Beneath the twinkling lights and festive cheer of Lapland's SantaPark lies a hidden world, where Christmas magic meets Cold War history in an unexpected twist.

Welcome to Finnish Lapland. The air here is clean ... Right now we're at Tonttula Elves Village, which is a hotel and a nature park where I got to experience the stories and mythology of elves.

An Essex airport brought "joy to the world of Southend" with an inaugural flight to Lapland this weekend ... mini hot chocolates and an extra special visit from Enzo the Elf. Music filled the terminal ...

A woman is braving sub-freezing temperatures to spend winter working in Lapland as one of Santa's elves. Emily Henry, from Hereford, said she saw an advert for the job and "couldn't resist trying it".

The magic of Lapland begins before you even leave the UK on a TUI trip - with elves to greet you at check-in and a specially themed activity pack on the plane | Jamie Jones The TUI Lapland ...

The magic of Lapland begins before you even leave the UK on a TUI trip - with elves to greet you at check-in and a specially themed activity pack on the plane | Jamie Jones The TUI Lapland ...

Bursting with Christmas spirit and cheeky illustrations, the storybook takes readers on a journey with the elves as they swap snowy Lapland for sunny Spain after they wave goodbye to Father ...