Finland: The Happiest Country in the World

On December 10th, 2022, I ran to each connecting flight on my long journey to the Arctic Circle. The perfectly clear night allowed the Northern Lights to illuminate the sky as we flew over Greenland. When I noticed the curtains behind me on the final flight, I realized I accidentally upgraded myself while selecting my seat. A day later, I made it to Finland.

I met Molly in Helsinki for our short connecting flight to Ivalo. Stepping off the plane in Lapland, we were instantly shocked with a bitter cold. After adding a few more layers and a short shuttle ride later, we reached Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort. Small sleighs were available to carry our bags to our glass igloo where we would be staying for the next 3 nights. It was large enough for 2 twin beds, a toilet, and sink but small enough that the beds had to be pushed together. The showers were a 2 minute walk through the snow to a cabin next door. Jet leg hit me hard and I fell asleep at 6pm but the aurora alarm went off several times throughout the night. We watched the sky light up green and dance, then watched it fade as quickly as it appeared. In between auroras, we spotted several shooting stars. This place is magical. It was difficult staying asleep with the view of the bright moon making a complete orbit around the igloo each night. We were lucky to be awake again at 2am because the most spectacular light show didn’t trigger the alarm. When electrically charged particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere at very high speeds from space, they create the Aurora Borealis. Even on a perfectly clear night you only have a 50% chance of seeing the Northern Lights. In my experience that chance has been much lower. Seeing the sky dance made stepping outside the igloo in -30 degrees more than worth it. Molly was so excited she ran out of the igloo without any pants on. With frosted eyelashes we watched the aurora throughout the night with the Big Dipper shining brightly through. I live for moments that make me feel alive and this was one of those moments.

At 8am, breakfast was served at the Aurora Restaurant. Pastries, croissants, and eggs filled us up and coffee kept us warm. In frigid temperatures like these you have to wear everything you own and not have any exposed skin for more than a few minutes; especially when you’re about to spend the day outside. It was -18F and even though we packed our warmest clothes, we were still given thick snowsuits and blankets to put over them. Hand and foot warmers were also necessary and we still felt the cold penetrate through our clothing. All reindeer in Lapland belong to someone. They work in winter and roam free in summer. We met a few Sami people and a handful of reindeer that would be pulling us deep in the Lapland forest. The soft pink sky illuminated the snow heavily blanketed on spruce and pine trees as we slowly passed by. It was quiet, tranquil, and beautiful as we watched the sky start to darken at 2pm. The only sound came from the reindeer’s hooves in the snow. Even though the bitter cold was unforgiving, the scenery made it more than worth it. We warmed up after the sleigh ride in a lavvu, a traditional tent with tea by a fire. The Sami are indigenous people from Finland, Sweden, and Norway who are skilled hunters and reindeer herders. Our guide told us about his culture and reindeer before we said, “buorre matki!” Every night at dinner we noticed different groups of people. Most only stayed for a night or two but we were staying for five. For dinner, we were served reindeer.

The following day, we put on layers under our snowsuits along with 2 sets of gloves. A short shuttle ride later, we met our sled dogs. They were eagerly tied up to a sled that was secured to a tree. The dogs were jumping 4 feet in the air with excitement. Before they could run, we had to learn how to mush. One person sits in the sled while the other drives and gives commands. The dogs are well trained and knew the route but they sometimes needed to be encouraged to slow down. Molly drove the sled first while I enjoyed the ride. Unlike yesterday, the trees were a blur of white as we raced along the path with Mannheim Steamroller, “Carol of the Bells” playing in our heads. I centered myself in the middle of the sled hanging on for dear life. Our dogs were so eager, they were trying to pass the pack ahead of us. A snowmobile led the way while 6 groups of mushers followed behind. When we switched mushers, we also had to switch dogs to balance out the speed. When it was time for me to mush, I had to put all my body weight on the brakes to slow us down. Each foot balances on a one inch piece of metal behind the sled with the brake in the middle. After braking, it takes some skill to once again find your footing. I was close to falling off several times which would have sent Molly flying off with a pack of excited dogs. Even though we were in the same forest as yesterday, today was anything but relaxing. It was exhilarating flying through the forest, balancing around turns, and hearing the excitement from the dogs when we weren’t going fast enough for their liking. It was so exciting, I didn’t notice my eyelashes freezing. After the ride, we met the puppies in training, and like their parents, they were full of energy and very eager.

We thawed out at an art gallery before getting ready to meet Santa. Being so close to the North Pole, it was only fitting. We were picked up by an elf and walked along the snow covered pathway to Santa’s house. He was waiting for us to arrive as he watched out the window. A fire was burning in the fireplace and cookies were served by Mrs. Clause. The house was cute and quaint with lots of dolls and presents. We knew he was busy, being so close to Christmas, so we didn’t overstay our welcome. His reindeer were right outside so we brought them some treats before going back to our last night in the igloo.

After breakfast, we checked out of the igloos and moved into the cabins. A Finnish tradition is going from a smoke sauna to an ice cold lake. Because it was an expensive add-on, we tried recruiting people at dinner. With no luck, Molly booked the polar plunge for us for Christmas. We had a heat wave of -1F so we decided it would be a good day to follow tradition. In the middle of the lake, there were 2 men chopping the thick layer of ice for us to enter. After about 15 minutes in the smoke sauna, we ran through the snow to the frozen lake. Molly climbed down the ladder into the water making it about 3 seconds. I made it 2. When it was my turn to enter, the water had already started freezing over so I had to kick my way in. After a few rounds from the sauna to the lake, I made a snow angel in my bathing suit against my better judgement. The experience was surprisingly fun and relaxing but the real relaxation occurred when we made it back to our cabin with a fire. I taught Molly how to play chess and we played rummy until we couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer.

The first time we attempted going skiing it was -35F so the ski resort was closed. The following day we took advantage of the few hours of daylight and -15 degree temps. It was a long cold ride up the chairlift, but the view was incredible. The sky was a turquoise pink and the snow billowed over the trees. Molly had only been skiing once and it had been a while since I went snowboarding. We made our way down the hill enjoying the view and ignoring the cold. There was a restaurant and gift shop on top where we warmed up by a fire and bought a couple souvenirs. After a few more runs we had lunch at the lodge and had a fire when we returned home.

There is no question that Finland is the happiest country in the world. It is beautiful and magical and I hope to return. My flight home was a bit adventurous. The flight to Dallas was delayed and we sat on the ramp for over an hour. Upon arriving, I skipped the line and jumped on a moving golf cart to make it just in time for another delayed flight. Although it was difficult to say goodbye to Finland, I’d soon be saying hello to Belize…