The vast majority of people in Finland celebrate Christmas, with festivities concentrating on Sunday, Christmas Eve. However since shop opening hours were deregulated last year, the holiday no longer brings such dramatic changes to daily life as in the past, when the country virtually shut down for two or three days.
Shop and pharmacy opening hours are generally listed on their websites. Many stores still close at noon on Christmas Eve, are closed on Christmas Day and open on Boxing Day (26 December) according to Sunday schedules.
Alko outlets are open on Saturday 9am-6pm. The state alcohol shops are then closed until Wednesday.
Long-distance buses run on limited schedules over the holiday period, especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Timetables can be checked on the Matkahuolto website or by phone at 0200 4000 (fee applies).
Local bus services vary. In many places there are no departures on Christmas Day, while on Boxing Day they run according to Sunday timetables.
Long-distance trains run on limited schedules from Sunday through Tuesday. On Christmas Eve, traffic begins to wind down around midday, coming to a complete halt by evening. On Christmas Day rail service resumes gradually by midday. On Boxing Day, 26 December, trains run on Sunday schedules. More information on the VR website or by phone at 0600 41900.
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Operation Snowflake, run by the Automobile and Touring Club of Finland, provides help to holiday travellers with car trouble through New Year's Day. The service can be reached at 0200 8080 (fee applies to calls and service).
Post offices are mostly open on Saturday 10am-4pm, and then closed until Wednesday. Postal counters located within other businesses are open according to those facilities' hours. Santa Claus' Main Post Office in Rovaniemi is open every day during the holidays. Mail is delivered as usual Friday, resuming next Wednesday.
Mannerheim League for Child Welfare runs a free telephone support service for children and youth daily from 2pm to 5pm. The service can be reached at 116 111 during the school holidays from 23 December through 7 January.
Yle News radio broadcasts continue through the holidays, at 3.29 pm on Yle Mondo and 3.55 pm on Yle Radio 1 frequencies throughout the country. Both broadcasts can also be heard via the Yle Areena website.
