How will Santa find us – tips for travelling at Christmas with kids
If you're lucky (or unlucky) enough to be away from home this Christmas, there may be a rising level of anxiety amongst the younger ranks on the issue of presents. How will Santa know we've gone away, how will he find us and does the holiday place have a big enough chimney to fit both Santa and my Ben 10 bike/Bratz Beach Jacuzzi/iPhone etc. These may be just some of the questions being aimed like daggers, daily, at your already frazzled head. Wendy Shand, she of the very excellent Tots to travel website has offered this advice. Take it. Or tell them Santa has been made redundant so we've all got to pull together in these hard times. It's up to you, but we think you'll have a happier Christmas with just a few wee compromises.
1. Involve your kids in the travel experience. Get out a map and show them where the family is going. Talk about how many miles 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 letting Santa know of their temporary location so he can be sure to find them on Christmas Eve. If Santa will be unable to hop down a chimney, let the kids leave suggestions as to 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 destination. He's sure to be hungry after the extra trip from your house!
3. Find out whether the larger online retailers deliver to your destination. You can even get deliveries gift wrapped. Just remember to plan for how you’ll get them home! Perhaps try to keep a suitcase or fold away bag empty and keep everyone’s luggage to a minimum (at least you won’t usually need swimming gear at this time of year!) Try to plan gifts that are small and lightweight to pack.
4. If you can’t take all the gifts, 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. Make much of creating the same ‘Christmassy’ atmosphere they’ve left behind when you arrive – most properties will provide a tree, decorations, etc for Christmas guests.
6. Take some CDs of Christmas songs and stories along for the journey to keep the festive spirit alive en route.
7. Check out the local Christmas markets or plan to visit a theme park that opens during the holiday season (see our feature on Le Manoir Champagnois above!). 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 your Christmas holiday.
8. Pack a small bag of supplies for your tots to make decorations for your holiday home. Or pop to the local supermarket on arrival to stock up on the makings of some batches of Christmas biscuits or mince pies (though you may need to pack a jar of mincemeat from home!)
9. Before your trip, read about how children celebrate Christmas in other countries (Usborne’s ‘Christmas Around the World’ is an excellent title to start with @ £4.99). You can perhaps introduce some new traditions during the holiday, to take home with you for future Christmases in the UK.
10. Enjoy the relaxation that being away from your home environment brings – no racing around visiting friends and family, no sale shopping, no ‘let’s use the time off to decorate the spare room’ – just chill out and enjoy time as a family!
And all the best for a great Christmas to you and your family.
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