A FEW WEEKS before Christmas, writes Sherif Sonbol, I was fortunate enough to be in the south of Finland, in Kalvia near Kokkola, for an exhibition of my photos of Cairo. It was snowing. At minus seven-10 degrees it was cold enough, but I had been told that below zero it no longer mattered, and so when the exhibition closed and friends from the Kokkola Library suggested that I should spend the rest of my time in Rovaniemi at the frontier of the north pole, I was delighted. My daughter, who lives and studies in Germany, agreed to meet me there. My excitement had less to do with the weather or the reunion than with the purpose of the journey, however: to meet Santa; yes, Father Christmas in person would be opening the Christmas Season on 27 November. I had never heard of Rovaniemi. I did not realise that Lapland, Santa Klaus's home country -- whence he sets off on his flying sledge to distribute presents to all the children of the world, was an actual place that could be visited. On arrival I found an enormous sac full of clothing waiting for me (the journey had been arranged through an agency), and it was the first sign that perhaps below zero is not the same as zero after all. Lapland was not only real but also fascinating, featuring a wait for the Northern Lights finally cut short by the appearance of the moon. The cold was incredible; even my camera batteries died, apparently not to be resuscitated. At the camera shop I could not replace them, and I bought a 100 euros point- and-shoot to work with. The reindeer farm followed the Husky dogs' farm -- I was told that, though reindeer are bred mainly for meat, the Finns do not eat Rudolf -- and we learned to drive a reindeer sledge. Later Marja Jalkanen, our expert tour guide, told us the story of how Santa found his home, which as she described it turned out to be his office as well. At first Santa wore grey and travelled nonstop; as he grew older and calmer, he wanted a place to rest and meet his friends. The city was completely destroyed in WWII, and it was UNICEF's predecessor UNRRA that provided for the construction of the Arctic Circle Cabin in the course of rebuilding it: a magic place where there is neither night nor day. Santa liked it there, and (thanks to a Finnish man's innovation) changed into red, then the Swedes joined in with their elves and dwarves. And here we are... After a delicious lunch at Christmas House, we were ceremonially led into Santa's room; he was warm and welcoming but rather than "Ho ho ho" or "Merry Christmas", what he said by way of greeting was Assalamu alaykum ! Never mind that this is the official Muslim greeting, it is also what the angels sang on Christmas day. The conversation began with "Hello, my children", and when I objected that we were a little too old for that, Santa said, "Whoever is younger than 200 is a child to me". How old are you, Santa? Oh, I don't know. I had a child in your country. He lived in a place called Thebes and his name was Ramses the Pharaoh. However, the oldest document that lists my date of birth is the reindeer driving licence; it says: Very long ago. What do you have for us in the New Year? Here, in Scandinavia, we have an old tradition. We do not fight in Christmas time. There should be peace. And I want this spirit of peace to overrule the world, during Christmas and in the future. What is the thing that people ask of you most often? I meet and receive letters from all over the world. In my office you can see many letters from Egypt, and usually children ask for physical things like toys. Older people have different wants. They ask for peace and happiness. Unphysical but important. Children also intervene on behalf of poor or sick friends. With no more chimneys in the world, how do you deposit your gifts? Do not worry, I have my own ways. In Finland, you know, Santa had never used chimneys. I always go in the day time. I knock and ask: Are there any good boys and girls here? Yes, Santa. Come in please. I here go in daytime and ask and visit people in their houses. For my own present I asked for a magic shaving machine and, pointing to his beard, Santa smiled and said his knowledge was limited in this particular department. We went out and waited among the crowds for the ceremony to start. The city municipality came on stage, and in a surprise gesture they donated 100,000 euros to UNICEF, remembering the first aid they ever received. Soon the children joined the elves on stage before Santa announced the start of Christmas. Frustrated with my point-and- shoot, I drifted to a place called Santa's Salmon Place, where I had the best salmon of my life cooked straight on the fire: no pans. The owner was a very nice man who added that, whenever he feels like real salmon, here is where Santa comes for lunch.
