Is it coming too soon…?

Whilst some people adore the build-up and can’t get enough of the festive season, others are appalled by the sight of Christmas trees in November!

Once the Halloween pumpkins are off the shelves, the advent calendars take their place centre stage and a stroll through any local shopping centre heralds the coming of the holiday season… Trees seem to sprout up overnight adorned with twinkling lights, garlands of tinsel and baubles of all shapes & sizes. Supermarket shelves are lined with all the trimmings for a delicious Christmas feast and the elves seem to take over television programming with elaborate adverts for everyday items wrapped in ribbons and bows.

Like the John Grisham novel and movie adaptation, the notion of “Skipping Christmas” is quickly gaining popularity and it’s not difficult to see why…

With the average household Christmas-spend reaching £868 and rising each year, and with the added cost of travel to visit relatives (some of whom are quite happy to see each other only once a year), many people are choosing to opt out of the traditional cost of Christmas in favour of an all-inclusive stress-less holiday-cruise.

Whether your idea of a Christmas-cruise is a balcony cabin with views of Alaska or the Norwegian Fjords, or you have visions of sipping Christmas cocktails on a Caribbean beach, there are a wide variety of options available. Many of the cruise lines offer fabulous festive itineraries where everything is taken care of, enabling you to celebrate Christmas and create yuletide memories in exciting new destinations… and whilst some people prefer to spend Christmas at home, more and more travellers are taking advantage of the opportunity to treat themselves to the gift of a hassle-free Christmas.

So with memories of Christmas past and plans for future festive fun, what will you do for the present?