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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Ideas for making Christmas special away from home

4 replies

Wanderlusting99 · 11/11/2018 21:13

We're travelling for a family reunion, flights were a lot cheaper just before Christmas than just after, so we'll be away just as a family as 4 for Christmas Day. It's always been very traditional Christmas at home, extended family round, big meal, stockings etc. This is somewhere with a much warmer climate than the UK, and I don't quite know what to do to make it seem like Christmas in 25C+ heat, no Christmas dinner, no tree or decorations, very few presents due to air travel, but our children are both Christmas obsessed (4 and 7) and I would like to make it different but special. Any ideas of what we can do?

OP posts:
Alanamackree · 11/11/2018 23:18

Could you decorate your room when you get there? White paper snowflakes, brown paper chains of gingerbread men, and multi coloured loops of paper chains. If you all draw and cut out green hand prints you can blur across them into a tree shape. It’s all a bit silly but at 4 and 7, it would be a lovely evenings activity.

Download some Christmas songs and a couple of Christmas movies to watch at bedtime.

Santa could leave some small gifts and a picture of bigger gifts in your living room at home

KC225 · 12/11/2018 07:16

Download 'Now that's what I Call Christmas'. We play it in the car too. Watch Elf. You can pack some cheap Santa hats.

BiddyPop · 12/11/2018 09:53

How much luggage space will you have for Christmas, rather than necessities? And would you be happy to leave things behind for anything you get there (shopping, presents etc)?

Somewhere like Poundland or Lidl might have "snowscene" stuff - white fabric cut into icicles to hang across windows, snowflake or snowmen stickers for windows/walls, etc. The fabric would be slightly bigger, but stickers will take up hardly any space in the case. Or maybe some window clings - also quite flat against the suitcase wall under the clothes.

Are there Christmas traditions where you are visiting that you can take advantage of? So celebrating the same event but differently?

Or are there likely to be decorations there that you can buy (or even hire) and just use out there?

How remote will you be? How far ahead of Christmas do you arrive? And will you be self-catering, or in a hotel?

If SC, could you do a semblance of a Christmas dinner even if not a full turkey? Maybe cook turkey steaks on the BBQ, or prawn cocktail as a starter before a lighter main than usual? Is there anything you can bring with you (smoked salmon does travel well if vacuum packed, and slides down pretty flat in a suitcase - if you are allowed bring it into the country you are visiting, for example).

Instead of Christmas jumpers, could you get Christmas tshirts instead for the DCs this year? M&S had one of Cactus's covered in Christmas lights a couple of weeks ago. And yes, Santa hats are small for packing but could make a big bang for festive impact.

And for Santa himself, perhaps anything he leaves on the day may be useful for the trip - beach toys (if near a beach), sun cream, activity books/sheets and colours, a kite....to either use up before you leave, leave behind because they are more suited to that location (get cheap versions) or pack up tiny like maybe a kite to come home. A pack of cards could be great if you can get one with a local backing. Or a board game/jigsaw to enjoy, but leave behind at the reunion for wider family to enjoy afterwards.

YYY to having a couple of seasonal movies and some music downloaded to enjoy on the trip. Maybe try to get one of those movies being one in a hotter climate - and seeing how it's different there.

Ooplesandbanoonoos · 12/11/2018 14:44

You could take a tiny desk size tree and you get inflatable trees that would be no weight or space really! You could take some battery powered tiny lights xx

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