We think a holiday at Christmas is one of the only true ways to find yourself some peace on earth, and there's so much people are missing out on when they choose to holiday only in summer. Hopping on a plane or a train and getting away from the stresses of the season at home is the perfect way to ensure a memorable festive period, packed with cherished memories you'll be sure to savour for a lifetime.
If you've never experienced the magic of a Christmas escape, read on for our top five reasons to treat yourself to some away time over Christmas.
It's surprisingly cost effective
The cost of escaping the usual sherry-filled festivities can often be close to, or the same, as hosting a more traditional at-home celebration. When you're forking out for oodles of food, making sure there's alcoholic choices that will please everyone and panic buying presents just in case you receive an expected box of chocolates from anybody, the price of a holiday can seem surprisingly reasonable in comparison.
Choose the weather to suit you
With Christmas landing in the middle of winter, often the most depressing part of the year for many Brits, it's not surprising that we love to indulge in a little festive cheer to lift the mood. The great part about holidaying at Christmas is, if you're fleeing the country for a few days, you can pick what weather you'd like to experience! Want to guarantee a white Christmas, and make sure you're going to wake up to Christmas card-esque scenes? No problem! Or if you've decided you want to pretend its summer again and fly off to warmer climes, that's an option too.
See the sights without the crowds
For many, one of the highlights of the big day itself is the annual Christmas walk - heading out into deserted streets that possess a completely different atmosphere than they do the rest of the year, and this is no different in many other countries. While holidays over the Christmas period are growing in popularity, they're still one of the quietest periods to go away during, which means you could have some tourist attractions almost to yourself.
No stressing over Christmas dinner
Spending Christmas away from home eliminates all the worries that come with preparing a Christmas dinner! You can spend the afternoon of Christmas Day sipping a drink, or doing something more energetic if you so choose, whilst letting someone else fret about whether there's enough potatoes. And, after enjoying your delicious meal, you don't even have to volunteer to help with the washing up! It's also a great chance to experience different foods and traditions - you may even be so inspired that you could end up incorporating something new into your own yearly rituals.
The excitement doesn't end after the big day
Christmas is renowned for its comedown. After an indulgent day of tasty food, glasses of bubbly and quality family time, it's all too easy to feel upset when it's all over again for another year. Waking up in your hotel on the 27th December brings none of that, however - you've still got holidaying to be getting on with! Even when the time comes to return home again, you're sure to be looking forward to catching up with loved ones, perhaps even having a belated celebration all together.
Christmas has become a time of year associated with habit for most of us - we know what next year will bring even before the tinsel's been taken off the tree. And while there's definitely comfort and enjoyment to be had in familiarity, maybe this year it's time to consider something a bit different and inject an extra dose of magic into your Christmas morning.
