Christmas skiing – festive family fun

Christmas skiing might be the perfect solution if you’re looking for a family holiday with a difference. Escape the madness of last-minute shopping and over-indulgence. Instead opt for bracing mountain air, glorious scenery, and an activity all the family can enjoy together.

Children eagerly anticipate a white Christmas – and there’ll be plenty of the white stuff if you holiday in the mountains. Just imagine fresh snow piled on the branches of tall fir trees, making it seem as if they couldn't hold another single snowflake. How pretty that will be, and how the children will revel in being surrounded by a winter wonderland.

Let’s look at some reasons why Christmas skiing works well for families – even with small children.

School holidays
Once our children reached school age, we chose to plan our ski holidays around term dates. With the festive season right in the middle of the school break, logically it’s a great opportunity for a family holiday.

Escape the commercialism of the festive season
When the 25th falls mid-week, holidaying over the festive season is a great way of avoiding over-commercialism and last-minute shopping trips. There’s nothing quite like having to pack everything into a suitcase to focus the mind on only buying things that you really need!

A holiday that all the family will enjoy together
If you’re looking for family togetherness, taking everyone on a ski holiday certainly has our vote. Everyone is doing something they enjoy and the scenery is quite spectacular.

So what are the main things to bear in mind when planning a Christmas skiing holiday with the family?

Plan well in advance
Whilst not quite as popular as the New Year, you’ll need to plan and book well in advance for Christmas skiing, particularly if you hope to stay in a popular resort. This is especially the case if you’re looking for childcare or catered accommodation, although we’ve been able to find a choice of self-catered accommodation as little as six weeks in advance.

Pack a few seasonal items
Just because you’re away from home, doesn’t mean that the children should miss out on the fun. Packing a few festive bits and pieces will be a sure winner with small children. Of course, if you’re driving to resort, you’ll have more space. One year we took a small artificial tree and our favourite foods on a self-catering Christmas skiing holiday.

Will it be very cold?
Obviously that’ll depend where you’re going. Certainly it’ll be colder than if you opted for an Easter holiday, but this shouldn’t be a problem. Just make sure that everyone has plenty on layers underneath their ski clothes and they’ll be fine.

What about the snow – will there be plenty?
No ski resort can promise 100% that there will be snow. That applies whether you go in December or March, in any week you chose to holiday during the season. If you’re worried, check back through the historic snow reports, and remember that most resorts have snow cannons to produce artificial snow.

Many resorts in Europe, especially those at higher altitude will more than likely have been fully open for a couple of weeks. Some will have opened at the end of November!

Finally - have fun
Relax (as far as is possible with children around), and enjoy a family holiday which they'll remember for a long time.

Where would you like to go now?

Return from Christmas skiing to the when to ski page.

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