Tourists crossing a line marking the Arctic Circle at Santa Claus Village. Mariel Tähtivaara, right, with members of her student association at the University of Lapland.

In the city of Rovaniemi, which is the capital of Lapland, you can visit Santa Claus Village. Here, visitors can drop in on Santa’s office and have their picture taken with the man himself.

The government of the province, Lapland, declared itself “Santa Claus Land” decades later to boost tourism. Santa Claus Village opened just outside Rovaniemi in 1985.