Go Christmas shopping with Santa

The stores and boutiques are a winter wonderland at this time of year, and don't forget that Lapland is just round the corner

HELSINKI IS A city that celebrates Christmas in high style. The countdown to the big day starts on November 20, when Santa Claus opens the Finnish capital's official 'Christmas Street' on Aleksanterinkatu, one of Helsinki's main thoroughfares famous for its Christmas lighting display.

Children of all ages line the sidewalks to catch a glimpse of Saint Nick, a celebrity in his own right here. As most people know, the real Santa Claus comes from Lapland, in northern Finland.

In the weeks before Christmas, the Finnish capital comes alive with pre-Christmas parties (pikkujoulut) and shops and boutiques decorated for the season. Helsinki is a great place to find original handicrafts.

Arts and crafts: Just about everything at the Kiseleff Bazaar is handmade, from cards and candles to wool sweaters and quilts. A cosy two-storey building that once housed a sugar factory accommodates several shops selling fabrics and socks and goods fashioned from silver, gold, glass and metal. There is something for everyone at the Krafti stand, inside the bazaar near the Aleksanterinkatu entrance from hand-printed T-shirts to felt pot holders.

A two-minute walk away across the Esplanade is Taito Shop Helsky, which specialises in handicrafts ranging from linen hand towels to wool socks and seasonal specialities such as Christmas tea and liquorice. Virtually all of its products are practical, modestly priced and portable, so they make for handy gifts for those who have jetted into town and want to keep their baggage at a minimum.