To ask if you have ever gone abroad for Xmas and if so what was it like?

[Glassteacups]

Just had another mediocre grey rainy Xmas day spent cooking with difficult family members in attendance.

We have been taking for years about me DH and dcs going somewhere either snowy and Xmassy or hot and sunny on Xmas day. Covid permitting, I think 2022 might be the year we do it.

Has anyone done this and can you share your experiences?

My husband grew up in the Far East and they often went on holiday for Christmas.

The downsides for them were difficulty of transporting Santa presents (might not be an issue for older dc) and the turkey lunch was usually not the greatest, but other food was great.

He loved those Christmases though.

To Switzerland many times as a child - snowy and "Christmassy"
To Germany, Florida and the Southern US states as an adult (not the same trip!!)
We tried to replicate Christmas when we were kids which was easy because we stayed with family. As adults, we do what the hall we like. Two years ago today, I was on Miami Beach!

Thanks! Yes DC are a bit older so Santa not an issue. And we are veggie so not bothered about traditional dinner, happy to eat anything.

Miami Beach sounds awesome. I would Iove to have Xmas day on the beach at least once.

We did a few ski holidays over Christmas when the DCs were younger - absolutely magical. Both catered chalets and hotels made it really special with visits from Santa and special Christmas meals. The ski instructors dressed as Santas or elves although some families bunked off skiing lessons on Christmas Day - lovely atmosphere.

And skiing holidays were probably our best family holidays.

We went to Morocco in 2019. It was 20-23 degrees and lovely. I would do it again. Teens said it wasn’t “Christmas” though.

Am considering it for next year! Am currently drowning in gifts from Christmas-crazed in-laws that the kids don’t need or want and I have nowhere to put them! So stressful!

I did I it the first time about 15 years ago, Tenerife, hated it, lasagne for Christmas dinner. Swore I’d never do it again. It just wasn’t Christmas.

Done it 3 times since and love it now, kept wishing we were in Mexico all day on Saturday. We should have been in the canaries this year but we moved it. We’re doing Mexico next year even if I have to eat beans all year to get there

We usually do (this was our first Christmas in the U.K. for years - although we were actually living overseas in a hot country for the last 4 and out of choice didn’t come home - though in any event it wasn’t possible last year!). However prior to this we usually did either snow (Alps) or Sun (Goa). My favourite was sun.

Although we had a really lovely Christmas this year, next year I’m hoping we can all go to Spain!

Highly recommend going away - everyone has a good time as it’s very relaxing for all of us!

I've only done it twice. Cuba and Australia. Neither felt christmassy enough for me. I found there something vaguely depressing about plastic snowmen on yellowing parched lawns, though I know that's just because I grew up with certain idea of what Christmas is. If I did it again it would be a chalet/cottage somewhere snowy with a tree set up for us. But I do really enjoy this time of year!

We went to Florida, parents my brother and me, and it was lovely. Party hats on the plane and Disney was amazing. Husband and I went to Mexico for our first Christmas together, and it was a fantastic holiday, but not a Christmas that I would want to do again. It's just not festive if it's warm! I didn't like not seeing my parents, and if we did it again, we'd have the children and I'd probably suggest my parents come with us too.

I've done long haul NZ and SA, ski breaks, European city breaks and French gites and loved them all. Due to DH family commitments and also (now departed) DDog Christmas has has been at home for a few years. They have been nice enough but as we sit looking out at a gloomy day we've vowed we will be away next year.

I was in Thailand one year, I'd been out there for a few months and it was wonderful - but I wouldn't go somewhere hot that didn't really celebrate again. I love Christmas in the UK, January and February are just horrible though so I'd rather wait and go away then when it will also probably be a lot cheaper.

Barbados before having children. Amazing. Will do it again when they’re old enough.

Watching with interest. Have had a very stressful Christmas with extended family and am vowing not to do it again. DP and I have no interest in Christmas as such so I'm thinking we bugger off somewhere next year, just not sure where

Yes, currently doing this, (although not with children or family) try to do this most years, covid permitting. (After years of hosting multiple guests previously, I would add)
(Canary Islands)

Negatives:

• It’s quite isolating being in a hotel during covid times, wearing masks - it means we see no one is speaking to anyone else at all - socialising is very difficult. In normal times it’s easy to form lots of new friendships.

• I feel particularly sorry for older people I am seeing here alone in a hotel - no possibility of interacting at the moment, sitting alone for meals and during the daytime. They have probably come away alone as widows/widowers to escape family losses - but could struggle with the isolation of covid.

Positives:

• being able to spend all day, every day outdoors, in sunny weather
• being very active (for the time of year) - walking, exploring, swimming - - fitter than I would be if I was indoors and at home.
• slightly longer periods of daylight, so the days seem longer, fitting a bit more in.
• totally avoiding my own mental overload of Xmas at home - the UK high street, gift shopping, food shopping, menu planning, incessant tv coverage, news and the media, daily covid updates - basically in this case, choosing to miss out on all the Xmas hype.
• in terms of covid it feels very safe here - and being totally outdoors helps.

-it has been unusually hot and sunny every day - also with unusually calm flat sea conditions - not always the case.

I live in Spain. We had Christmas breakfast on the beach and then home for dinner

Boxing day. Meal on the beach
Wonderful

Amazing

Thailand retreat with three dc

Luxury and incredible weather

We’ve been to Aus a few times as it’s home, but that really is a long haul flight back to see family etc

Went to Portugal the week before Christmas pre covid. We visited a town that had lots of areas with Christmas decorations & we found a stall selling hot mulled wine. It was strange, because it was 20 degrees. Most of the bars & restaurants were closed.

We have also visited some European cities before Christmas for their markets; Amsterdam, Bruges, Based, Riga

Yes, we do and we always stay in a hotel, never, ever self catering. You might as well stay at home if you're SC.
We love it because it doesn't feel like Christmas to the point where, when laid out round the pool or on the beach I actually forget it's Christmas day.
The kids preferred it too. We didn't bother with presents until we got home. We would have a nice dinner out on Christmas Eve and that's about as Christmas we'd get.
They, until covid, carried on going abroad at Christmas with their kids.
These last two Christmas are the only ones we've spent at home and they will be the last.

Wry smile at all the sunny-Christmas lovers. The whole point of Christmas, whether you are looking at it from a pagan or Christian (who piggy-backed on the pagan festival) POV is that it is a celebration of the hope, and the passing of the darkest of days. For me I can’t think of anything worse than a beach-y Christmas!

I spent Christmas with family in Scandinavia once. We rented a remote cabin, and there were only 4 hours a day of daylight. It was fabulous. On the few occasions we ventured out we saw wild reindeer, and on Christmas Eve the kids saw a man in a long green coat with a big beard and we’re convinced it was Father Christmas! We did a bit of skiing, although the weather was fierce, and spent the rest of the time playing games, eating and just being together as a family. We are considering doing it again, if I can get the time off work.

I have had Christmas in USA (New York once, Las Vegas once), Bermuda, Thailand and Australia. One year we went to the Lake District, which is not somewhere we usually go to. We have decided we are going to go away next year to Florida.

None of the trips (other than the Lake District) have felt very Christmassy, the Australian ones were when we lived there and it never felt like proper Christmas to us Christmas in the sun and with light evenings is just not right. 😁.

For us going away for Christmas is more to have a year off Christmas, to avoid the preparations and build up that we would normally have. Other years, I very much enjoy the preparation and build up.

@backinthebox

Wry smile at all the sunny-Christmas lovers. The whole point of Christmas, whether you are looking at it from a pagan or Christian (who piggy-backed on the pagan festival) POV is that it is a celebration of the hope, and the passing of the darkest of days. For me I can’t think of anything worse than a beach-y Christmas!

I spent Christmas with family in Scandinavia once. We rented a remote cabin, and there were only 4 hours a day of daylight. It was fabulous. On the few occasions we ventured out we saw wild reindeer, and on Christmas Eve the kids saw a man in a long green coat with a big beard and we’re convinced it was Father Christmas! We did a bit of skiing, although the weather was fierce, and spent the rest of the time playing games, eating and just being together as a family. We are considering doing it again, if I can get the time off work.

Sounds lovely although growing up in Aus there’s a large chunk of world population who’ve had the longest days :)

We've done a few. Switzerland was lovely but not Christmas in the UK sense, more made of Advent and St Nicolas, not always snowy unless you go for a high resort and no conventional meal. Pretty, lights, markets, skiing/sledding. New England was snowy too but again different celebration in hotel.