🎅✨.
Even Mama Bear couldn’t resist shedding a joyful one — as the pandas’ eyes sparkled with happiness.
Mission accomplished. ✅🎄💖
But even the most special moment has an ending — but not without a special reindeer ride 🦌🛷 and an epic snowball fight with the cheeky elves ❄️🧝♂️😂
Day 9: Skiing Adventures ⛷️❄️
After the emotional magic of the previous day, it was time to hit the slopes! 🎿
The little pandas were off for their first ski lessons . Well… both pandas? Not Nico 😅 — minus 10°C was officially too chilly for him, so he happily played in the indoor playground at the bottom of the slope.
Finn, on the other hand, was lucky again 🍀 — his group lesson magically turned into an unexpected private class 🎿.
Did I mention the benefits of traveling off-season before? Yes… and I’ll happily say it again 😄.
The private lesson was incredibly fruitful, and turns out… Finn is a total natural on skis ⛷️💪
💨! He loved every minute of the lessons and even went off with a new friend for another two hours of snow-filled fun .
Skiing skills: unlocked ✅, smiles: non-stop 😄✨.
Day 10: Husky Heaven 🐾❄️
Today, Mama Bear was the most excited of all 😄💖 — we were off to a husky breeding farm known for sustainable practices and top-notch husky training 🐶🌱.
Luck was on our side: two mama huskies had just had puppies ! Full of energy and playfulness, we could barely keep up 💨. And the adult huskies? Oh boy — some were bursting with energy with extra “kettle power” , eager to run through the snow with the panda family .
The ride? Absolutely amazing 🛷❄️💨. Lightning-fast huskies, crystal-clear sunny skies , and cold, crisp Arctic air — yet adrenaline junkie Nico thought they could go faster 😎🐕💨.
After our thrilling adventure, we gathered around the fire , sipping warmth and listening to legendary husky stories — a perfect end to a magical, snowy day.
Day 11/12: Almost Goodbye… But Not Quite ✈️❄️
Just as we were gearing up for a final day of shopping , we got news that our trip was extended by one more day due to a flight cancellation 😅✈️.
With only three flights leaving for Helsinki that day, options to rebook us in good time to catch our final flight to Brussels were… basically non-existent 😬.
The next day, we he arrived at the airport at lunchtime for our 3 PM flight ⏰✈️, determined to be super early and not miss the “last flight of the day.”
With some time to kill, my little pandas decided to network and boldly chatted up the only other humans in the airport besides us.
Turns out: not a bachelor party 🚫 (disappointing)… but something way cooler 😎 —
Bentley test drivers hanging out with their boss.
And the boss? Absolute legend . He patiently answered every single panda question (there were many… so many).
Meanwhile, this very grumpy guy watching my pandas’ every move had me convinced he’d stepped straight out of a Men in Black audition 🕶️💥. Plot twist: not an alien hunter — he was actually the boss’s personal bodyguard .
Just another normal day meeting extraordinary people at the Metropole of Levi ✈️❄️.
We then faced… the very very long security lines.
Brace yourself: a whole TWO people in front of us 😱😂
And lunch? Of course not.
Since our flight was not only the only flight to Helsinki that day — it was the ONLY flight of the entire day — all shops and lunch places were closed for another 1.5 hours 🍔🚫.
But hey, silver linings!
The panda bears made new friends in the super nice playground , and we got front-row seats to an airplane being de-iced with very mysterious orange spray ✈️🟠.
The flight itself? Once again beautifully empty — meaning personal VIP attention from the flight attendants and, of course, precious window seats 🪟.
Helsinki
Once again proving the question:
Why people visit Finnish Lapland at Christmas? No idea 🤷♂️
After a smooth but uneventful flight, we finally arrived at our luxurious hotel 🏨 — snowboots, sports gear and all.
Slight problem: luxury vs. snowboots and sport gear 🥾😅. Let’s just say we were seriously underdressed compared to the velvet-clad crowd — but hey, style points can’t compete with adventure points. 😎
Then it was finally time to say goodbye for real 🥹👋❄️.
No, we didn’t have time to explore Helsinki 🏙️😅 — but hey, that just means we now have the perfect excuse to come back 🧳✨🇫🇮
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