When Vision Boards Come to Life: My Magical Finnish Christmas

Last December, I created a vision board featuring a picture of the northern lights, plans to complete a Vipassana course, aspirations to teach yoga, and several other goals. At the time, visiting Finland wasn't even on my radar—these were just random dreams I hoped to accomplish in 2025. Like many people, I've written goals before, only to abandon them. But this year turned out to be different.

As a die-hard fan of Christmas rom-com movies, this trip to Finland felt like stepping into my own dream. I've loved the genre since watching "Holiday in Handcuffs" on HBO back in college—it remains my favourite to this day. Every November and December, I eagerly binge-watch Christmas movies on Netflix. The day before I flew to Finland, I watched "Christmas Under Northern Lights" (yes, I know it's a bit cringe-worthy), all while hoping I'd witness the real thing. My travel companion Swathi kept saying, "Northern lights kaansidre saaku" (it would be enough if we see the northern lights). We even joked about editing our faces onto a Google image if we missed them—traveling all that way without seeing them would be heartbreaking.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect—we arrived during Christmas season. I started photographing every Christmas tree from the moment we landed. My friend Pooja joked that I'd have enough for an entire Christmas tree album by end. We stayed in Tampere with our close friend Pooja, borrowed all her winter gear, and braced ourselves for the Finnish weather. The food was incredible—dairy products like yogurt and cheese literally melted in your mouth. The desserts were equally amazing, and with my sweet tooth, I indulged shamelessly. What made Finnish desserts special was that they weren't overly sugary; they were perfectly mild and flavourful.

Visiting Rovaniemi was nothing short of magical. Coming from Bangalore, where even 19°C feels cold to me, stepping off the train into -17°C weather was shocking—though thankfully, Pooja's jackets helped us survive. Swathi and I embarked on an adventure-filled day: we visited Santa Claus Village and took photos with Santa himself, crossed the Arctic Circle and received certificates, and went reindeer and husky sledding through stunning forest routes. The experience was absolutely otherworldly. We got lucky—our guide mentioned that husky rides only began in December, and we hadn't even pre-booked these activities because we weren't sure there would be enough snow.

On our first night in Rovaniemi, there was a northern lights prediction, but we were too exhausted to venture out on our own. We had booked a private Aurora hunting tour for the following evening. After our long day at Santa Claus Village, we were picked up from our Airbnb and began our chase. About 45 minutes into the drive, we spotted the lights. To the naked eye, they appeared mostly white, and while I got excited seeing them through my camera lens, the display wasn't very intense. Outside, it was -23°C, and our wonderful guide kept stepping out to check for activity while we retreated to the warmth of the van.

I was so tired that I kept dozing off. After waiting 3-4 hours, we were rewarded with an absolutely spectacular show. It was magical—I completely forgot about the cold and became wide awake. It felt like the Universe was showing off just for us. While the lights still appeared white to my naked eyes, through our phones and cameras they revealed their true colors. We captured countless beautiful photographs. My friend Pooja, who has viewed the northern lights from her own backyard in Tampere, told us we were incredibly lucky to witness them on our tour night since they're completely weather-dependent and unpredictable. I told her, "Nanna life saarthaka aythu" (my life is fulfilled). I was exhilarated and grateful to have witnessed nature's most magical performance.

We also made a spontaneous trip to Estonia via ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn. For someone who usually over-plans everything, this last-minute decision—sparked by a killer deal—turned out to be one of our best choices. The old town of Tallinn is breathtakingly beautiful. Walking through the narrow lanes surrounded by stunning, well-preserved architecture felt like traveling back in time. It was such a charming getaway that I wished we'd stayed overnight. The Christmas market was open and looked exactly like something from the movies—beautiful stalls filled with delicious food and wonderful shopping opportunities. We tried Glögi, a traditional hot drink, and while enjoying it, we met warm and friendly siblings from Finland who were also visiting. They were probably the first locals to initiate a conversation with us during our entire trip. They mentioned how much they admired brown eyes, which struck me as funny. Throughout our journey, I'd been mesmerised by tall Europeans with blue eyes (including immigration and police officers), constantly reminded of Yo Yo Honey Singh's song "Blue Eyes, Hypnotise." Yet here were people appreciating brown eyes instead!

I must thank Swathi for her patience in tolerating me throughout this adventure. Her calm and composed nature was the perfect balance to my anxious tendencies. She acted as my guide and made sure I didn't get lost with my terrible sense of direction. I'm equally grateful to Pooja—without her living in Finland, we would never have considered this trip. I got to live out my dream of being inside a Christmas movie, and I'll cherish this experience for the rest of my life. This journey proved to me that dreams really do come true when the time is right.