It’s a cushy number, being an aunt: all the rewards of children in your life, but none of the broken sleep/school fees/ toast-in-the-DVD-player stress.

But you do need to come up with the goods, treats-wise. Which is why I’m with my sister Roz’s children, about to meet Santa in his brand-new home. In Kent.

They’re old hands at this, the children, having met him personally in Lapland last year. And they’re not exactly unique: this December, an estimated 80,000 Brits will make a flying visit to Lapland, a figure that – according to the Finnish tourist board – is growing by 27% each year, despite costing upwards of £2,500 for a family of four (not to mention the tons of carbon emissions it generates).

But this weekend sees the opening of a Christmas attraction that hopes to provide a cheaper, greener alternative closer to home.

5 classic Lapland stories

The Family Travel Editor at Times Online plucks from Father Christmas's sack her classic tales of winters past

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• 5 classic Lapland stories

Lapland UK is a winter wonderland created in the 320-acre Bedgebury National Pinetum, Kent, with the endorsement of the Forestry Commission. The brainchild of former City trader and father of four Mike Battle and his schoolteacher wife, Alison, it aims to satisfy our desire for an idyllic family Christmas experience while addressing our growing concerns about the environment.

The seven-figure temporary attraction (it will be dismantled on January 1, theoretically leaving only pristine, undamaged forest) has clearly struck a chord: most of the 35,000 tickets sold out within days of going on the market (see below for details of how you can still get some). But can our good intentions to have a green Christmas ever win against our desire for the perfect white one?

Lapland UK is hidden deep in the forest, a brisk 10-minute walk from the car park. So when Roz, my brother-in-law Mark, the kids – Isaac, 9, Tabitha, 7, and Michael, 4 – and I round the corner and catch our first glimpse of the huge dome, the children shriek excitedly and run the rest of the way.

“The dome actually transports you to Lapland,” Mike says. And it does, while a huge projection of Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman plays on a big screen. As we step from the transporter, the scene that greets us is extraordinary. Snow falls gently on a picturesque village square, bustling with colourfully outfitted Sami and elves resplendent in red-felt caps and curly-toed green boots. At the square’s centre, a huge Christmas tree twinkles with white stars, overlooked by cosy log cabins with icicles hanging from their eaves.

The snow is deep and crisp and even (and eco – it’s made out of seaweed). Blanketed paths disappear into the forest; pine trees droop under the weight of it, their silhouettes like giant carwash rollers in the chilly blue light.

The effect is startling: Michael is rooted to the spot in astonishment. Mike is clearly delighted: “Kids believe in Santa for such a short time,” he says. “You want to make it really special for them.”

First stop is the elves’ workshop. “The children loved this in Lapland,” Roz recalls. “It was a huge theatrical production, with singing and dancing elves.”

“We had to wear special hats so our ears would grow pointy,” says Tabs, with wide-eyed solemnity.

The Lapland UK elves’ workshop is a more modest affair: a big train set; rocking-horse production; woodworking tools and a Toy “to do” list on the wall. The children help an elf assemble chunky wooden jigsaws – which they are delighted to discover they can keep.

Back in the square, the snow (the same stuff starred in the Harry Potter films) is still falling as we follow a forest path to the huskies. “Are we going on a husky ride?” Isaac asks excitedly. “We don’t have rides,” Mike explains. “Eighty per cent of visitors will be under eight, so we want to make the experience gentle.”

As the kids dash ahead, Roz notes how Lapland compares: “There, you have indoor and outdoor activities: snowmobiling, husky rides ... It makes it both Christmassy and a winter holiday.”

They cost extra, though. “It just about doubled the cost of the holiday,” Roz admits. “But experiences like crossing the Arctic Circle – you think, ‘We’re probably never going to come back, so...”

Meanwhile, the children have forgotten the rides and are besotted with the huskies. The dogs are both beautiful and good-natured: Michael shrieks with delight as a little husky nuzzles him.

By now, it’s dusk, and it’s raining steadily as we stick our heads into the Sami storytelling tepee before pressing on to the warmth of Father Christmas’s Post Office. Roz’s umbrella catches on a branch, showering us with snow.

It’s so convincing, it’s like we’re in Narnia: I half expect to see Mr Tumnus any minute. “It’s actually like we’re in Lapland,” Mark says, “but not as cold.

It was too cold for the children – they were crying by the end of the reindeer ride. And it was so dark that the only thing you could really see was the reindeer’s bum.”

The children queue excitedly to get cards franked by an avuncular elf at the Post Office. And they adore Mrs Christmas’s Gingerbread Kitchen. (“Gingerbread is the big thing at Lapland,” my sister says knowingly.)

It strikes me that Mike has the right approach. “People were pushing me down an ultra-commercial route,” he tells me. “Fat Santas, fussy rides... But I wanted to keep it simple: that’s far more charming.” Certainly, the Father Christmas the children finally reel their skateboard and Scooby-Doo lists off to is more Hans Christian Andersen than Hollywood.

None of this means that Kent’s new Lapland will replace the real one – but it does at least provide a viable alternative.

NEED TO KNOW

Lapland UK is at Bedgebury National Pinetum, in Goudhurst, Kent, until December 31. Timed tickets last for 3½ hours and start at £17.50 for adults and £27.50 for children. Demand for tickets is high, with several dates already sold out. However, new tickets will be released throughout December. For the best chance to get one, register at www.laplanduk.co.uk

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