Rovaniemi, Finland—Santa Claus has geared up on Christmas eve to deliver, full throttle, Yuletide presents to children around the world, in the different continents, with his helpers giving him a musical send-off at his Lapland home.
Rovaniemi is the administrative capital and commercial center of Lapland province, Finland’s northernmost, only 6 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle—the distance of Makati’s Ayala Avenue and Ortigas Avenue via C-5.
Families gathered in temperatures of -22 degrees Celsius on Sunday night in Rovaniemi, which calls itself Santa’s official hometown, as his helpers put on a song-and-dance performance to wish him the best of luck on his.
The red-clothed Santa briefly spoke to the crowd, wishing them a peaceful and happy Christmas before leaving on a sleigh to stock it up with presents for his Christmas Eve journey.
“Hope you all have had a great year. Of course, there have been many things in the world that should have been different,” he said in English.
“Hopefully, Christmas would bring a little moment when the world and its people would calm down for a while to spend time with family and friends.”
