#Last year for Christmas we got the same kind along with $100 worth of food from the middle eastern restaurant

[animalcuckllective]

The baklava Andrew bought me is sooooo good, I'm so glad I asked for this for Christmas.

[fangirl-imagines]

You’re The Best Christmas Gift I Ever Got//A Reddie Christmas Fic

A/N: Written for @star-gore  for the IT 2019 Secret Santa hosted by @itfandomprompts. They requested fluffy and funny Reddie, Stenbrough, or Benverly so I thought why not give them a little bit of all three? I worked really hard on this so I hope you enjoy it and have a very Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

Prompt: Richie Tozier hates the mall at Christmas. He could think of about a million other ways he’d rather spend one of the few days of his winter break home from college than getting dragged around the mall for hours. But when Beverly needs help looking for Ben’s gift, Richie sees something that makes facing the crowds worth wild. 

Word Count: 2,445

Genre: Fluff

Richie Tozier wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve this, but he knew he better be on the nice list for it. Wandering around the overcrowded Derry mall, almost getting knocked down by frantic shoppers the week before Christmas, carrying an arm load of bags as he followed Beverly around. He groaned loudly as his fiery haired best friends continued to sort through shelves of books. She rolled her eyes but pointedly ignored him.

“Come on Bev! You know Ben is so obsessed with you that it doesn’t matter what you get him!” He leaned against the book shelf next to her. “You could literally give him the most generic gift of all time and he’d still love it and talk about it for months until we all get sick of him.”

“Richie,” She stopped and looked up at him. “This is me and Ben’s first Christmas together. I want it to be perfect.”

Richie sighed, feeling an uncomfortable wash of guilt. He knew how crazy about each other Beverly and Ben were and how much they had gone through to be together and he was happy for them. Especially after everything Beverly had gone through last year with that jerk Tom she’d been dating. Richie wasn’t sure he’d ever hated anyone as much as he hated Tom fucking Rogan. He wished he could say it was him and not Ben who knocked that smug smirk off his horse face. He’d tried though and got the black eye and chipped tooth to prove it. Beverly had cried and told him he was an idiot but it was worth it to him. Richie knew he was being kind of a jerk, he really was happy Ben and Bev had each other, he just wasn’t sure how much more shopping he could handle. Sensing this, Beverly sighed, stopping her searching to turn and face him.

“Okay, I shouldn’t be much longer. Why don’t you go harass Mike at the Santa booth and I’ll come meet you when I’m done?”

“Okay, fine  but you’re buying me a pretzel.” Richie agreed with a mock salute, turning on his heels and leaving a laughing Beverly behind him. A curly head of hair behind the register caught his eye though.

“Hey, Stan the man! Am I going to see you at Bill’s party tonight?”

Stan looked up from the puzzle that was currently keeping him occupied at the front desk. It was 1000 tiny pieces that from what Richie could see was supposed to eventually coming together to form a mural of robins. Right now it was only edge pieces and a few tell tail signs of red that Stan looked up from to give Richie a tight mouthed bitch face. “You mean my boyfriends party? The one he’s throwing me for Hanukkah. No of course not.”

Richie laughed and rolled his eyes. “Well who’s going to blow out the candles then?”

Stan’s face did not shift, “It’s an electric menorah, trashmouth.”

Richie shrugged. He reached over the counter and picked up a piece of the puzzle, putting it in place before heading out the door with a call over his shoulder of “See you tonight.”

Outside the quiet of the bookstore the Derry Town Mall was bustling with the week before Christmas holiday crowds. People pushed by each other, speeding from store to store as ‘Here Comes Santa Clause’ played through the overhead speakers. The enticing smell of food court burgers and pizza hung in the air, making Richie’s stomach rumble as he got closer to Santa’s Village right outside the food court.  The mall had gone all out this year with the village and the effort showed as soon as you walked up to it. But of course you could, Ben and Bill had built it after all. As soon as they had heard that the money raised through pictures with Santa would be going to help buy gifts for the local homeless shelter they had both been on board and between Ben’s building skills and Bill’s art skills, even Richie had to admit that it looked great.

The small house in the middle of the mall looked almost like a gingerbread house with its tan, glittery walls decorated with hooked candy canes painted along the walls and mountains of fluffy, fake snow covering the roof and lining the floor leading up to the house. The front of the house had a large open space though where you could see inside, but instead of an evil witch waiting inside it was Mike Hanlon, the actual nicest person in Derry. Mike sat on a large, red velvet lined chair in full red suit and white beard. He even had a pillow under his jacket to give him the bowl full of jelly look. In single file kids were ushered into the gingerbread house where they could meet Santa while Bill stood outside snapping pictures for their parents. Richie couldn’t understand why anyone would voluntarily used their painfully, criminally short winter break to go to the mall every day wearing a costume to deal with screaming, bratty kids all day but something that nice just fit Mike. He made a great Santa Clause too. He had a bright friendly smile under that white beard, and he’d spent most of November practicing his perfect “Ho-Ho-Ho!” Until Stan had begged and threatened to get him to shut up.

Richie laughed to himself, walking right up to the village and bypassing the line of kids going all the way back towards the bookstore, heading straight for Bill standing by the camera, snapping pictures. He tapped him on the shoulder, stealing a candy cane out of the bucket beside him when Bill turned his head. He opened the wrapper and popped it in his mouth with a smirk as Bill turned back to look at him. Bill’s eyes widened, flashing from the Santa house back to him.

“How’s it going Big Bill? I still can’t believe you volunteered for this.”

Bill’s eyes stayed wide, flickering back and forth between Richie and the gingerbread house then back to Richie. He swallowed thickly. “Richie?! Ne-,nei-neither can I.” He quickly turned back to the camera, snapping more pictures of the next kid sitting on Mike’s knee in the gingerbread house. “I th-,th-,thought that you ha-, hated the m-,m-,mall?”

“Well I do but Bev wanted help finding Ben’s gift so here I am. Never let it be said Richie Tozier isn’t a good friend.” He said, barley bothering to take the candy cane out of his mouth.

“W-,well w-w-,why don’t you g-,go hel-,help her?” He rushed, “we’re kind of bu-,busy h-,h-,here anyways.” Bill laughed uneasily, clearing his throat.

Richie’s brows furrowed thickly under his chunky black frames. He narrowed his eyes at Bill, “Are you trying to get rid of me Big Bill? Are you worried that Beverly is going to steal away your man? Because judging from the bird puzzle he has doing when I left I’m 100% positive she’s not interested.”

Bill cracked a smile at the thought of Stan putting together a bird puzzle at work but his face quickly shifted back into one of worry as he looked again back and forth between the house where kids were still filling through, telling Santa what they want for Christmas. “N-,No I just think it’s ru-,rude to leave Bev a-,a-,alone?”

Richie opened his mouth before his eye caught something that knocked him speechless.

“Okay, kid but seriously cover your mouth. It’s flu season and Santa can not afford to get sick. He’s a very important man and he cannot, I repeat, Santa cannot get sick!” A familiar voice fussed at the kids in line.

Richie’s jaw dropped, his candy cane falling to the floor but he ignored Bill’s small groan at the sticky candy hitting the floor. Eddie stepped out of the gingerbread house to face the line of waiting kids and make sure they were in a straight line. Richie blinked, almost expecting him to disappear when he opened his eyes back up but he was still there and very hard to miss in his costume. In red and white, candy cane stripped socks went up to his knees over his too tight red skinny jeans that Richie would take the time to focus on later. On top he wore a festive green jacket over a red shirt peaking out from underneath and a green, pointed hat with big, fake pointed ears on the sides.

“What the ho-ho-hell?” Richie stumbled, still staring wide eyed at his boyfriend. A huge, mischievous grin breaking out on his face. It was like Christmas had come early. He looked over at Bill with that same expression that made Bill sigh softly.

‘Sorry Eddie’ he apologized silently. “Ju-,just g-,go easy on him al-,alr-,alright Rich?” Bill shook his head, turning back to the camera and clicking away more pictures.

Richie nodded but said nothing. The ear-splitting grin still on his face as he brushed by Bill and almost knocked a few kids down getting to Eddie. “Eddie spaghetti! Does your mother know you’re out here wearing jeans like that?”

Eddie froze. His shoulders tensed and his eyes widened as he turned to face his boyfriend. His wide eyed, slacked jawed expression mirrored Richie’s at the sight of him. He glanced over at Bill for help but Bill refused to make eye contact, instead focusing himself on the camera in front of him. The shock quickly slipped off of Eddie’s face, replaced quickly by his best bitch face that Richie had seen a million times before. Richie just laughed and shook his head, the smile never leaving his face even when Eddie’s brows pinched together, and his eyes narrowed.

“Sir, if you’re not here to see Santa then you’ll have to step aside.” He dead paned.

“Well actually I’d love to see Santa but I’ve been pretty naughty this year.” Richie waggled his eyebrows over his glasses making Eddie groan.

“Hey, sounds like that are why I’m on the naughty list.” He joked. “But maybe you can put in a good word for me?”

“I doubt it.” Eddie crossed his arms self-consciously. “What are you even doing here anyway? I though you hated the mall?”

“The mall? No. The crowds, the traffic, the people fighting over gifts for people they don’t even like anyway? Yes.”

Eddie looked away, down at the line of kids, sending another running inside then wincing as one kid began having a coughing fit. Richie straightened up, the grin sliding off his face. He reached out and tugged at the point of Eddie’s ears attached to his hat.

“Why didn’t you tell me you got a job over break?”

Eddie swatted his hand away. “It just until Christmas then I’m burning these socks and the hat.”

Richie laughed, shoving his hands down in his coat pockets to resist from reaching out and tugging at the ears again. “Okay but I still don’t get why you wouldn’t tell me? I mean I’m hurt Eds! Truly, truly hurt!” Richie gritted out dramatically, clutching his heart and stumbling back, getting looks from some of the parents waiting with their kids nearby. But he felt a warm feeling of pride in his chest when he saw Eddie crack a smile.

“Shut up, I did this for you trashmouth.” Eddie shook his head, but his eyes widened and his smile dropped when he realized what he said. He straightened up and pushed the next kids forward into the house towards Mike.

Richie tilted his head to the side, “What do you mean? Are you going to wear the costume in bed? Please tell me you’re going to wear the socks at least? I can probably get Mike to loan me the Santa suit.”

Eddie pursed his lips, biting back a smile at Richie’s pervy humor that he loved to hate so much. With a soft sigh he crossed his arms again and looked up at Richie, curing their height difference not for the first time. “Look, we both know my mom cut me off after I came out and being a college kid isn’t exactly a paying gig.”

Richie nodded, he wouldn’t ever forget Eddie storming into his house in the middle of Thanksgiving, apologizing as he ranted about how he’d had enough of his mom and had finally told her off and while he was at it, told her he was gay and dating Richie. Maggie had hugged him tight and fixed him a slice of pumpkin pie, Wentworth had slapped him on the back, and Richie had never felt so proud. It was also why Eddie was spending Christmas break with the Tozier’s this year.

“And it’s our first Christmas together so I really wanted to be able to get you something.” Eddie admitted sheepishly, looking closely at Richie for his reaction.

Richie blinked, staring at Eddie for a moment, making him nervous. But Richie didn’t notice, too preoccupied with the feeling of his heart skipping and a warm blush making its way up his neck to his cheeks. “Aww, Eddie Spaghetti!” He laughed, grabbing the shorter man up into a hug and picking him up off the ground even as Eddie screeched to be put down. “You know you don’t have to get me anything right? Just spending Christmas with you is enough.”

Eddie smiled shyly, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck as he was placed back on his feet.

“Besides I know being in a mall during flu season must be killing you right now.” Richie laughed, freely tugging on the felt ears sewed to Eddie’s hat.

Eddie swatted his hand away with more enthusiasm this time. “Yeah, yeah, just try and act surprised when you see your gift okay?”

“Oh my God, you are wearing the costume home aren’t you?!”

Eddie rolled his eyes dramatically, trying to act annoyed and not at all like he was considering the idea when he grabbed the front of Richie’s sweatshirt and pulled his down into a kiss. Several of the kids standing around them groaned loudly and made exaggerated gagging noises but Richie and Eddie ignored them, instead Richie’s hands found their way to Eddie’s face, cupping his cheeks in his hands as he deepened the kiss. When they finally broke apart both out of air and the want not to get Eddie fired it was the sound of a camera snapping that caught their attention. Bill laughed to himself as he caught the kiss on camera but his expression dropped some at the angry elf now staring him down, hands on his hips.

“You’re a dead man Denbrough!”

[adamjoicey-blog]

This post contains affiliate links. I will earn a small commission when you use my links to make a purchase, at NO extra cost for you.

Lapland in winter is a magical wonderland. Whether you’re after adventure or fun in the snow, here’s a list of fun things to do in Lapland. 

Extending for hundreds of miles above the Arctic Circle, Lapland is one of the last remaining wildernesses in Europe. For many, this northern extreme is a mystery – where the midnight sun shines endlessly in summer and the stunning Northern Lights dance in the sky during the long, polar winter nights.

Our month-long trip in Lapland  was one of the most memorable trips of my life. We crisscrossed the region by train, in search of the Northern Lights and winter thrills. And we found whimsical villages, spectacular winter landscapes and plenty of fun in the snow. It felt like a real-life Narnia, where fantasies came true.

But Lapland is more than just Santa Claus and Northern Lights.  There’s so much to do here for thrill seekers: from dog sledding to snowmobiling and snowshoeing. You can choose to do as many winter activities as you want, or just spend your time relaxing in a naked sauna and an ice hotel.

Lapland is truly out of this world and you have to see it for yourself to believe it. It’s definitely one of the best winter destinations in Europe and highly worth a visit! This is a Lapland travel guide for those who are planning a winter trip to this beautiful part of the world.

Things to Do in Lapland

Where to Go in Lapland?

The vast and rugged region of Lapland is the region of northern Europe that lies within the Arctic Circle. It stretches across northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland and into the Kola Peninsula of Russia.

Since Lapland covers such a wide area, most people choose to base themselves in just one part of Lapland, then explore and do winter activities from there. To help you decide on which part of Lapland to visit, here is a breakdown of each part of Lapland:

Finland

The Finnish Lapland is the most visited part and also the cheapest and most accessible area. Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland, and the hometown of Santa Claus. There are loads of modern hotels here, as well as winter activities to do, and still within easy reach of more remote and rugged areas.

Kemi is another popular spot in the Finnish Lapland. It’s home to two of Finland’s blockbuster winter attractions – a snow castle and an ice-breaker cruise.The remote village of Kilpisjärvi is suitable for those looking to venture deep into the wilderness. The northernmost settlement in the ‘arm’ of Finland is wedged between the lake of Kilpisjärvi and the magnificent surrounding fells. It is also the highest village in Finland.

Sweden

The Swedish Lapland has earned a reputation for itself with the original Ice Hotel and it’s still easily accessible from the capital Stockholm. Kiruna is the Swedish Lapland’s biggest city, and the best place to come for anything beyond basics like food and petrol.

For most people, Abisko is the highlight of a visit to Swedish Lapland. The town is one of the best places on Earth to see the northern lights. Don’t miss the Aurora Sky Station, which is accessible by ski lifts, and you can even have a nice dinner up there. Of all the major towns in the Swedish Lapland, Jokkmokk is probably the prettiest. It’s also the centre of Sami culture in Sweden, and has an excellent Sami museum and Sami market. Another popular place to visit is Jukkasjärvi, home to the Ice Hotel.

Norway

The Norwegian Lapland, also known as Finnmark, is definitely the most expensive area to visit, but it can be easily combined with the rest of the country. Norway is what I consider the most beautiful country in Europe and there are plenty of see, regardless of the season.

Alta is the biggest town in the Norwegian Lapland, and is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights in Norway. Fish in the Altaelva river, explore Northern Europe’s largest canyon, or see world famous rock carvings at the Alta Museum. Kirkenes is another great base for those who want to explore the Norwegian Lapland. Only 15 kilometres from the border with Russia, Kirkenes feels like a real frontier town. Plus it’s in prime Aurora territory.

Narvik’s ski resort Narvikfjellet offers some of the best extreme and alpine skiing in Norway. It has one of Scandinavia’s largest drop heights and offers excellent conditions for off-piste skiing. We did an outdoor obstacle course at Narvikfjellet and highly recommend it!

How to Get there

This of course depends on which part of Lapland you’re planning to visit. It is now affordable and easy to book flights to many parts of Lapland from main hubs in Europe. Here’s a breakdown:

Finland

The gateway to the Finnish Lapland is the Rovaniemi Airport. Easyjet and Norwegian fly direct from London Gatwick to Rovaniemi in winter and spring. You can also catch a domestic flight from Helsinki to Rovaniemi on Finnair or Norwegian. The flight takes 1.5 hours and cost around 70euros return if you book in advance.

There’s also a Lapland Express train that goes from Helsinki to Rovaniemi in 8 hours. It’s a sleeper train with comfortable sleeping berths. There are also airports in Ivalo, Kemi and Kittilä. 

Book Your Flights to Rovaniemi

Sweden

The biggest airports in the Swedish Lapland are in Kiruna and Lulea. Norwegian and SAS fly from London to Kiruna for around 200 euros return. Both airlines also fly from Stockholm Arlanda to Kiruna for around 100 euros return and Lulea for 80 euros return.

There’s also a sleeper train that goes from Stockholm to Kiruna in 18 hours. It costs around 50 euros each way. You can easily catch a train from Kiruna to Abisko, Jokmokk and other parts of the Swedish Lapland.Read the next section for info on train travel.

Book Your Flights to Kiruna

Norway

The main entry to Norwegian Lapland is from Alta Airport. Norwegian and SAS fly from London to Alta for around 250 euros return. domestic flight to Alta. A domestic flight from Oslo to Alta costs around 180 euros return and take around 2 hours. Flights to Narvik take 1.5 hours and cost the same. There are no trains connecting one town to another in the Norwegian Lapland — it’s best to rent a car.

Book Your Flights to Alta

How to Get Around Lapland

The best way to get around Lapland is by train as that’s the most feasible mode of transport when there are severe winter conditions. We traveled all over Lapland via a combination of train and bus, and had no problem (besides one occasion when we had to wait for a connecting train in the freezing cold, at a station with no indoor waiting area). 

The Arctic Circle Train is the most scenic rail journey in Lapland. The route goes from Kiruna (Sweden) to Narvik (Norway), with stops at Abisko, Björkliden and Riksgränsen.  Known as one of the greatest rail journeys in the world, the Arctic Circle train brings travelers along stunning fjords, near frozen glaciers, under icy waterfalls and whisk you past fairytale towns. It offers stunning scenery of Lapland and lets you see many of the rural parts of Scandinavia that are not accessible by cars.

GoEuro is an excellent search engine that lets you find out how to get from one town to another via train, bus or plane.

To find out train prices and schedules, you’ll need to check the website of each country’s train company:

Finland — www.vr.fi

Sweden — www.sj.se

Norway — www.nsb.no

Here are some details of travel time between the major towns and cities of Lapland:

Finland

Helsinki — Rovaniemi: 8 hours | Cost 80 euros each way (train)

Helsinki — Ivalo: 11 hours | 130 euros each way (train)

Rovaniemi — Kemi: 1.5 hours | Cost 15 euros each way (train)

Rovaniemi — Kittilä: 2 hours | Cost 19 euros each way (bus)

Rovaniemi — Ivalo: 4 hours | Cost 35 euros each way (bus)

Sweden 

Stockholm — Kiruna: 18 hours | Cost 50 euros each way

Kiruna — Jukkasjärvi: 0.5 hours | Cost 4 euros each way

Kiruna — Abisko: 1 hour | Cost 7 euros each way

Kiruna — Jokmokk: 4 hours | Cost 28 euros each way

Norway

Kiruna — Narvik: 2.5 hours | Cost 13 euros each way (train)

Narvik — Stockholm: 21 hours | Cost 68 euros each way (train)

Narvik — Alta: 7 hours (car)

Narvik — Kirkenes: 5.5 hours (car)

When to Travel Lapland

Undoubtedly January-March is the best time to travel Lapland. They bring long dark nights and plenty of snow to play in during the day to keep you entertained. But it can be very, very cold indeed, with temperatures going from -10°C to  +5°C (14 to 41 F). And there are only 4-6 hours of good daylight each day! It can get pretty crowded in December, as people flock here for short Christmas trips. 

The spring equinox (around 20 March) brings greater solar activity. Combine this with slightly warmer temperatures and improving weather (with the possibility of less cloud cover) and this is the best time for aurora hunting.

September and October enjoy neither the summer warmth nor the winter snow. This is not the best time to visit Lapland – many tours and attractions are closed. However, photographers may like the autumn colors, and the Northern Lights could possibly make their dramatic appearance, especially around the autumn equinox.

Travel Independently or With a Tour?

The whole region is easy to navigate and explore independently, however you’ll be limited to bigger towns that have train stations. Buses don’t run frequently in winter due to thick snow, and renting a car is only recommended if you have experience driving in snow (we’ve driven in many countries, but we still got stuck in snow one time and that was pretty scary).

If you’re interested in booking an all-encompassing winter tour, check out Artisan Travel. They have over 16 years of experience running winter tours in Lapland and is one of the most reputed operator in the region. They have some great 4-day trips in Sweden and Norway and 8-day Finland active winter tour that include flights, meals and all kinds of winter activities.

You can also book day trips, but these are quite limited. The easiest place to book day trips from is Rovanimi, Finland. Choose from snowmobile safari to visiting Santa Claus village or an ice floating experience.

Things to Do in Lapland

1. See the Northern Lights

Lapland is one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights. Due to the nature of the earth’s magnetic field, the auroras only appear at the poles. Lapland, which sits at the latitude of approximately 68° north, is thus in an ideal location for seeing the Northern Lights.

Solar activity can be unpredictable though. Out of the month we were in Lapland, we only saw the lights for three nights. Don’t hold high expectations and you should be fine.

For higher chances of seeing the Northern Lights, I recommend booking a Northern Lights tour. After all, these tour operators have been chasing the Northern Lights for years and know the best spots for them. Alternatively, stay in a Northern Lights hotel, such as the Aurora Dome to get the chance to see the lights right from your bed.

Check the Aurora forecast or download the Aurora Forecast app on your iPhone to monitor. Usually the best time of night (on clear nights) to watch for auroral displays is local midnight (adjust for differences caused by daylight savings time).

.IRPP_kangoo , .IRPP_kangoo .postImageUrl , .IRPP_kangoo .imgUrl , .IRPP_kangoo .centered-text-area { min-height: 100px; position: relative; } .IRPP_kangoo , .IRPP_kangoo:hover , .IRPP_kangoo:visited , .IRPP_kangoo:active { border:0!important; } .IRPP_kangoo { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 0.99; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: } .IRPP_kangoo:active , .IRPP_kangoo:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: } .IRPP_kangoo .postImageUrl , .IRPP_kangoo .imgUrl { background-position: center; background-size: cover; float: left; margin: 0; padding: 0; } .IRPP_kangoo .postImageUrl { width: 30%; } .IRPP_kangoo .imgUrl { width: 100%; } .IRPP_kangoo .centered-text-area { float: right; width: 70%; padding:0; margin:0; } .IRPP_kangoo .centered-text { display: table; height: 100px; left: 0; top: 0; padding:0; margin:0; } .IRPP_kangoo .IRPP_kangoo-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0 10px 0 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .IRPP_kangoo .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid color: font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: .125em; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .IRPP_kangoo .postTitle { color: font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; } .IRPP_kangoo .ctaButton { background-color: margin-left: 10px; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .IRPP_kangoo:hover .imgUrl { -webkit-transform: scale(1.2); -moz-transform: scale(1.2); -o-transform: scale(1.2); -ms-transform: scale(1.2); transform: scale(1.2); } .IRPP_kangoo .imgUrl { -webkit-transition: -webkit-transform 0.4s ease-in-out; -moz-transition: -moz-transform 0.4s ease-in-out; -o-transition: -o-transform 0.4s ease-in-out; -ms-transition: -ms-transform 0.4s ease-in-out; transition: transform 0.4s ease-in-out; } .IRPP_kangoo:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; }

READ NOW

Northern Lights in Iceland: A Guide on Where and How to Find them

2. Stay at the Ice Hotel

Amidst the gorgeous Narnia landscape of the Swedish Lapland stands Ice Hotel, the world’s first hotel built entirely of ice and snow.

Each winter, the hotel is built afresh in Jukkasjärvi, right next to Tornio River where the ice is collected from. Over 21,500 tonnes of snice (a mixture of snow and ice) are used to build the 5,500-square-meter building. Once summer approaches, the ice all melts away and flows back into the river. To avoid pollution, the hotel never uses color or paint in the ice.

Around 45 artists from around the world are invited to design the suites each year. Each suite features its own unique design and story so before you book your stay at Icehotel be sure to find the story behind your suite. Read my post about it here.

If the high prices of the Ice Hotel or the prospect of sleeping on ice scare you, you can still come for a day trip. Alternatively, check out the Snowman World in Rovaniemi, a similar hotel made of snow and ice. It’s just as big and has a dozen themed rooms as well as an ice bar and restaurant.

3. Go Snowmobiling

In Lapland, snowmobiling is a way of getting from one place to another (instead of cars). You can easily rent a snowmobile for the day or even do multi-day snowmobile safari, crossing ice lakes and vast wilderness.

It’s pretty easy to drive the snowmobiles, and they’re quite stable as well. We drove snowmobiles in Rovaniemi, Abisko and Narvik. We did skid on a frozen lake and almost spinned out of control, but nothing serious happened.

Keep in mind that snowmobiles can go up to 120 km/hour and is not simply a toy to mess around with. A driver’s license is required and just like driving a normal vehicle, no drinking is allowed before taking the wheel.

4. Go Dogsledding with Huskies

Dog sledding in Lapland is super fun for both adults and kids alike. You’ll be riding on sleds that are drawn by husky dogs. As a dog lover, I had my doubts about dog sledding prior to this trip. All sorts of questions filled my mind: Are the dogs being treated right? Is this animal abuse? But once I met the huskies, it was obvious that I had nothing to worry.

Huskies live to run. Every day they run for miles, not just as a race with their peers but also for the fun of it. They have so much energy wound up within them that running is the best way for them to release it.

5. Take a Reindeer Caravan

Lapland is home to the Lapp or the Sami people, who have sparsely inhabited the region for several thousand years. The Sami are the only indigenous people of the European Union, and their endangered language and culture is now protected by the various governments.

Today, the majority of the Sami people still make a living from reindeer herding and many of them run reindeer farms that are opened to tourists. You can easily sign up for a reindeer safari and spend some time with the reindeers. This way, you’ll also get to learn more about the Sami people.

6. Try Ice Fishing in the Frozen Lakes

Ice fishing is a popular winter activity in Lapland for both locals and tourists alike. We tried our hand at ice fishing on the frozen Karhulampi (Bear Lake) just outside Rovaniemi in the Finnish Lapland and it was CRAZY fun! I never thought I would enjoy fishing, but I really had a ball waiting for my bait to be caught.

The lake freezes each year from October to March, and pods of salmon and rainbow trout live in this lake all year round. It is common to find locals ice fishing on weekends with an open fire and drinking vodka.

7. Float in the Frozen Sea

This is definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that adventure seekers would absolutely love. In Kemi, you can hop on the icebreaker Sampo on a cruise through the frozen Gulf of Bothnia. Read more about the icebreaker experience here.

Firstly, cutting through the frozen sea is an experience on its own. Then once you’re in the middle of the sea, you’ll put on dry suits and jump right into the water. All you do next is simply float. The dry suits keep you warm in the subzero temperature, so rest assured you won’t be dying from hyperthermia. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted, but you won’t find this ANYWHERE else in the world.

8. Visit Santa Claus’ Home

Make your childhood dream come true by visiting Santa Claus’s home in Finland! His official hometown is in Rovaniemi in the Finnish Lapland and anyone is welcomed to visit him.

We spent Christmas in Lapland and it was just the most magical experience, especially since we got to meet the REAL Santa Claus! We also visited Santa’s main post office, where every single letter – whether posted to Lapland or simply Santa Claus – is delivered. When we were there, Santa’s elves were busy wrapping gifts and replying to letters from kids all over the world. I felt like a child all over again.

9. Take the Arctic Circle Train

The Arctic Circle Train makes for an experience on its own, even if you don’t intend to travel all around Lapland.

Known as one of the greatest train journeys in the world, the Arctic Circle train brings travelers along stunning fjords, near frozen glaciers, under icy waterfalls and whisk you past fairytale towns. It offers stunning scenery of Lapland and lets you see many of the rural parts of Scandinavia that are not accessible by cars.

The Arctic Circle Train is also a great way to get from one Arctic town to another and you might even have the chance to spot the Aurora Borealis from your train window.

10. Visit the Arktikum to Learn Lappish Culture

Located in Rovaniemi, Arktikum is the best place in Lapland to learn more about the native Sami people. The Arkitikum is a big complex made up of a museum, a science centre and a conference venue. The museum showcases Lappish culture and artefacts from the Sami people of Finland. It’s definitely an excellent place to learn about the Sami culture.

Arktikum is opened everyday from 9am to 6pm. Tickets cost 13 euros for adults and 6 euros for kids aged 7-15. Kids under 7 can enter for free.

Read Reviews on Arktikum

11. Soak in a Smoke Sauna

Saunas are a big part of Lapland’s culture. It is where locals relax, socialise, and unwind. There are many different types of saunas in Finland, and smoke saunas (savusauna) are probably the most unique. Smoke sauna is a special type of sauna without a chimney.

The wood is burned in a particularly large stove and the smoke fills the room. When the sauna is hot enough, the fire is allowed to die and the smoke is ventilated out. The residual heat of the stove is enough for the duration of the sauna.

Inspired? Pin it! 

More from WildJunket

Best Winter Destinations in Europe

Arctic Circle Train: Traveling Lapland By Train

Video: The Ice Run Recap

Inside Sweden’s Ice Hotel

The post 11 Fun Things to Do in Lapland in Winter appeared first on Wild Junket Adventure Travel Blog.

[nongravity]

DECAF April 2017 Post Mortem

This is going to be a different kind of festival report as I’m not only an exhibitor but I’m also the organizer! So I’ll talk about both sides of the coin here. This was my first time organizing an event like this, I had a lot of help from Sarah and Debbie and the rest of the Stray Lines group.

This is my 8th post mortem convention write up! You can find the rest on the Events page on my website or the post mortem tag here on my tumblr.

First, some event numbers! I’m leaving out the line item costs because it’s not just my money we’re talking about and I don’t want to force transparency anyone.

Budget for the event: €550-ish

Venue

Website

Poster Art

Poster/Postcard Printing

Decorations/Supplies

Sponsor and exhibitor incoming: €392

Damn Fine Print event sponsor

12 exhibitors

For a total budget shortfall of: €158

Our goal was to have 25 exhibitors, which would have safely covered our budget but we were only able to announce DECAF a month before it happened so even though we had interest from about 25 exhibitors, only 12 could pull a table together on such short notice. In retrospect, we didn’t even have room for 25 exhibitors! So from an event flow standpoint, it’s a good thing we only had 12. I’m not sure if there’s a remedy for this one, I feel like we landed on a reasonable price for exhibitors, so I wouldn’t want to double their prices, and 25 exhibitors would have made the event floor way too crowded. 

Space won’t be an issue at our next venue and hopefully having 3 months lead time instead of 1 will give more exhibitors a chance to book a table.

There were also some set-up costs that won’t factor into the next event, like purchasing the website domain and hosting. If you subtract that I maybe only lost €100. 

Now for my exhibitor numbers!

My total outgoing costs for the convention in order of leaving my house to the start of the show: €15

Fuel driving into Dublin - €10

Lunch - €5

What I brought with me:

Loads of We Can’t Afford This

My last 4 copies of Hats that aren’t trapped in storage

Plenty of Odd Reels and Strong

What I sold: 

1 Copy of Hats for €7

2 Copies of Strong €5

2 Copies of Odd Reels €3

11 Copies of We Can’t Afford This €4

For a total incoming of: €67

€52 is a good profit for a group table as opposed to a solo table. Brings down my total loss for the event to only €100. My hopes for the July show is that we’ll have enough space at the Dublin Food Co-op to all have individual tables. 

Obviously even these Dublin shows continue to cost more than they should until we actually move to Dublin. I can’t wait to eliminate the commute from these costs! It was also too much of a mad rush getting to Dublin with everything for the event and two kids so I didn’t pack a lunch of myself. 

We Still Can’t Afford This

It occurred to me while I was getting ready for the show that this was kind of like an Irish debut for We Can’t Afford This. A few copies were at the Temple Bar Gallery Art Book Fair last Christmas but most people never would have seen it! 

Kinda wild that it took me 6 months to show off my book about the Dublin housing crisis to a Dublin audience. But what a difference it made! I sold more than 2x as many as I did at LICAF. 

This kind of reignited my whole desire for organizing DECAF, to have more opportunities throughout the year to reach a local audience. 

Our Table and Us

Due to the Fumbally Stables requirement for a door-person, we had to put the Stray Lines table in the lobby away from the main exhibitor hall. It worked out though, as we became the DECAF greeters and toilet-direction-givers. I imagined it helped with sales a bit as well since it was a prominent placement. It didn’t allow us to hear any of the panels which was a bit of a bummer since it sounded like people were giving great talks from the snippets I heard. I could also barely hear the DECAF playlist I’d spent so long making.

What I brought for the group:

24 books by 6 different artists!

What the group sold:

52 books!

Not as many as LICAF but more than ELCAF and impressive because some of us were worried that the audience for DECAF would be the same Irish comics audience who’ve already read all our books. But instead we saw lots of new faces!

Winner

Is it cheating that I was the winner? It’s absolutely cheating. But I put We Can’t Afford This front and center on my music sheet stand and the music sheet stand is magic, whatever book we put up there (Sarah’s Primark at ELCAF, the Stray Lines Anthology at LICAF) always wins the day.

Dublin Eight Comic Arts Festival

It took about three months for DECAF to morph from hypothetical “a Comic Arts Fest in Dublin would be cool” to “maybe I could organize it” to “DECAF is happening!” I was inspired by Sarah running Pulse: Irish Comics Now last year and Monica Gallagher’s BMore Into Comics in Baltimore, Maryland. I’ve never even been to a BMore event yet since my family visits never sync up but the idea of a smaller, quarterly comic show really appealed to me. Monica hosts her events in bars, but since I’m a teetotaler I chose cafes which I thought would play well with the DECAF name.

Originally, it was supposed to be DCAF, I even okayed the name with The Dartmouth Comics Art Fest in Nova Scotia, but when I went to book the .ie website I found it was already taken by the Dublin Christian Arts Festival! 

Since I was already talking to a few venues in Dublin 8, and I really liked the silly coffee name I narrowed my venue hunt to a place that would keep Eight in the name. What happen if we do a show outside of Dublin 8? I have no idea! Scour the dictionary for E words. It factored into my choosing DublinComicArts for the website instead of DECAF, in case the letter E ever runs dry.

Rookie Mistakes

Besides losing money (definitely didn’t plan on that) some things came up along the way that completely slipped my mind. I didn’t say Free Admission anywhere on the poster or Facebook event. And it didn’t even occur to me until people started asking as they walked in the door! I don’t think it affected turnout but clarity is a good thing!

It wasn’t until a few days before DECAF that I put the first flyer on a college campus. Get with the times old man! If Julie hadn’t asked about dropping some posters and flyers at NCAD it never would have occurred to me! Not a single DECAF flyer made it to Trinity or UCD, DCU, DIT, Griffith, Pulse. Not that I really had posters and flyers to spare, or the budget to print more but really, what a dope to forget college kids, some of which are taking illustration and sequential art classes! 

At most comic events I feel bad for not socializing enough or making the rounds but it feels extra egregious when I’m the organizer! I said hi to people as they were coming in to set up, but once the show started and I got behind the Stray Lines table, that was kind of it for me! Debbie and Sarah made me go up at the end of The Comics Lab talks to say thank you and I’m glad I did. 

Highlights

Over a week later and I’m still pretty shocked by the turn-out we got. Never really a dull moment in the day and it repeatedly got crowded! People who showed up at 11am asked when the talks and panels were and when we told them 2:30pm, they actually came back! That’s wild to me! The Activity table and the Comic Swap table were hopping all day! Adults were drawing up at the table and kids were drawing down on the floor! The Swap table ebbed and flowed with used books and at the end of the day the donation box had €106 to give to the Abortion Rights Campaign! All the exhibitors I’ve talked to say they want to exhibit again at the next DECAF! Really lucky.

The venue was the perfect fit for our first event. The tables and arches were beautiful and it looked nothing like a traditional comic convention. It looked like an art gallery and a friend even asked me if they do gallery events there (they don’t usually but you should contact them anyway and hire their spaces!)

The poster art by Charlot Kristensen blew me away. It was the public face for the event and we needed one since I’m a complete unknown in the Irish comics community, “some dude named Matt is putting on a show” wouldn’t have filled the room. 

Sarah and Debbie agreeing to combine their quarterly Comics Lab with DECAF was a godsend. There’s no way the show would have been as successful as it was without The Comics Lab, DECAF stood on their reputation and the crowds in the afternoon came for The Comics Lab.

Damn Fine Print saved the day by sponsoring us! Our budget shortfall would have been much much worse without them, maybe even jeopardizing the prospect for future DECAFs.

Conclusion

When you consider that I often lose 100+ quid to travel to the UK to table an event, it’s looney tunes that I was able to organize an entire event here in Dublin and only lose 100 quid. Like, why not run an event! This might seriously change my comic show traveling habits. 

My next goals are to make it sustainable, losing only €100 isn’t bad, but I can’t afford to make a habit of it.

Once the show is out of the red, my next goal is to make the show free for individual exhibitors. Just knowing from experience how much table costs eat into the potential profits of a show and what a relief it was last year at Pulse and Small Press Day to have no table costs. The two ways there that I can see are, sponsorships, grants or crowdfunding. Sponsorship saved the first DECAF so I’ll keep pursuing that wherever I can. I haven’t been able to successfully navigate Ireland’s extensive grant system yet but I really need to figure it out. Crowdfunding is a total question mark. Are there 200 people who think having a small press event in Dublin is worth €1 a month? I hope so!

Epilogue

I didn’t officially announce that DECAF would be quarterly until the day of the event because I didn’t want anyone skipping April in favor of July. But I put a deposit down on the July show venue the same week I booked the April venue because why build one when you can build two twice the price?

Tara O Brien did our wonderful July poster. I’ve been so lucky with the people who’ve agreed to work with me on DECAF! There were supposed to be July postcards to give away at the April event but I really didn’t need to spend more money on the April event than I already did so it was fine to release the art digitally and save our printing budget for the final July poster. 

The July event is a bigger venue, with more exhibitors, it’s wheelchair accessible and will have a full spread of cafe tables and chairs. It’s also accidentally booked on my daughter’s birthday (you eeegit!) I can’t wait.

[ozsaill]

Crewing on Totem

For the 800 mile run from Puerto Peñasco to Puerto Vallarta, two coaching clients responded to our spontaneous offer for sharing the sail; Sam shares their experience in this guest post.

David read the email before I did. And he’d already made up his mind not to go when he came upstairs to tell me.

“It’s too close to Christmas and too long to be gone.”

“Where would the kids go?”

“What if I can’t get the time off of work?”

“What if the plane tickets are outrageous?”

And my response to these arguments?

“Of course we’re going.”

Two weeks later we were on our way to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico to crew on Totem for the 800 mile passage south to La Cruz. Normally one doesn’t blast their way past all the wonders of Baja or spend cold nights on the Sea of Cortez in winter, but Totem’s got a fancy new paint job on her newly dry bottom, and she made it back in the water just in time to retrieve Niall from Puerto Vallarta on his winter break.

Schedules are typically frowned upon in cruising—for good reason—but the weather gods acquiesced to these unusual circumstances, and we were able to leave the dock and head south on Friday morning, December 14th.

My husband, David, and I became enamored with the idea of sailing about a year and a half ago. It came out of nowhere, really. We’d never sailed. We don’t know anyone who sails. It just happened, and it’s awesome.

After we’d made up our minds to cruise with our two young kids, we took the plunge and became Jamie and Behan’s coaching clients in May of 2018, shopped for boats all summer, and bought our vessel in November.

Told you it was serious!

Serendipitously, we were actually scheduled to sign all the purchase paperwork for our boat the same day we received the email asking if we could come crew on Totem. Clearly a sailor’s life is the life for us. We’d taken every bit of email and video chat advice the Giffords had given, and now we were on our way to learn from them firsthand.

After a long day of travel by car, plane, and shuttle bus, Jamie and Behan invited us aboard. Climbing down Totem’s companionway was the first time I felt I was descending not just into a boat but into a home, with evidence of their happy memories and hard work everywhere I looked.

So there we were, work, parenting and holiday preparations put on hold to take advantage of our first crewing opportunity. As inexperienced as we are, I’m not sure we were much help, but I have a feeling that was kind of the point.

David and I learned so many things about ourselves, about passage making, weather, sail trim and so much more, that I believe this was a better investment than any class we could have taken.

Just a few of the things I discovered:

The magic of butyl tape

I get queasy the first 36 hours on passage

Good food helps

So does Dramamine

Lee cloths are a delightfully cozy cocoon

A Barber Hauler is superior to a jib sheet at every point of sail except close hauled

Baja is 100% worth coming back for

Just not in winter

Old gray pelicans look like wise wizards

But this wouldn’t be a full review of my experience if I didn’t mention the day that made me want to reevaluate this lifestyle. It was a nasty 24 hours of steep-ish, closely patterned waves when we left the southern tip of Baja and headed east to Mexico’s mainland. Totem was treading a fine line between keeping her sails full and keeping the waves astern of the beam. It required near constant steering and eyes on the water.

I found myself in a dark mood after that, questioning if I was making the right decision to one day do this with my kids…and without the Giffords by my side. If this is what cruising is like, maybe it’s a little too much adventure for me, I thought.

I knew I was too exhausted and frayed to think reasonably about it, so I told myself to wait it out. Don’t make any decisions about my future until I’ve had some rest and a chance to see the big picture.

I’m glad I listened to that voice instead of the anxious, overly tired one.

The truth is, passage making is only about 5% to 10% of the cruising life, and cold, winter passages with a schedule to adhere to are virtually unheard of. After 10+ years of cruising, the Giffords only had 3 or 4 stories to share with us about less-than-ideal conditions…all of them manageable and none of them even close to resembling a storm at sea.

This is the biggest decision we’ve ever made. It’ll change our entire lives and give our kids a very different childhood from the one they might have on land. So I don’t take it lightly. And neither do Jamie and Behan. Every decision is carefully calculated, and they’ve planned for all contingencies.

I already suspected we’d chosen our cruising coaches well, but after seeing them in action, practicing what they preach, I know with certainty my family will be successful in our cruising life if we continue to heed their words.

I’m grateful for all of it. The night we anchored in Honeymoon Cove will be fodder for my future cruising dreams, and that last day in Banderas Bay before our flight home gave me the rest—and perspective—I needed. But I’m especially appreciative of that long 24 hours of grumpy seas and practically no sleep. It was hard, but we did it. And we know we can do it again.

I can’t tell you how much comfort it brought me to do my first passage under the full guidance of the Giffords. I wish everyone on the path to family cruising could have this same opportunity.

Sam, David, and their kids are counting down to cruising! Bookmark their pending blog, Muse and the everyday epic, to follow along. Totem and crew are now in Barra de Navidad, revisiting favorite haunts with Niall while’s aboard for winter break. Find out our schedule for boat shows in Toronto, Seattle, and Puerto Vallarta area seminars on our Events page.  

from Sailing Totem http://bit.ly/2TzbkTY via IFTTT

[sophiesjourney]

This month I had the pleasure of kicking off December with one very Christmassy trip to London! So here is my lowdown on a few of the Christmas markets you can find dotted around our capital city.

So if you’re like me and from a big city you’ll have the Christmas German Markets come to you every year. Possibly you’ve also had the pleasure of visiting a few in Germany itself, Prague or Belgium also. But being from Leeds, the German market is not even close to being a quarter of the size of the one in London!

Until this year I’d never even heard of the event but it turns out it’s a pretty big deal..

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

The event takes place in Hyde Park and spans quite a hefty portion of the place! You can’t miss it with all the major rides and attractions sticking out above the tree tops.

We went on a Saturday night where the atmosphere was merry and with it being the first weekend in December the event was very busy. At first glimpse of the queue to get in I felt like it wasn’t going to be my kind of thing at all, turns out I was wrong..

Winter Wonderland is full of Christmas magic with handcrafted stalls, food and beverage carts, rides and fun houses and all those stalls that make you want to win a prize you don’t need. The place was full with delicious smells and so much excitement as people fill up with mulled wine and hot chocolate!

I highly recommend a trip here as it really gets you in the festive spirit and the large scale of the event means it isn’t overcrowded like other Christmas markets.

If you get chance then visit again during the day to enjoy a different atmosphere and a little more space to shop!

South Bank Centre Winter Festival

As we were exploring London we stumbled upon a bunch of market stalls along the river. Along the South Bank you’ll find a mini version of Winter Wonderland with the same variety of little gifts and treasures on offer.

My personal favourite part about this market was the separate bundle of food stalls complete with a Rekorderlig Cider hall! I enjoyed some yummy Halloumi Fries not too over priced for London and worth every penny with how tasty they were!

There are even some fairground rides and all the usual entertainment you’ll find down on South Bank!

Christmas in Leicester Square

The smallest of the few Christmas markets we explored that weekend but worth visiting if you’re short on time. Leicester Square is transformed in to a Christmas village with all the German market stalls offering the same handmade gifts as the other markets but on a smaller scale. This market is similar to Leeds German Market in size but with the added bonus of being right in the heart of the West End. There’s a lot going on in London and this is the place to be for entertainment, restaurants and all the greatest musicals!

Christmas by the River at London Bridge City

Last and by definitely no means least! Christmas by the River is a market exactly how it sounds…by the river Thames. Once you cross the famous London Tower Bridge like we did you’ll stumble upon this little gem.

My personal favourite, I highly recommend visiting this market! We had no idea that it existed and stumbled upon it accidentally and it was such a blessing. The reason why this one comes so highly recommended from me is because of the wide variety of completely different stalls and products on offer!

All the markets mentioned previously, including Winter Wonderland, were selling the exact same things, you could tell that it was almost like one big chain of mass produced items from Germany. Christmas by the river is NOTHING like this. It is mostly local sellers but all the products we were looking at were nothing like anything we’d seen at the other markets. My favourite factor was that there was plenty of opportunity to try before you buy! And it definitely works because we walked away from this market having spent close to £100 between us! We got all our Christmas gifts from this market and even left with a tasty bottle of Hazelnut Moonshine for our own Christmas treat.

With it being mostly local and small sellers they are much more interested in showing you their products and offering you samples of the different foods which I found to be a really nice personal touch. The market continues in to Hay’s Galleria also.

So if you’re heading to London this December then there is plenty on offer all over the city. If you’ve missed out this year I’m sure all the markets will return next year too.

Merry Christmas to all of you and here’s to making 2019 another year of adventure!

Christmas in London – A guide to the festive markets This month I had the pleasure of kicking off December with one very Christmassy trip to London!