Christmas in Lapland: traditions, crowds, daylight, and tips

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Short answer

Christmas in Lapland means snow, candlelight, and little daylight. Around Levi, the sun does not rise from about mid-December to early January; in Rovaniemi, there are just over two hours of daylight on the shortest day. It is the busiest time of the year, so book flights, accommodation, and tours early. Finns celebrate Christmas Eve, December 24, the most. On December 25 and 26, many shops and the liquor store Alko are closed.

Checked on September 27, 2026 by the editors of Winter Tours

In this guide

Daylight and weather
Finnish traditions
Christmas in Rovaniemi
Christmas in Levi
Opening hours
Crowds and booking
Frequently asked questions

Daylight and weather at Christmas

On December 21, 2026, there are 2 hours and 15 minutes of daylight in Rovaniemi. In Kittilä, near Levi, the sun does not rise from December 14 to 29. However, there are approximately 5.5 hours of twilight every day. Around Christmas and New Year's, Levi usually expects temperatures of -5 to -25 °C with heavy snowfall. More in daylight and polar night and the weather per month.

Finnish Christmas traditions

Christmas Eve, December 24, is the most important day. That is when Joulupukki, the Finnish Santa Claus, comes to bring presents.
On Christmas Eve, Finns eat rice porridge for breakfast, and in the evening a Christmas meal with ham, fish, casseroles, and salads.
At 12:00, the Christmas Truce is proclaimed in Turku, as it has been since 1886. In Levi, this happens at 15:00 at Zero Point.
After the Christmas truce, the sauna is heated: the Christmas sauna. See sauna in Lapland.
In December, Finns drink glögi and eat gingerbread. On December 13, there is the St. Lucia procession.

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Christmas in Rovaniemi

In Rovaniemi, Christmas revolves around Santa Claus. Santa Claus Village is open daily from 08:00 to 20:00 from November 30 to January 3 and Santa Park from December 24 to 31 from 09:00 to 18:00. On December 5 and 6, 2026, there is a Christmas market in Santasport, and the theater is performing A Christmas Carol. All opportunities to see Santa Claus are listed in visit Santa Claus.

Christmas in Levi

In Levi, many slopes and lifts are already open at Christmas. There is a Christmas market next to Zero Point, Christmas concerts in the chapel, and a children's program with a Christmas scavenger hunt. You can read all about the holidays in the ski village in Christmas holidays in Levi.

Opening hours around the holidays

What	December 24	December 25	December 26
Alko (liquor store)	09:00 to 12:00	Closed	Closed
Lidl	Until 4:00 PM	Closed	Sunday hours
Other supermarkets	Often open for shorter hours	Mostly closed	Varies by store
Santa Claus Office	08:00 to 20:00	08:00 to 20:00	08:00 to 20:00

So do your shopping on time. Many restaurants have a special menu at Christmas and ask for reservations.

Crowds and booking

December is the busiest month. In December 2025, there were 0.55 million overnight stays by foreign tourists in Lapland, primarily from the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. The Dutch Christmas holidays run from December 19, 2026, to January 3, 2027. Therefore, book your flight, accommodation, and tours well in advance. See fly directly to Lapland.