LIVING in the lush green tropics, we've grown accustomed to a warm, humid Christmas. But many of us have entertained fantasies of frol- icking through a winter wonderland with a snowy backdrop.

Thanks to cheap air travel, going for a white Christmas is no longer an unattainable fantasy. So pack your bags and fly.

FINLAND
 

Christmas in this far-away Scandanavian country is a grand affair with celebrations that last a month, beginning with the Dec 6 birthday celebrations for St Nicholas, aka the original Santa Claus. A must-do in Finland is a sleigh ride with reindeer.

Tour operators have put together options such as reindeer driving lessons and an exhilarating sweep to the Arctic Circle by dog sled.

While you're at it, spend a night in an igloo. The Igloo Village at Kakslauttanen (north Lapland, close to the Arctic Circle) boasts 20 igloos, including a honeymoon suite igloo, ice chapel, an ice bar and a gallery filled with ice sculptures. Another must-see is Finland's fabled Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, when the entire sky is washed with astonishing shifting strokes of colours. The best time to catch it is between September and April.

BHUTAN
Few nations have in recent years have captured the imagination quite as much as this tiny landlocked Himalayan kingdom. Pristine, picture-perfect, this Shangri-la has lots of natural wonders in the green valleys washed by crystalline light and craggy mountains. From the idyllic and picturesque capital Paro, head for the narrow turn-pins on a scenic drive to Haa Valley. The trip winds through stunning gorges.

Come winter, a blanket of white snow descends and Bhutan is transformed into a fairytale setting dotted with the high arched peaks of the traditional homes and the elegant bulk of the tzongs - ancient military fortresses and monasteries.

NEW YORK
There's something to be said for spending Christmas in New York. Overnight, with the first fall of snow, the city is fluffed into a white metropolis, its familiar skyline of skyscrapers replaced by a stunning silhouette straight out of a fairy tale by Angela Carter.

This time of the year is especially magical in the Big Apple as the city pulls out the stops to put on a show and turns on the lights on Fifth and Madison Avenues. It's an extravagant showcase of twinkling lights, fabulous window displays at Saks and Bloomingdale's, and even more extravagant Christmas trees, especially at Rockefeller Center. While the rest of the city hums, make tracks for Central Park, especially to the slopes behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Upper East Side, for an exhilarating time of snow-boarding.

And when you've dried off and cleaned the slush off your boots, hail a cab and head for the Radio Music City Hall for its dazzling annual Christmas show featuring the long-legged Rockettes dancers.

DUBAI
Dubai is the last place anyone would associate with snow, let alone a white Christmas, but there are some people who like their cold and wintry accoutrements in small doses. If you're one of them, this desert kingdom is the place for you. In Dubai, the fantasies include man- made archipelagos in the shape of a palm and a map of the world, and there are hotels where everything that glitters is gold. An example is the lobby of the fabulously over-the-top Burjal Arab.

Buried in the midst of the mega Mall of the Emirates' jaw-dropping array of world class boutiques is Ski Dubai, the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East, complete with chair- lifts. Strap the whole family up for an exhilarating afternoon of skiing, snowboarding and toboggan rides on a 500-m ski slope cocooned with real snow, knowing full well that a tan by the pool is on the cards after lunch. That this is all happening in the midst of a desert in a shopping mall is just part of Dubai's magic.