*This post is sponsored by Family Travel Forum and Taking the Kids
The holiday season is almost upon us. How are you coping?
The shopping malls are becoming a frenzy of madness, you are baking up a storm, the wrapping paper is yet to seal the bounty of gifts you have purchased and then there are the children’s cries to see the stunning festive lights.
When I was a young girl – back in the 1970’s – one of my favourite family traditions was piling into the car, driving into the city and seeing the Christmas Lights.
My sisters and I would have our faces pressed to the window screaming and pointing while gasping in oohs and aahs at all those pretty twinkling lights.
So how are you going to find the best festive light displays this Holiday Season?
Now that I am a mother I love to take my son out during the week before Christmas to look at the lights. These days you don’t even have to go into the city centre to get great Christmas Lights – so many homes have out done themselves with magnificent displays.
But to be honest it is usually the city centre that’s puts on the most dazzling of all displays. My friends at Family Travel Forum have created a list of Holiday Light Celebrations Across America.
Really handy if you are heading to the States this holiday season like my friend Julie with her husband and daughter.
I have to say I’m a little bit envious of their whole trip because it culminates with a white Christmas in New York.
But meanwhile I’m sitting here in sunny Perth and many of you are scattered about Australia; so for those of us in the southern hemisphere check out your local capital or major towns holiday season displays (you’ll no doubt find it on your city/towns website).
Let us know where you found some great Christmas Lights
Once you’ve finished all the preparation for that one big day that ends with you sprawled on the couch from overeating and exhaustion, watching the snow flakes through the window slowly drift down – Ok that’s what we see in the movies – it will be time to start thinking about how to amuse the family for the remainder of the holiday season.
How to spend the remainder of the Holiday Season.
A holiday vacation my son would really love to try is visiting the snow. He wants to throw snowballs and make a snowman.
He’s also seen kids getting rides on snow tubes and toboggans – that looks like so much fun.
Because we live in such a warm climate I never seriously consider the snow as an option; I can’t ski. But reading the Best Ski and Snow Family Vacations on Family Travel Forums website I have learnt that whether I am a newbie or a seasoned skier there is an option for everyone and every age with ski schools to match.
From the article I learnt the ski resorts have introduced new activities to help those from aged 6+ become accustomed to the snow fields, slopes and bumps with their Terrain Based Learning that includes snow forts, mini pipes and sculptured trails – I reckon my son would be into that.
If you are heading to the states to visit family and friends or perhaps just taking a holiday why not think about adding in a snow ski option.
Look I know you are leaving the hot sunshine for the cold and personally my family loves choosing a resort that has a water park (ie. warm weather required) many ski resorts are now including indoor water parks with water slides, wave pools and aqua play.
Now that’s something to think about after the silly season has finished!
Have you visited a great ski resort?
Tell us about it.
- This post is sponsored by Family Travel Forum and Taking the Kids
We love the lights. It’s such a shame that we can only turn them on so late in Australia, our boys get really tired when we do little tours, but it’s worth it x
So true about the late nights for little ones Bele. We usually save the light tours for the week before Christmas when our son has finished school.
When he was little I just accepted that it would be a late night and take PJ’s and milk with us so he could nod off in the car on the way home.
Thankfully my whole neighbourhood does lights so we don’t have to drive anywhere to see them this year.
How lucky are you Malinda, when we have visited whole streets doing the Christmas lights it looks like the neighbourhood has a party every night 🙂
I live in Sydney and over the past few years more and more people have been decorating their houses with Christmas lights. I imagine most of the other capitals are the same. Instead of heading in to town I just google Christmas Lights in Sydney and drive around nearby suburbs chasing them down. Some of them are just fabulous.
Yes Lyn in Perth some people go all out with decorating for Christmas.