Christmas Vacations for most means holidays spent at home, decorating trees and having a good time. However, you can make it even more exciting by planning a vacation this Christmas as a gift to yourself or your family. For many, it has become a family tradition to do Christmas travel and enjoy the outdoors and see the decoration of various places around the globe.
Christmas is the best time to get away from routine life, to go someplace exciting and exotic, or to take a vacation to a favorite resort. Christmas is the most widely celebrated festival in the world, so chances are, wherever you go you would find the festival celebrations in local flavor. Planning a vacation ahead, even a year in advance is not a bad idea if talking about travel during this holiday season. There are plenty of exciting opportunities for you to explore each Xmas in a new destination.
There are so many travel agents, hotels, and airliners that offer wonderful Christmas vacation deals to make your very holidays economical and enjoyable. If you plan in advance for a trip during this season then chances are that you would get the best and the cheapest deals. This will give you an opportunity to save money that you can spend in the best possible way to enjoy. There are many hotels and resorts that have special exotic arrangements to give you the experience of a lifetime.
Christmas Celebrations in USA
One of the most famous Christmas vacation destinations in the United States of America. Cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, such as Vegas, offer excellent discount shopping opportunities for customers. Las Vegas, the gambler’s paradise offers wonderful discounts and promises a rocking Christmas night.
There are many hotels in Las Vegas that offer discount packages for travelers during this season. On the other side, cities like Miami or the Bahamas have their own magical charm to celebrate Christmas and New Year. Other famous places for celebration are Disney Land and California.
Christmas Traditions in USA
The large variation in the Christmas traditions of the USA is due to the diverse active cultures that have settled in this land. In U.S. Christmas is celebrated in every possible way. The contrast between the Christmas traditions of the USA and the world becomes even more visible with each region of the US with its variety of Celebrations.
American media is at the forefront of presenting the contemporary form of Santa Claus to the world. The Dutch artist Sinterklaas was the first person to present the red-suited, white-bearded laughing Santa on a reindeer driven by a flying sleigh. Red Indians hold a ritual dance during the winter solstice which adds to the festive celebrations. People from various nationalities who can and settle here in the USA have their own flavors and traditions that they brought from their origins.
Apart from the general celebration which includes caroling, feasting, decorating, and gifting, each family in the USA has their own flavor of Christmas celebrations.
Christmas in the Caribbean
The delight of Christmas in the Caribbean with sandcastles on the white beach and snorkel diving with the fishes and aqua life can be the most relaxing way of celebrating this event. For those looking for warm Christmas Celebrations, the Caribbean islands are the best. Here the temperature is usually around 75 degrees all year long, which makes the climate pleasant thought the year. The scenic beauty of the place is eye-capturing enough to totally refresh your mind from the hassles of life you have been through all year around.
As in many parts of the world, family, merriment, and gift-giving are among the many activities that the people of the Caribbean enjoy during Christmas. Families often live in fairly close proximity to each other, however. But what makes getting together at Christmas so special is that it often involves intense and laborious preparations that are not done at any other time of the year.
The traditional food here for dinner consists mainly of roast beef ham, baked poultry, steamed and boiled root vegetables, seasoned rice, peas, and mauby or rum punch in the beverages. A special kind of Black cake or fruitcake is also very famous on Christmas and is part of the tradition for a long. The cake is made of raisins and other dried fruit that are soaked in dark rum or sweet wine and minced for several days before Xmas eve.
The Grand market in Jamaica and the Jonkonoo parade are the two main attractions for these Islands. In Jonkonoo a group of masked revelers take part in a parade dancing and shaking tambourines to the beats of drums. The group also consists of stilt walkers who appear in tall trees and make the event even more decorative. Masquerade bands, perform and play music, and make a common sight on the streets of villages and towns during this time, sang music makes up a crucial part of Christmas in Trinidad Island. It includes traditionally, four to six singers with their instruments, that go house to house playing and singing traditional music that is passed down to them from their Hispanic American ancestors.
Caribbean Christmas Cruises are also very popular attractions of these Islands. A Xmas day on a Cruise with wine and music playing in the background and lights falling on the ocean can make your occasion extra special especially if you are with your spouse.
The Balmer Lawn is also a popular place to spend your Christmas in a great way. They have an excellent planned way to celebrate from 24th till 27th December.
Christmas Vacation in Italy
In Italy, the Christmas vacation goes traditionally for three weeks. It is the best place to be if you want to see Christmas in its true traditions. Here Xmas starts on Novena (a day 8 days before Xmas ) and ends with the Feast of Epiphany ( January 6). During these holidays groups of young musicians and children go house to house playing their musical instruments and singing Carols and reciting poems.
The most important part of Celebrations in Italy is the Epiphany, celebrated on 6th January, when children hang stockings out and most people exchange presents. According to tradition an old woman on a broom, instead of Santa Claus in a sleigh, brings gifts on Epiphany in remembrance of the Magi’s visit to the baby Jesus, and she is called La Befana.
There are certain treats seasonal that come out around the Christmas season like the Panettone a sweet cake-like bread filled with candied fruit from Milan which is very popular throughout the country. Panettone comes in elaborate packaging in bakery windows around this season which adds flavor to the festivities.
A strict fast is kept one day before Christmas that ends after 24 hours with an elaborate Christmas feast. The Christmas Eve dinner is based mainly on fish and excludes meat items although there is no restriction on eating meat on Xmas Day. The feast is either a Cannelloni, Lasagna, or a timbale of pasta which forms the first course. The second course includes mixed roast or roast beef. It is served along with various kinds of cheeses, fruits, and sweets, all soaked in quality white or red wine. Whiskey and other hard liquors are also taken during the feast.
Christmas trees and decorations are very popular in Italy. Lights and decorations start around December 8 and the main focus of decorations is the presepe, creche, or Nativity scene. Most churches have a presepe and are often found outdoors in a piazza or public area.
Torino is the best place for lights where in a stretch of 20 kilometers, the streets and squares are lit by some of the best illumination artists from late November till early January.
You can visit San Marino and Vatican City which are independent countries within Italian territory. In Città di Castello, Umbria, this eve is celebrated on the Tiber River during the evening, when a group of canoeists, dressed as Father, holding canoes illuminated by lights, make their way along the Tiber River towards the bridge at Porta San Florido where they suspend a crib is over the water. They give small presents to the children gathered there when they get out of their canoes.
Christmas Vacation Ideas
Christmas is a time for celebrations, and the best way to celebrate is to travel with family, friends, and beloved ones. This is the reason why people choose to travel to the best Christmas vacation destinations around the world each year when the Xmas season comes around. The holiday season of Xmas lets you take a break from the routine of everyday life. A festival is a time to make your beloved ones feel special and have a great time together. It serves as a perfect occasion to get your relationships even stronger with your near and dear ones and let them have their share of your time. This Christmas, choose one of the best Christmas vacation spots and let yourself enjoy the festival.
Most of the offices wrap up their yearly work well before mid-December in order to allow people for the holidays, and the Christmas destinations to gear up for the festive season around this time. It’s like the whole world getting ready to have a party time.
There is a long list of destinations that you can travel to during these holidays season you can choose the best depending on your taste. Here are a few Christmas Vacation ideas:-
Christmas beach vacation
A beach resort can be an excellent way of celebrating a Christmas vacation. If you love crowds then this could be a very good entertainment spot for you or your family. A celebration near the seashore with an array of attractive lights and music will certainly make the moment. Hawaii is the most popular beach for tourists moreover your nearby beach is no less on this festive atmosphere. Waikiki Beach on Oahu Island, Palm Beach in Florida, and Maui off the West Coast are some other great beach locations to celebrate Xmas.
Christmas Vacation Cruises
A tour of Caribbean Cruises can be the best way of celebrating Christmas vacations with your near and dear ones. Sailing through the aqua blue water with live music and dance can make your Christmas an enjoyable event. Christmas Cruises can make your holiday an event to remember forever.
Christmas Spa
A spa resort is the most relaxing and rejuvenating way to enjoy the Christmas holidays. This season, pamper you and your beloved with soothing spa treatments and massages. There are discount packages for those who travel with their large family, so you can also take advantage of this by going along with your family and getting a relaxing experience.
Wildlife tour
 A Christmas vacation that is close to nature is nothing but a wildlife tour. Celebrating Christmas at a wildlife park, surrounded by the scenic beauty of nature and wildlife will be an entirely different experience!
