Why you should consider going away for Christmas

Christmas, I'm already starting to break out into a sweat thinking about it. Having grown up as part of a expat family in South Africa our Christmas's were usually very small, with only immediate family on the day and possibly heading to some friends for a party on boxing day but always fairly calm and spent outdoors as the festive period fell during our summer time. Even when we did fly over to the UK every 3yrs or so it was still a small gathering and as children it never made any difference to us where in the world we spent Christmas as long as it was with family. We of course had gifts but growing up we were never over indulged like children are now and I do think we are forgetting what the festive season is meant to be about.

My childhood experiences are completely different to the now which has become very manic especially having kids and trying to divide time between two sets of in-laws and to be completely honest I feel exhausted just by the thought as it always ends up in a manic mess and all I crave is calm and quality time with my kids, away from screens, just enjoying the festive period together. It's also refreshing to see other families feel the same and I was really inspired by Fritha from Tiger Lilly Quinn who spent Christmas in Amsterdam two years ago.

Here are a quick run down of a few reasons why you should consider going away from Christmas

1. Easily avoid excessive gift giving
2. No pressure to host (and skip any family drama)
3. Enjoy quality time with your family and the festivities can last as long as you want.
4. Experience a different culture and a different way of celebrating Christmas
5. European Christmas Markets are amazing

These are just a few reasons why we are considering going away this year, to keep things simple and really saviour the season together as a family unit while still enjoying the festivities. A few years ago in my mid-twenties I was working in the South of France and stayed there for Christmas and New years and hd such a fantastic time with my work colleges. We ate good food, danced a lot and had a really good time and with slightly milder weather than the UK, the South of France is a great place to get away from it all but still enjoy traditional Christmas markets, carols and everything in between.

Obviously spending Christmas away from home as a parent of two is different to being child-free on the French Riviera so our needs would change but my dream would be to hire a luxury French Chateau such as the beautiful ones on ChicVillas, which are complete swoon, even if it was part of a larger group because there really would be room for your favourite extended family members and just to be in a fairytale setting what would be more magical? If your a regular reader to my blog you will know we are fans of self-catering when it comes to family travel as it means you can go at your own pace and can cook up a real feast or just keep things simple, the choice is yours. You can also take it slow and enjoy the festivities for an extended amount of time and over a few days as you don't have that same rushed feeling as we as parents feel back home.

France is also a great option for a few other reasons and one being that Christmas is less commercial in France and more focuses on family and food which makes in an inclusive destination that has something for everyone, also it produces amazing wine so no complaints there either. Most villages also host a traditional Christmas market and they love decorating with big Christmas trees in the main square and lights illuminating the streets, which of course is very pretty and adds to the ambience. If you still need convincing here is a list of 25 French Christmas Traditions to get excited about.

Of course you dont have to hit the continent to get away and can also have a staycation. We personally love West Wales and usually always visit Tenby during the New Year. We also spent an Autumn in a very cute cottage a few years back that would make for the perfect Christmas bolt hole. 

How beautiful is this Luxury French Chateau