Christmas Resources

So you’ve decided to take the plunge and arranged a family ‘get away from it all’ Christmas break… but now is dawning on you exactly what you will be ‘away from’ and are wondering how you’ll transport the ‘family Christmas at home’ experience to another country!?

Here are our top 10 tips for family friendly holidays at Christmas, to make sure you all have a wonderfully relaxing trip…

1. Involve the kids in the travel experience. Get out a map and point out where the family will be staying. Talk about how far you are travelling - just like Santa himself! Let your kids help pack their suitcases and even shop for Christmas gifts for family members with whom you’ll be holidaying.

2. Make sure they leave a note at home ensuring Santa knows of their temporary location so he can be sure to find them on Christmas Eve. If Santa will be unable to climb down a chimney, let the chilfdren suggest an alternative method for their delivery. And of course, don’t forget to leave out a little tipple and a mince pie (or perhaps a local equivalent!) at your arrival point. He’s bound to be hungry after the extra trip from your house!

3. Discover whether the larger internet retailers deliver to your destination. You can even get gift wrapped deliveries. Make sure you plan for how you’ll transport them home! Perhaps try to keep a spare case or fold away bag empty and keep the family’s luggage down (at least you won’t usually need swimming gear at this time of year!) Try to plan gifts that are lightweight and small to pack.

4. If you can’t take all the presents, talk about how children in Europe get theirs on Epiphany instead. Maybe Santa will accommodate your travel plans and leave smaller than normal packages, or perhaps leave some but with a note that there are still some more surprises waiting at home under the tree.

5. Ensure you create the same ‘Christmassy’ atmosphere they’ve left behind when you arrive - most properties will provide a tree, decorations, etc for holiday guests.

6. Take some CDs of Christmas songs and stories along for the journey to keep the festive spirit alive en route.

7. Investigate the local Christmas markets or make plans to visit a theme park that opens during the holiday season. Train rides, tours of lights and visits to see Santa are some of the things you can expect to find no matter where you go on baby friendly holidays at Christmas.

8. Pack a small bag of supplies for your tots to decorate your holiday home. Or pop to the local supermarket on arrival to stock up on the makings of some batches of Christmas biscuits or cakes (though you may need to pack a jar of anything exotic from home!)

9. Before you leave, read about how kids celebrate Christmas in other countries.You can perhaps introduce some new traditions during your child friendly holidays, to take home with you for future Christmases.

10. Enjoy relaxing away from your home environment - no racing around visiting family and friends, no sale shopping, no ‘let’s use the time off to decorate the house’ - just chill out and spend time as a family!