Besides from running around picking everyone’s presents up, you are left cooking a huge meal to feed everyone. Christmas is meant to be about fun and relaxation, there is no need to get stressed out.

A great solution to free yourself from the stresses and strains will come in the form of visiting a catered hotel or restaurant. There are a huge amount of places that are open on Christmas day where you can go to enjoy your meal. A lot of people think that this will take the magic out of Christmas, but I can assure you that it will not.

What is better than waking up in the morning and opening your presents, getting some breakfast together and then relaxing on the sofa until dinner time. You will then quickly pop out and grab some gorgeous Christmas dinner which is ready and piping hot, before making your way back home for a round of drinks and TV programmes.

Or you could choose to get away from it all with a fabulous break in a close by hotel. Hotels have a tendency to put on very good events around Christmas time, ranging from entertainment that is not only for kids, but will also cater for the adults. You could also get a visit from Santa himself! Once the morning entertainment has passed take a trip to the canteen, which will probably be decorated to a very high standard and enjoy a full Christmas dinner, just remember to leave enough space for desert!

Do these two options not sound very proposing? If so you should always try to book early, as spaces get snapped up in an instant. Plus most probably the earlier you book the cheaper you will get in. Do not get yourself stressed out this Christmas. There are so many options to choose from. Enjoy yourself to the best you can as Christmas only comes around once a year. Make it a time to remember, not only for your self but the entire family.

Great Family Holidays, UK Family Holidays and Hotels in Devon

Although the spirit of Christmas is strikingly similar wherever it is celebrated, the traditions that surround it vary wildly. It is easy to assume that wherever Christmas is celebrated, holly, mistletoe and stockings follow. Nothing could be further from the truth. In celebration of this, happiest of holidays, I have gathered three of the most unusual festive traditions the world has to offer. Enjoy.

La Befana – Italy
La Befana is an Italian folkloric character similar to the UK’s ‘Santa Claus’ with one major difference, she’s female. Her exact origins are uncertain, some believe that her name derives from the festival of Epiphany which became ‘Befana’ in Rome. Others see her as an evolution of ‘Strenia’ – a pagan deity who presided over new years gifts.

Traditionally, Befana visits all of Italy’s children on the eve of January 6th and she fills their socks with sweets and presents if they have been good, coal if they’ve been bad. In modern Italy coal has been replaced with black sugar candy.

La Befana is usually portrayed as an old woman wearing a black shawl, covered in soot (she enters homes through the chimney) and carrying or riding a broomstick. She also carries a hamper or sack full of presents and sweets and is usually depicted smiling.

Christian legend says that La Befana was approached by the ‘three wise men’ just a few days before Christ’s birth. They asked her for directions to his now famous manger but she did not know, instead she provided the wise men with shelter for the night.

Impressed with La Befana’s hospitality the wise men invited her on their journey to find the infant Christ but she declined, saying she had too much housework to do. After a while La Befana grew curious and had a change of heart. The old woman set out to find the wise men and Christ.

She never found them and to this day she wanders, searching for Christ, she leaves her gifts and sweeps floors wherever she goes.

Mari Lwyd – Wales
The Mari Lwyd is a Welsh new years celebration which has been speculated to derive from an ancient ritual for the Celtic god, Rhiannon.

The Mari Lwyd ceremony consists of a horse’s skull affixed to the end of a wooden pole; sheets are attached to the base of the skull thus concealing the pole and the person carrying the Mari Lwyd.

The eyes of the skull are filled with brightly-coloured objects, often bottle caps and coloured ribbons are fixed to the skull. The jaw of the skull is often sprung or hinged so the Mari Lwyd’s operator can snap it’s jaws at passers by.

If you are ‘given the bite’ (snapped at) by the Mari Lwyd you are expected to pay a cash fine.

In recent years the Mari Lwyd has come to represent the resurgence of interest in Welsh folk culture. Councils are now helping to organise bigger and better Mari Lwyds and the ceremony surround the ancient tradition is once again gaining popularity.

Krampuslauf – Austria, Bavaria and Switzerland
Krampuslauf is the night scary, devil-lke creatures called ‘Krampus’ carry cow bells, clanking chains and rods through the streets of alpine regions scaring children and adults.

Traditionally, young men dress as the Krampus and are accompanied by ‘Nikolaus’, (the local equivalent of Santa). The Krampuslauf typically occurs in the first two weeks of December, December 5 being the favoured date.

In rural areas the Krampuslauf traditions sometimes include giving those unfortunate enough to be caught by the Krampus a light birching. The Krampus monsters are often linked to legends of succubus and incubus, the nocturnal, sexually predatory demons.

The modern costume typically used on Krampuslauf consists of red wooden masks, black sheep’s skin and horns. The masks are typically hand-carved and many people enjoy Krampuslauf competitions, competing for titles such as ‘best costume’ and ‘most scary’.

The word Krampus has its origins in the old German word ‘Krampen’ which means, ‘Claw’. Many believe Krampuslauf to be a pre-christian festival, drawing on pagan influences which have survived due to the isolated nature of the Alpine region.

Samantha is an expert Research and Theatre consultant. She is currently excited about the upcoming West End revival of Oliver!

I for one do love the Christmas holiday season, not for religious reasons or the presents I love it because of the time spent with family. My favorite part about the holidays is the food and drink, a nice bottle or two of wine and a massive Turkey dinner is what puts a smile on my face.

For most of us it’s about the kids and the part that always amazes me is how spoiled some children are. We have a 1 year old and many family members are asking me what should we buy her. My response is usually clothes and the response is usually that they want to buy her toys. First off our daughter has so many toys that have been generously passed down to her from friends and family that she doesn’t need any. The second part is like most children her favorite toys are the remotes that run our tv, pots and pans, her parents cell phones and of course any box that a gift comes in.

In the area of saving money for this holiday season and for more to come don’t waste money buying toys for any child under two. Get them some clothes, they grow so darn fast and the great part is the clothes for the most part are very cheap.

I can remember as a child our parents for many years were quite unhappy and in their moment of guilt insisted on buying us a huge amount of presents each year. I can honestly say that even at the tender age of 7 thinking to myself “wow there are a lot of presents, this is going to take while to get through!”

I think many of us have lost the real meaning of the holiday season and that’s being thankful for all we have, being with family and enjoying a good meal. The other aspect is that it’s a holiday, what bothers me are the droves of people that wake up early on boxing day to save a couple of bucks on a new TV. What we do on boxing day is spend time together, go for a walk and if we’re really lucky we take the time to skiing and snowboarding.

So this year while the stock markets have played havoc with our retirement funds, how about spending less money on gifts not because of the stock market but because we already spend way to much at Christmas time.

Focus on family, focus on the food and drink and not on the gifts as the real gift is our family!

This article was written by Shawn Wilson, a member of the customer support team at Datepad, where internet dating is always free. Datepad has a massive directory of informative dating articles along with a great list of dating site reviews on their dating blog.

1. Look for a free turkey.
Many grocery stores offer a free turkey with a certain amount of groceries purchased. You can also find rebates on turkeys from specific brands. Local agencies and the United Way also have free turkey programs available. Ask around and you’ll be surprised with what kind of deals you can find.

2. Suggest a potluck dinner.
If you provide the turkey for the meal and everyone brings a side dish, it definitely lowers your costs. The practice is becoming more and more common, especially with families. Assign each person a portion of the meal. Not only will you save money, but everyone at the party will feel involved in the meal.

3. Have your guests RSVP.
Although leftovers are a hallmark of every Thanksgiving dinner, you don’t want to spend too much at the grocery store buying for guests who won’t be there. Confirm your guests a few weeks ahead of time so you know exactly how much food you need to prepare.

4. Shop smart.
Start shopping for canned foods, such as yams and vegetables, early. You can make a lot of different side dishes from inexpensive canned foods. They often go on sale in the weeks prior to Thanksgiving. Stock up so you can make Thanksgiving dinner as well as a few other inexpensive meals in the holiday season.
You can also shop smart by clipping coupons for your holiday shopping. A lot of stores offer double or triple coupons on specific days. Call the grocery stores in your area to see where you can get the best deal. With coupons, you can significantly cut the costs of your holiday meal. Printable grocery coupons are becoming more prevalent online as well, and that can save you time with locating and clipping coupons because you only print the coupons you plan to use.

5. Keep your meal simple.
If you’re trying to host a frugal holiday dinner, this isn’t the year to try truffle whipped potatoes or gold leaf chocolate cake. Even if you’re not planning anything so extravagant, make sure to use familiar ingredients and cook from scratch as much as you can. A store bought pumpkin pie can cost three times as much as one made at home. Cook what you can and use the expensive substitutes only if you are crunched for time.

6. Decorate on the cheap.
If you need some decorations to make your table more festive, don’t step foot inside a department store! Head to your local Dollar Tree or other similar discount store and you’ll be impressed with what you’ll find. You can pick up inexpensive toys to entertain the kids, holiday dish towels and even serving plates. Take a look at the selection of nuts and party mix there as well to round out your holiday meal.

Jamie Jefferson writes for Momscape.com and Susies-Coupons.com, where you’ll find free printable grocery coupons, as well as wine coupons.