Just like Christmas, New Year is traditionally celebrated in style in Ruka. If previous years are anything to go by you’ll still find festive charm by the bucket load, with beautiful Christmas lights in the village and Santa still doing the rounds. This is the perfect time to come away if you’re after a holiday with a traditional Christmas feel but don’t want to spend Christmas Day away from home. New Year’s Eve is also an amazing experience in Ruka. The resort usuallu puts on an annual midnight firework display for all to enjoy, and many of the local bars and restaurants throw special dinners or parties to welcome the New Year. Chalet Ruka Peak holds a gala dinner most years, with champagne, fireworks and reindeer visits. The Kontioluola bar often offers a buffet dinner and live music, and the party is bound to continue well past midnight at the Tellu Night club. If you want a more peaceful way to see in the New Year, take a snowshoe expedition or reindeer-driven sled into the surrounding forests where you can sit around a campfire soaking in the silence and looking out for the elusive Northern Lights. This is a great time of year for skiing, too. Conditions are usually excellent, and floodlighting lets you stay on the slopes long after the sun has set. January is the coldest month of the year in Finland, with an average temperature of -140c, so remember to pack plenty of thermal layers! Ask us about snowsuit hire if you have little ones in tow.