We know...
We are extremely fussy when it comes to family Christmas holidays. We don’t go to the mass resorts and we like to seek out destinations which offer real family experiences and magical Christmas encounters. Jeris provides all of these things and so much more.
Jeris encapsulates the Lapland dream: cosy winter cottages, log fires, a beautiful lakeside setting, spa facilities, deep snow and a fantastic range of activities. It's the ideal location in which to combine comfort, activities and a truly memorable family Christmas.
Imagine returning to your very own winter cottage after an active day in sub-zero temperatures. Draw the curtains, and snuggle up as a family in front of the fire! And when the kids have gone to bed, heat up your private sauna and relax in time-honoured Finnish style.
Jeris enjoys an enviable position on the shore of Lake Jerisjarvi and borders the Pallas-Ounas National Park. It's jaw-droppingly beautiful and as a family you will get to explore the wonderful landscape and experience some of the best landscapes that Lapland has to offer.
The days here are designed to allow you to participate in some wonderful activities (not just 2 minute tasters as you might get in the more commercial centres in Lapland!) whilst embracing the magic of a family Christmas in Lapland.
Suitable for
Anybody aged 5 years or over.
Duration: 6 nights
Day 1: Flights, arrival and welcome
You will be greeted upon arrival at Kittila Airport and transferred directly to your cosy accommodation at Jeris. You will be provided with your winter clothing and will meet with your guide for a welcome dinner.
Day 2: Christmas tree search and Father Christmas
After breakfast you will all head into the forest to select the perfect Christmas tree. It will be taken back to the hotel where everyone will gather to decorate it. There will also be an opportunity to bake some Christmas cookies.
After lunch the excitement builds as you are taken in snowmobile-pulled sleighs deep into the snow covered forest. Suddenly a candle lit path is visible through the trees and elves guide you to a cosy log cabin where each family will be invited inside to meet the great man himself.
During your private family audience with Father Christmas, the big fella in red will spend time listening to the hopes of each child and there will be plenty of time to take precious photographs.
This evening a delicious Christmas dinner is served with traditional Finnish specialities – there may even be a surprise guest – who knows?
Day 3: Snowshoe safari to the Christmas tree
This morning your guide will accompany you on a snowshoe walk to a very special tree where the children can leave their notes of thanks for their Christmas presents. Along the way the elves will tell special stories and play games before you enjoy hot drinks and marshmallows around a campfire.
You will have free time to relax and enjoy the company of your family this afternoon before the festivities continue with an international Christmas dinner this evening.
Day 4: Reindeer games
Today the childrens' eyes will sparkle as they get to meet Rudolph’s cousins. You will all be taken to visit a reindeer herder and his family who will tell tales about the reindeer and their lives in Lapland. Each family will then take the reins on a short reindeer safari. Lunch will be served around the fire in a traditional kota.
Day 5: Snowmobile safari
Today the whole family will have a go at snowmobiling. This 30km safari will show you the very best of the winter landscape - children really will believe they’re in Narnia. The adults will be given full tuition on how to drive the snowmobiles (2 per snowmobile) whilst the children will be wrapped up warmly in a sledge behind the guide's snowmobile.
Day 6: Mush puppies
Today you will head to a local husky farm. You will be told about the lives of the huskies before hitting the trail on a 9km safari. Dog sledding is magical and the whole family is sure to remember this safari for a very long time.
Day 7: Departure
Today it is time to bid farewell to Jeris but you will leave with memories to last a lifetime.
Tourism in Finnish Lapland has become the main income source of employment and income replacing traditional industries such as forestry. Development from a period of extractive industry to an industrial society has come about quickly. In 1950 the largest part of Lapland's inhabitants lived in rural areas and more than half the workforce worked in forestry and agriculture. Today 65 % of the workforce is in the service industry, 22% in processing and 10 % in primary production.
This huge growth in tourism and service provision has been developed in conjunction with a long-term sustainable tourism plan with one of the primary objectives being to maintain nature in its natural state while guaranteeing the traditional way of life. Much of this has been achieved along with membership of EU development programmes, aimed at diversifying sources of livelihood, effective usage of resources and to increase export.
Approximately a quarter of Lapland’s 100, 000 strong workforce was unemployed in 1997. Promoting entrepreneurship, ongoing re-education of the workforce and development of the educational system to suit the needs of enterprises is continuing. The target is to diversify the sources of livelihood, increase the value of refinement production and develop new enterprises particularly in the area of tourism. National measures as well as EU-programme measures support this objective.
We embrace this philosophy, employing local activity providers and using only locally owned hotels. In this manner we help to maintain jobs in an area where unemployment was, until recently, very high. Additionally, the use of local suppliers ensures that the tourism spend filters through to local economies via the tourism multiplier effect.