Mark Sebire is a writer and entrepreneur from Guernsey in the British Isles who has settled in Finland with his Finnish wife and young son. Here he offers a few tips to help expats get through the Finnish winter.

Skiing – Skiing is an essential part of life for your average Finn, with skis being attached to Finns as soon as practical after birth. Think very carefully, therefore, before following Finns down what they describe as nursery slopes. Either that, or proceed with caution following a discussion with your life insurer and a good swig of whiskey for courage. Extra care is needed if the Finns say that the slope meanders gently down a forest track on the side of the fell; for fell, read fall.

Socks – Socks are your best friends during the Finnish winter, and not just because they keep your toes warm. They can also provide good business opportunities. For example, have a little laugh to yourself when your British relatives fresh off the plane say that one pair of socks is plenty when snowmobiling in Lapland. The trick here is to take extra socks with you to use to extort money from your loving family when their feet turn to ice blocks about 12 seconds into the journey.

Reindeer – The reindeer is the animal foreigners most associate with Finland. These beautiful animals are famous for having a mind of their own coupled with a brain roughly the size of a grain of sand. This particular combination means that on occasion they can behave like an out of control missile, particularly when they have not had exercise for a while. The lesson here is never to volunteer to be the first in your group to take a reindeer sledge ride during your inevitable soiree into the Lappish tundra. The herder’s swift slap on their reindeer’s behind could see you propelled in any direction when Rudolph gets his first taste of freedom for days. Obviously, have your camera ready to capture the fun when your mother goes first, though.

Cars – Finnish winter driving can be great fun. It is hard not to enjoy doing something that you just cannot do at home (any snow brings the UK to a grinding halt). The biggest threat to safety when driving, however, is falling asleep at the wheel. This is a particular worry on those long winter nights. It will have occurred to you, about three minutes into your first Finnish car journey, that trees are not exactly in short supply in Finland. After about two hours the endless rows of trees will be sending you to sleep (I once saw a tree in Rovaniemi that was strikingly similar to a tree I saw in Tampere, or was it Pori). Counting trees (instead of sheep) is definitely not advised. Regular stops, lots of coffee and matchsticks to hold up your eyelids are therefore very important for long car journeys in Finland.

Finally, do not let the Finnish suicide statistics worry you. Beer, sauna and a good sense of humour are really all that you need to get through the Finnish winter!