Things to do during Christmas break
Christmas break is just around the corner. Two whole weeks of quality time with family and friends. We all love cocooning on the settee with a blanket, but it’s good to get some vitamin D in, too! Here are our seven fun ideas for Christmas holiday outings.
1. The great wide open
It can feel like it’s busy everywhere during Christmas break, as everyone has time off. Thankfully, nature offers plenty of space for a fun Christmas outing. Visit a beautiful forest or coastline and take in the beautiful surroundings while taking a walk or bike ride together. If it’s cold enough, you could even enjoy ice skating! All of these are not only fun, but healthy ways to spend time together, allowing you to enjoy the hot chocolate afterwards even more.
2. Visit a Christmas market
There’s really no better way to get into the festive spirit than to visit a Christmas market. The best part is they come in all shapes and sizes, so there’s a perfect one to visit for everyone. Most Christmas markets consist of stalls selling (handmade) Christmas products, along with food stalls, music stalls and places to enjoy traditional Christmas activities. Each market focusses on something different. In Antwerp, they have a 1200 m2 ice skating rink to enjoy whizzing around on. In Reims, France, you can sample all of the best champagne and in you’ll find world’s tallest Christmas tree in Gubbio, Italy every year; the mountain next to the town is decorated with lights to create a 650m tall Christmas tree.
3. Into the wild
The zoo may not be the first outing you’d think of when it comes to the Christmas break, but it’s actually an ideal opportunity for several reasons. Most zoos will have less visitors, offering you more space and time to spend seeing all of the animals with your family. It’s also interesting to see if and how the animal’s behaviour changes during the winter, with some even going into hibernation. Some zoos go all out with their winter decorations, making a visit even more special and the perfect way to get into the festive spirit, especially if they have fairy lights on when it gets darker. We would advise checking to see if the restaurants will be open, as they sometimes close for the winter. If so, just bring your own winter picnic with a thermos full of hot chocolate, coffee or tea. What better way to enjoy a picnic than with a view of all those cute animals?
4. Play games outside
You could spend every day playing board games next to the Christmas tree, but going outside for a game or two can bring some welcome variation. Allow everyone to burn off some energy while enjoying each other’s company. There are many variations of classic games to enjoy, such as giant chess or draughts. If you’re worried about feeling cold, go for a more active group game, such as all-time classics hide and seek or tag. You could even set up a scavenger hunt! Whichever game you go for, everyone will have fun and get rid of cabin fever.
5. Brighten up your day
The days may be shorter and darker, but this allows us to enjoy all the pretty lights all the more. Lots of places organise light festivals at this time of year, during which you can view works of art made using lights. There are different versions to visit depending on where you are, but the main focus is always on colourful lights. Amsterdam offers a boat ride throught the canals, with over 20 different light art installations along the way. In London, you can discover a magical, interactive 3D world of light. Well-known places and buildings in Helsinki are turned into urban art during the Lux festival.
6. Ice ice baby!
Ice sculptors can do some seriously cool things with ice. An ice sculpture festival offers you the chance to go and see their best creations and the good news is that there are plenty of these festivals throughout Europe at this time of year. Ice sculptures are made using tools to sculpt a solid block of ice, chipping away until the most magnificent creations appear. Europe’s largest ice sculpture festival is in Zwolle, The Netherlands, with over 275.000 kgs of ice sculptures standing up to 6 metres tall. Poznan, Poland turns their old market into an ice sculpture garden in December, along with hosting impressive competitions during which the sculptors have just one day to create the best ice sculpture.
7. Visit a Nativity scene
Perhaps you have a smaller version of a Nativity scene at home as part of your Christmas decorations, but it can be lovely to visit a live Nativity scene, a tradition found all over the world. Some will act out the story of Jesus’ birth with actors, sometimes including real animals. This is great fun for children and adults alike and a great way to introduce your littles ones to the story. One of the most famous Nativity scenes is at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, which started in 1982. In Soest, The Netherlands, you’ll find the traditional donkey and ox, but can also meet rabbits, chickens and chicks, which is great for little ones. Italians also love Nativity scenes, such as the one in Custonaci, Sicily, where they have a live Nativity scene inside a cave featuring no less than 160 actors. They tell the classic story and demonstrate old crafts and customs.
Looking for Christmas gift inspiration? Take a look at our best Christmas gifts:
