Santa Claus opened the Christmas season in his hometown in the arctic circle on Nov. 10.
In his speech, Santa spoke about the meaning of goodwill and the importance of caring and sharing.
“Christmas is a joyous time for sharing warmth and kindness during the mid-winter twilight,” Santa Claus said.
Every year thousands of people from around the world make their way to Santa Claus Village near Rovaniemi, in northern Finland, to visit Santa and his busy elves.
The Arctic Circle runs through the village, which is about eight kilometres from Rovaniemi.
At the village’s post office people can send their Christmas greetings from Santa’s village, complete with a special Arctic stamp.
Visitors can also meet Mrs. Claus, along with Santa’s elves and reindeer.
As Christmas nears, Santa receives almost 30,000 letters every day from children all over the world.
Visitors from Asia are topping the list of those wanting to see Santa before he and his reindeer set off on their around-the-world trip on Dec. 23.
