Christmas is a time of wonder and excitement and joy.

There’s an air of expectation and anticipation, but nowhere more so than at Dublin Airport last Monday morning.

Our reporter Aisling Moore took two very special little girls - Éabha and Isla Murray - on the trip of a lifetime to Lapland with Sunway Holidays.

There - in two feet of snow and temperatures dropping below freezing - they would visit Santa’s home town and experience a winter wonderland that you’re used to seeing on cards sitting on the mantlepiece.

In this first of two parts, sit back and let us take you with us to the North Pole...

And that’s where we’ll leave Lapland today! We’ll bring you the big moment tomorrow - Christmas Eve - when Éabha and Isla meet the man himself, Santa Claus. 

In the meantime, take a look at some of the photos of Éabha and Isla on their adventure.