Are you planning to book a holiday at home or away this winter? Before you head out and book your holiday, why not check out this interactive map by Regatta, which will show you the best of what the UK has to offer in wintertime, compared to other countries! It might help you decide how you spend your holidays, help you to save money for the festive period and reduce your carbon footprint!
I have been asked to share my favourite winter memories by Regatta. Since both of my children are attending school, the only opportunity we have to go on holiday is when they have their short half term break. Then it becomes harder to justify as firstly, the amount of time spent travelling ends up taking up a large proportion of the available time and secondly, the cost of travelling is way too expensive for a family of four.
Needless to say, we hardly travel abroad during wintertime. My most memorable time was when my family came to visit us from Singapore in December 2009. My aunty, who is not able to travel far since she being unwell with illness, flew over along with my mum and sister to visit us.
It was also the first time being a family of four living in the West Midlands. Ms C was just six months old and Mr K had just turned two years old. It was a very hectic period in our lives with two children under 2 years old! Then imagine having six adults and two children under a house! It was a noisy and fun house!
We visited Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market since it was fairly near our doorstep. We also went there last week – you can read what we think about the Big Wheel and Ice Skating. This is one of the largest authentic German Christmas markets outside of Germany and Austria! There are over 80 stalls selling handcrafted wooden decorations, delicate glass baubles, hand-crafted leatherwork, toys, jewellery and a selection of tempting food and drink. There were pretzels, schnitzels, bratwursts, and roasted nuts which can be washed down with gluhwein, weissbier, or hot drinks.
We also visited Bath, where Mr C and I got married. We also revisited two years ago as we were celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary by retracing our brilliant day with our children. You can read about the things we did in Bath with children. Looking through my album, I realised that we didn’t take any photos during the trip to Bath with my family! The only photos we had was our family photo at a cafe, not even with the rest of my family! Oh dear! Next time, we have to remember to take more photos especially as digital photos don’t cost any money!
With family around, we also took our time to have a Chinese steamboat meal at home. It is a family tradition, but usually during the Chinese New Year period. However, since my family were only around for Christmas, it seemed as good a time as any! Steamboat meals for us Chinese is a time where family comes together akin with a family gathering for Christmas supper! We had a lot of fresh vegetables, raw meats and ingredients to cook in this tiny pot! Then everyone will just grab what they want! It is delicious comfort food and heartwarming.
So what are your winter memories? Will you be staying in the UK or going abroad this winter?
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.