CHILDREN were left in tears as a Christmas trip to Lapland became the holiday from hell – minus the snow, a tethered “angry reindeer” and a Santa who said: “I don’t even live here.”
Families who shelled out around £4,000 for a three-day “trip of a lifetime” to Kuusamo, Finland, have arrived to find what they describe as “dangerous” and “disastrous” activities, with some going without food for more than eight hours.
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Families traveling to Finland for the Christmas trip of a lifetime have been left devastated by the disappointmentCredit: 
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The snow melted after heavy rain, and subsequent visits were canceled by the tour operatorCredit:
Unseasonably warm weather and heavy rains led to snow drifting in resorts in Lapland, causing travel company TUI to cancel trips there on Wednesday.
But before the announcement, hundreds of hopeful families had already made the 1,500-mile journey.
A father-of-three said his six-year-old daughter was terrified after they traveled from east London to Santa’s home region last Sunday.
Ricky Edwards (39), who was with his partner and three children, said: “My little girl met Santa and she was very upset.
“She turned to me and said, ‘I don’t believe that’s the real Santa Claus.’
“When we met him, he said, ‘I don’t even live here. This is my vacation home.’
“Ms. Claus had a visible cell phone in her pocket.
“We understand that there is no snow, there is no help, but there was not even enough to eat!”
The TUI travel itinerary ended with a “traditional Christmas dinner”.
But carriage-loads of families were turned away from the banquet hall because there was not enough food – and others resented the quality of what they were served.
Contact manager Ricky added: “We were turned away and left in minus eight degrees for the bus to get back to the hotel. At least ten children were in tears.
“Then I saw a picture of what they served at the festive feast and I think it was best we didn’t go in. It was a joke.”
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Some families were turned away from the banquet hall, and those who attended complained about the quality. 
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The families described the activities as dangerous and disastrous and expressed concern for the welfare of the animals.
Natasha and Scott Walden, 36, from Northampton, said they were left fearing for their safety when they and their two children were taken tobogganing on the “melting” lake.
Natasha said: “We had to stay right on the edge of the lake. I was honestly terrified. I could see cracks all over the lake.”
She added: “There was a reindeer tied to a tree with a rope and we were told it was an angry reindeer and not to be touched.”
TUI said last night: “Our teams are keeping a close eye on the weather forecast and despite snow being forecast during these travel dates, unfortunately this has not happened.”
The company added: “Our teams will be in direct contact with all customers who traveled on this departure to discuss their issues and offer a solution.”
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A brochure for a trip to Lapland featured snowfall and made the trip look like a Christmas cardCredit: 
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It is advertised that the food in the banquet hall is much better than the eventual serving Credit: TUI
Ho, ho, it’s snowing
By Caroline McGuire, Sun Digital Travel Manager in Ylläs, Finnish Lapland
BOOKING a snow holiday in December is always a gamble, and nowhere more so than in Lapland this year, it seems.
Because while Rovaniemi is suffering from a lack of snow, I’m writing this from the Finnish town of Yllas, on a holiday trip to see Santa Claus with TUI.
While the vacation giant has been canceling trips elsewhere in the country, here the white stuff is at least a foot deep… and more coming every day.
The ski slopes that pass by our hotel had a lot of use today, and yesterday in Snježni village a group of children made a needle before going to see Santa Claus on a sleigh driven by a snowmobile.
That’s still less than last year, when the ground was covered with four feet of snow, but I’m a keen skier and I’ve never been this cold – yesterday evening the temperature hit -20C.
In fact, the air is so cold that the snow froze as it lay, making it impossible to form snowballs because it has the consistency of sand.
A small mercy, because the impudent elves intend to lure both adults and children to snowball at every opportunity.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education