Franny Lands in Lapland!

Shhhh!!! Hi girls and boys, it's me Franny, back for another Franny Friday report!

We have to be very quiet today because we're surrounded by a whole herd of reindeer in a very snowy field. They're not like Santa's reindeer with magical powers but are really neat indeed. Can you guess where we are? Here's a hint; we're in Europe, above the Arctic Circle, but below the North Pole. If you said your backyard, I hope you're joking! I'm in a place called Lapland, Finland this week.

People from Finland are called Finns, they live in one of the very most northern parts of Europe and they love the Christmas season! One of the first things I've noticed is how cold it is here. In fact winter temperatures are way below zero degrees, in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. It also stays dark here for weeks at a time. They call this the Polar Night. This harsh weather means that kids really like to have something to celebrate in the month of December. So they make sure that the Lapland area attracts families from all over who love winter sports, hiking, lot's of snow, Christmas celebrations and watchers of the aurora borealis.

If you're in Lapland during December, you can have lots of adventures while waiting for Christmas to come. I ran across one family taking the train north to go to a log cabin. There, the kids said, they can snowshoe, ride sleds, snowmobiles and best of all go on a reindeer safari! There the kids like to feed the reindeer on a farm before the farmer hitches them up to a toboggan. From the farm, everyone goes into the forests and onto the tundra to view wild herds of reindeer.

If you want to stay a few days you can build a tepee around an open fire to sleep and keep warm. Some people say that staying in Lapland during Christmas will guarantee you a white Christmas! Just be sure to write to Santa and let him know where you're staying.

As I prepare to leave Finland, I have to remain quiet. I don't want the reindeer to stampede and destroy my sleigh. They really don't like loud noises!

Thanks again for visiting Lapland, Finland with me. I'd like to know how often you get a white Christmas where you live.

See you next week for another Franny Friday report!