It's that time of year to use up any remaining holiday allowance and independent tailor-made tour operator Best Served Scandinavia has compiled a handy list of breaks to experience with those last few days of holiday.

Five Days:

Spend four nights deep in the heart of the Finnish wilderness at one of Finland's most stylish properties, the Iso-Syöte Hotel.  The hotel is made up of a collection of traditional log cabins spread out in the snowy forest like a village.  There's a great choice of Arctic adventures and unforgettable experiences on offer ranging from driving dogs through the snowy forest to hiking with snowshoes and in the evening you can take a snowmobile out to search for the Northern Lights.  Spend one of your four nights in the Aurora View Suite, a spacious and luxurious suite built over 2 floors, with a sauna and private Jacuzzi on the balcony. The glass roof and the balcony offer the perfect views of the sky above to watch the stars and Northern Lights as well as towards the snow covered forest and valley below.  Prices for this winter with Best Served Scandinavia [0207 664 2241, www.best-served.co.uk] start from £720 per person including flights, 3 nights in a hotel room and 1 night in an Aurora View Suite.

Four Days:

For those lucky enough to have four days' holiday, a magical four-day Santa break in Finnish Lapland is the perfect option for families.  This break is based either at the Harriniva Hotel, a cosy retreat high up in the Arctic Circle, complete with saunas and jacuzzis on the riverbank and a private husky farm or at the Hotel Jeris which offers cosy wilderness-style rooms and back-to-nature cabins in a wonderful setting overlooking Lake Jerisjärvi. 

There's plenty to keep busy with including a visit to a local reindeer farm, a husky farm, baking Finnish cookies, making a Christmas stocking as well as more traditional adventures in the snow such as snow shoeing, ice fishing or zooming down the toboggan slope. The great man himself will be visited in his log cabin one evening following a sled ride through the forest.  There's even the possibility of glimpsing the Northern Lights on the return to the hotel.

Prices for this winter with Best Served Scandinavia [0207 664 2241, www.best-served.co.uk] start from £1,395 per adult and £1,095 per child aged 4-12 years when sharing with 2 adults.

If you're looking to cross off two Arctic bucket list experiences on your 4 day break, a new glass igloo and ice hotel holiday in Finnish Lapland offers the ideal solution.  Combine the thrill of spending the night in an ice hotel with unrivalled Northern Lights viewing from your very own glass igloo.  Watch the Northern Lights right above your head from your igloo's thermally heated domed glass. There's even an aurora alarm service that can be turned on for those not wanting to miss out on any midnight colours.  One night is spent in the stunning SnowHotel sleeping on a transparent bed of ice, with temperatures ranging between zero and minus five, an Arctic sleeping bag ensures you will keep warm. Activities in the day include snow sculpting, ice fishing, snow mobiling and husky safaris. Prices for this winter with Best Served Scandinavia [0207 664 2241, www.best-served.co.uk] start from £1,155 per person.

Three Days

The fjordside town of Tromsø is at the centre of the northern aurora zone and dazzling celestial displays circle the sky above the city which is widely regarded as one of the best spots to view the Northern Lights.  Combine this with a vibrant cultural and social scene – there are more pubs per capita in Tromsø than anywhere else in Norway - and it makes for a wonderful city break.  Best Served Scandinavia can tailor make a three-day break to Tromsø for those using those last days of holiday for a truly memorable Northern Lights viewing experience from just £465 per person including direct flights from Gatwick, 2 nights at the Thon Tromso hotel and an Aurora Safari.  

With such a wide range of Arctic adventures to choose from there really is no reason not to make the most of those final days of leave on a memorable Scandinavian holiday.

-ENDS-