Where does a man who has been everywhere go next? Finland's ambassador to China, Lars Backstrom, says a return trip will always teach you something new. Backstrom first visited China 25 years ago. Photos by Mike Peters/ China Daily

Finland's well-traveled ambassador to China is emissary for his government, of course, but he also represents the man of the season. Mike Peters talks to an expert on St. Nick.

Two maps on the wall of his office reveal a longtime passion. The top world map has a black-headed pin in every city, town and village he has visited - creating more black spots than you'd see if you kicked over an anthill. The map below has a black thread that tracks each route of those travels. The resulting webs of black represent an achievement by Ambassador Lars Backstrom. In 1994, before his 40th birthday, the Finnish diplomat had traveled to every nation in the world at that time. That's 192 different entry and exit stamps in his passport. He had wondered whether he was the first to cross every national border at such a young age, but the Guinness Book of World Records had news for him: At least one other fellow, a Brit, had also done it.

Two of the dots near the Arctic Circle are particularly interesting this holiday season: They represent Backstrom's visits to where Santa lives. One is at the town of North Pole, Alaska. The other is in his native Finland, at Santa Village in Rovaniemi. That huge Lapland complex operates year-round and draws hundreds of thousands visitors - including China's Vice-President Xi Jinping earlier this year.

Santa Village and Finland's postal service teamed up years ago to give children a chance to write letters to Santa and get a reply. China Post was intrigued by the idea, and worked with its Finnish counterpart to open China's first Christmas Post Office last month in Beijing, a program that's likely to expand to other cities next year.

The International Post Office at Jianguomen offers 10-, 20- and 40-yuan Christmas cards for children who want to let St. Nick know how good they've been this year.

In another cooperative effort between the two countries, Finland's envoy to China says that Santas from his country will visit 14 Wanda department stores this winter.

"I think we're on the brink of something big here," Backstrom says with a grin. "It's kind of a Santa invasion."

China's appreciation of the Christmas season has grown every year, he says. A group of entrepreneurs has teamed up with a municipal government in the northernmost region of China to develop a Santa Village-type complex there, with consulting help from Finland. And the intensively decorated and illuminated store and street displays in big cities around China aren't simply a show for foreigners.

"It fits the country's goal to increase domestic consumption," he says, "and winter is a slow season for business. So everybody wins."

Especially children.

"There is something about Santa that really fires the imaginations of children," he says, "and that is a wonderful thing."

Imagination makes it easy for Santa to live simultaneously in Finland and Alaska - and Mexico City, where Backstrom once found himself being driven through rush-hour traffic while dressed in full Santa regalia.

"People were honking and looking in the car window, waving," he says. "There is just something magnetic about Santa wherever he is."