In Finland, there's a story of a small village during Christmas. The villagers were busy preparing for the big day. There was a family who had a tradition of making ice lanterns every Christmas. They would go to the frozen lake, cut out blocks of ice, and carve them into beautiful lanterns. One Christmas, a snowstorm hit the village just before Christmas Eve. But instead of being sad, the villagers used the snow to build amazing snow sculptures. When Christmas came, the whole village was like a winter wonderland. Joulupukki was especially delighted to visit such a unique place and left extra gifts for the children.
A Finnish Christmas story might involve a reindeer herder named Pekka. During Christmas, Pekka would take his reindeer to the market in Rovaniemi. There, people from all over the world would come to see the reindeer and buy traditional Finnish handicrafts. One Christmas, a lost tourist found his way to Pekka's reindeer farm. Pekka welcomed the tourist and let him stay for Christmas. They shared stories around the fire, and Pekka told the tourist about the ancient Finnish Christmas traditions, like leaving porridge for the spirits of the forest. The tourist had the most memorable Christmas ever, surrounded by reindeer and the warmth of Finnish hospitality.