If you wish for it, this could be the Christmas that finds you dancing the night away in the grand ballroom of an elegant resort. The air outside will be cold and crisp when you stop to catch your breath, but you can sit by a warm fire, sip hot chocolate, nibble cookies and join in the singing of Christmas carols.
Or, if you prefer, a balmier Christmas can be yours. Open your presents under a beautifully decorated tree, then put on a bathing suit and lie by a pool or stroll along a Caribbean beach.
A yuletide vacation offers all of the festivities and none of the hassles of a holiday at home. It just might be the perfect gift for Santa to pull out of his bag this year.
Families -- be they large or small -- can gather together on neutral territory where the Christmas cheer is plentiful and nobody gets stuck with the cleaning, the cooking or the dishes.
With the right destination, a vacation spot can become a home away from home for the holidays. Make your plans early.
Holiday cruises
If sunny skies and tropical breezes are your idea of a Christmas wonderland, how about some cruising and island-hopping in the Caribbean this year?
"The holiday season is a joyous, fun time to be away," says Rich Steck, spokesman for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.
"Where else on Christmas Day can you lounge around the pool or sip a pina colada on a sun-swept, palm-fringed beach?" adds Larry Dessler, director of marketing for the Holland America Line. "Going on a cruise is the perfect venue for families to get together."
While the weather outside may be seem unseasonably warm, the inside of a cruise ship is true to the holiday season -- decorated from stem to stern with garlands, wreaths, seasonal floral arrangements and fabulous trees.
"There isn't a corner on board that you can turn to without seeing the spirit of the season," Mr. Dessler says.
Cruise ships, which are noted for their lavish meals, busy activity schedules and fabulous entertainment, are especially festive during the holidays. There are tree-decorating parties, holiday movies and dances, as well as seasonal music, children's activities, traditional holiday meals and religious observances.
The Holland America crew forms a choir, inviting passengers to join in a performance of international carols. Santa Claus arrives by lifeboat to give children their gifts.
