Xmas abroad advice please

busiscoming2

We are going to be abroad for xmas for the first time this year. We are taking kids aged 21, 18 & 11 and in laws and my dad! (must be mad). we have told the adults not to bother buying presents except for the youngest one, but I am feeling a bit guilty about not having 'the tree' and 'stockings' like we would usually. If any of you have been away what have you done, do you take it all with you? or do you wait until you come back?

flutterbyuk25

I have never been abroad for Christmas but know people who have. They used to take one present for each of the kids with them to open on Christmas day, and they would also buy some small stocking fillers whilst abroad, like chocolate/small toy from local supermarket (they would go to Florida so was easy enough).

I guess it depends on where you are going as to whether this is possible.

Also your kids aren't that young, so should be aware that its impractical for you to take things with you.

Is the holiday their Christmas present? or just a holiday?

hope you have a lovely time

x

thegoon

depends where you are going. we went to tenerife last year and there were places you could buy a tree etc.

dora37

We had Christmas in Spain 2 years ago. I refused to take everything from here and do it english style or there was no point being in Spain!

We celebrated by having a lovely Spanish meal and even went to the beach in the afternoon.

We had a bright pink 1.5ft foldable tree(!) and a few stocking fillers to open on the day. Within couple of days of returning we had an English Christmas Day at home.

Paparika

It's gonna be different this year too, my parents moved to France this year and normally they would be in France for Christmas and i would be home with OH and a friend or 2 whilst DS would be with his father.

This year OH, DS and myself are driving down to France to be with my parents for Christmas, I've chosen one pressie for my son (need to get one for OH and as he reads my posts i won't say what i think i might get) and a few pressies for the parents, the rest will be hidden and locked away until we get back.

But no Christmas tree or decorations for me to deal with this year or cooking the Christmas dinner, we are all going out for Christmas meal.

busiscoming2

Thanks all, We are eating out on xmas day, so no probs there. We have decided to have abit of an MSE xmas - we have bought some cheap lights and are hoping to find a suitable branch (fallen) to prop in the corner and put said lights on, and then make some decorations out of paper and bits of stuff we can collect (hopefully). Should be a laugh!! Think we are just going to buy a little something for each person.

yoni_one

I spent Christmas day last year with my mum, son and partner in San Diego. We took a small number of presents to open on Christmas day and as breakfast was the first point of the day where we were all together we chose that as the place to open our gifts.

We then joined in local celebrations and went to Sea World and had Christmas dinner in the sunshine with Shamu the killer whale swimming about and splashing us in the pool by our tables.

It had a very different feel to it and I am so glad we did it and I would like to do something similar in the future too but this year I am more than happy to return to our traditional Christmas again.

I hope you have a fantastic time however you choose to spend the day itself.

cazziebo

I've done Christmas abroad a few times and just taken a few stocking fillers so the girls had something to open on Christmas morning. It's always been cold places (with family in Canada or ski holidays in Europe) so gloves, hat, snoods, disposable cameras, a book each - that sort of thing.

Have a lovely, lovely Christmas!

abbecer

We are in Tenerife for xmas this year. I will take my small dancing/singing christmas tree to decorate and thats it. My little sons knows that Santa knows we can't fit big presents in the case on the way home. So hopefully Santa will take them small gifts to Spain and deliver big prezzies to our house for when they get home!!

Rebecca x

whatatwit

We were away 2 years ago, we took cards from our parents and for each other.
I had got some concert tickets for our DD aged 13 then and put those into an envelope, they were her main present.
We didn't bother with anything else.

dixxi30

i`ve done christmas aboard we brought a small tree and decorations while we was there.we also did a christmas day at home a week before we left the u.k for the kids too open their presents.and then took a few things with us for them too open christmas morning.