Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. celebrates after winning the women's slalom competition with Santa Claus during the FIS Ski World Cup in Levi, Finland on November 20, 2022. (Photo by Jussi Nukari/Lehtikuva via Reuters)

Stadium security stop a pitch invader during the UEFA EURO 2020 Group B football match between Finland and Belgium at Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on June 21, 2021. (Photo by Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool via AFP Photo)

Capturing the true essence of Christmas, Lapland is the perfect place to take your family for the holiday period. Situated in the arctic regions of northern Sweden, Finland and Norway, there are a villages in each country around where you can enjoy the full festive experience.

In this Thursday, May 16, 2013 file photo, Finland's Krista Siegfrids, second right, kisses a dancer as she performs her song “Marry Me” during the second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest at the Malmo Arena in Malmo, Sweden. That was the first girl-on-girl kiss in the history of the annual competition. Previously, organizers had sought to prevent similar embraces citing the competition's status as a family event. (Photo by Alastair Grant/AP Photo)

Contrasted against the white flowers in a cotton field, a brown bear is out for a ramble just after midnight in the second decade of July 2023 in Kainuu, Finland, where the sun does not fully set for more than 70 days in the summer months. (Photo by Jane Jeffrey/Animal News Agency)

Sports Finalist – Ian MacNicol. Michalina Kwasniewska of Poland competes in the Women's high jump during day one of The European Athletics U23 Championships 2013 on July 11, 2013 in Tampere, Finland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Agence France-Presse)

The 26th annual National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest is now accepting submissions. Official categories include: “Travel Portraits”, “Outdoor Scenes”, “Sense of Place” and “Spontaneous Moments”. The contest is accepting entries until June 30. Photo: “Forest lights”. Aurora Borealis over the forest of the Pyhae Luosto National Park, Finland. (Photo and caption by Nicholas Roemmelt/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin feeds a deer on the podium after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Levi, Finland, Saturday, November 15, 2025. Photo by Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via Reuters)