Santa's House - Little Finland, Penedo.

Magic all year round.

Penedo is located between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, in the municipality of Itatiaia, and is well known for being the home of Santa Claus.
Penedo is home to the only Finnish colony in Brazil and in honor of this, we found Little Finland right in the city center.

Little Finland is a shopping complex, a real open-air mall with shops of all kinds, and it's also home to Santa Claus.
The tour of Little Finland is beautiful and delightful, with themed houses and everything beautifully decorated.

But I suggest you don't buy anything in there, I found everything VERY expensive. You can find many products in the city that are just as good or even identical, but much cheaper.
But if you really want something Christmassy, I've only really seen things like this in Little Finland or in a shopping center next door.

It's Christmas all year round!

Little Finland is home to Santa Claus and you can see him all year round! Easter, carnival, fall, winter or any season, it's good fun all year round.

We went at the end of November and although Little Finland is Christmas all year round, this is when they really go all out with the Christmas decorations.

I spoke to some residents and they confirmed that this year the Christmas decorations are special.
I really thought it was wonderful, with a huge Santa Claus welcoming us and a wonderful Christmas tree right at the entrance.

The lighting and garlands also left something to be desired, adorning the path to Santa's house.

Santa's House

Santa's house is at the end of Little Finland, beautifully decorated and very rustic. Obviously decorated with a Christmas tree next to the door.
As I've already said, I don't know if the tree was there for extra decoration, for the Christmas period, or if it really is there all year round.

Okay, Cris, but is entry to Santa's house free? No! And they don't take cards, only CASH.

The ticket to Santa's house is bought in a wooden house on the side of the bridge, and we paid 12 reais per person.
After buying the ticket to Santa's house, we went to the door and knocked, waiting for someone to show up.

Of course, the little one made a point of knocking on the door and waited as anxiously as ever for the answer! It was the door to Santa's house!

Santa's helper soon opens the door to welcome us.

There, my son's eyes lit up and filled with water.

"It's Santa Claus, Mom!"

We entered through an anteroom and soon found the good old man sitting in his living room in a rocking chair.

Emmanuel shivered with anticipation and moved in an almost frozen direction. He sat petrified on Santa's lap and, with an air of accomplishment, listened attentively to old Santa's advice.

Then she received a magical present! I bought a plastic Christmas cup and asked Santa to deliver it.

The gift came with a lot of joy and more advice for the little one, who would have the mission of eating everything! Because the magic cup that would now accompany him at mealtimes had a connection to Santa Claus.

Emmanuel listened to everything with both eyes wide open and made a polite agreement with Santa Claus.
Soon other children arrived, we left the room and I went to show them Santa's room and bed.

Every detail seemed to be lovingly recorded in his mind.

Before we left, the little one stopped in the antechamber, previously ignored because he was anxious to see Santa Claus, and noticed the sleigh and the stand where Santa keeps his letters.

Emmanuel loves Santa's sleigh. I think that after Santa Claus, the sleigh was the one he liked best in the house.

We left feeling very satisfied, but getting him out was very difficult, he wanted to stay in Santa's house for the rest of his life. He even said he wanted to sleep there, right outside Santa's house, that it didn't matter lol.

Playground

We were only able to distract him when we took him to the playground next to Santa's house.
You pay for the time the child stays in the play area and it accepts cards.

There's a bouncer and some other toys, so it was a great way to take our minds off Santa's house.

Finnish Colony

As I said, the only Finnish colony in Brazil is in Penedo, where the Finns arrived in 1929.
Today you hardly see any direct descendants of Finland, but the culture is still very strong.
This is evident in the features of the houses, the names of the hotels and restaurants or stores, and the cuisine itself.

But if you really want to delve into Finnish culture, no problem! There's a whole museum dedicated to it in the city.

Well, where does Santa Claus come in? Why Little Finland?

According to legend, the good old man lives in the far north, in the land of extreme snow, but there are two versions of where this really is.

The Americans say it's at the North Pole, while the Europeans say it's in Lapland, which is in Finland!

It is because of this, and because Penedo is a Finnish colony, that we find Little Finland and Santa Claus House in this little piece of Brazil.

What we think

I loved the experience and to have lived it in such a special year is priceless.
Emmanuel is more excited about Christmas than any other year, I think it's the first Christmas he really understands.

I want to enjoy every moment of this magical time in your childhood! And the whole region is VERY beautiful and green.

Here's another tour option, through Itatiaia National Park by clicking here

Don't forget

Carry cash →
We cut a corner to get into Santa's house. They don't take cards or checks and there are no ATMs nearby.

Things outside of Little Finland are cheaper →
There are many Finnish stores, ice-cream parlors and shops around Penedo that are much cheaper than those in Little Finland.

See the schedule of shows →
We didn't see any shows as our days were busy, but there's always something going on in front of Santa's house.

Bring water and snacks →
Since we're in Santa's summer house, lol, the heat is strong! It's always good to have water in your bag.

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