Once upon a time, a girl named Hima had heard stories about Santa Claus since she was very small, but never truly believed he was real.
That is, until her parents took her to Finland during Christmas — a town where everything was blanketed in white snow, towering pine trees glowed with warm twinkling lights, and the air was so cold her breath turned to white mist.
At Santa Claus Village, Hima waited in a long line before finally stepping into a small wooden cabin where a fire crackled brightly in the hearth.
An old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in red, sat in a wooden chair, looking at her with warm blue eyes.
“Hello, Hima,” he said.
Hima was startled. “How do you know my name?”
Santa smiled. “I know every child. Tell me, what would you like this year?”
Hima opened her mouth to name the toy she had been planning to ask for, but then she thought of something she wanted even more.
“I want my grandmother to get better,” she said softly.
Santa nodded slowly. He didn’t laugh, and he didn’t say it was impossible.
“The best gift isn’t something Santa gives,” he said. “It’s something you give yourself. Love, time, and being there for someone — that is more powerful than any gift I have ever delivered.”
Hima sat quietly, listening.
“Go back and sit with your grandmother. Tell her stories. Hold her hand. That is the greatest gift you can give her.”
Before Hima left the cabin, Santa handed her a small box. Inside was a glass snow globe that sparkled with falling snow when shaken.
“So you’ll always remember today,” Santa said.
Hima returned to Thailand carrying the snow globe and Santa’s words in her heart.
On her first night home, she sat beside her grandmother’s bed, held her hand, and told her all about Finland late into the night.
Grandmother fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Fun facts about Finland: The town of Rovaniemi in Finland is officially recognized as the home of Santa Claus. Santa Claus Village welcomes children from all over the world year-round. Finland sits on the Arctic Circle, giving it a “polar night” phenomenon where it stays dark around the clock during winter.
