Our family’s best tips to celebrating Christmas while traveling! What to do and what not to do to have a festive season.

I used the think that the perfect family Christmas could only happen at my parents’ house with all of my siblings, my aunts and cousins. I really love traditions, and our family loves to make so many Christmas traditions that it takes days to fit it all in!

Our very first Christmas away from home was in Colmar, France, with my parents, siblings, and our kids. It was so wonderfully different and made us reexamine what was truly necessary to make Christmas wonderful.

Since that Christmas 18 years ago we have spent most of our Christmases away from home and have grown to love them as much as the Christmases we have at home. We sometimes have big groups and sometimes just our little family, and we find Christmas cheer both ways.

Here are the ways to make Christmas away from home feel just like Christmas anywhere.

The best way to celebrate Christmas while traveling is to keep two or three traditions that matter most, pack a few lightweight decorations, choose accommodations that fit your celebration, and plan meals and Christmas Day activities before leaving. Then add one tradition from the destination to make this Christmas feel special rather than like a smaller version of Christmas at home.

What to Plan Before Traveling for Christmas

Celebrating Christmas away from home is much easier when you make a few decisions before you leave. You don’t need to schedule every minute, but Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are not the best times to discover that every restaurant and grocery store nearby is closed.

Check holiday opening hours for restaurants, attractions, grocery stores, and public transportation. If you want a special Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas Day activity, make reservations as early as possible. We also buy groceries before Christmas Eve so we aren’t searching for an open store when everyone is hungry.

Ask your hotel or vacation rental what will already be available. Does the kitchen have the pans and appliances you need? Will there be a Christmas tree or any decorations? Are live trees allowed? Knowing this beforehand prevents you from packing things you won’t need—or arriving without something important.

Before the trip, our family also chooses the traditions that matter most. We can’t recreate everything we do at home, so we pick a few favorites and find simple ways to bring them with us. We may pack a special food, bring lightweight decorations, find a local church service, or plan a Christmas movie night.

If you have family members staying home, arrange a time for a Christmas video call before everyone gets busy. Remember to account for time differences if you are traveling internationally.

Finally, decide how gifts and Santa will work before you leave. Knowing whether presents will travel with you, arrive at your destination, or wait at home makes packing much easier—and prevents last-minute questions from curious children.

How to Travel With Christmas Gifts

When we fly somewhere for Christmas, we keep gifts as small and lightweight as possible. That doesn’t mean the presents have to be boring. Electronics, books, small toys, gift cards, and tickets for an experience can all feel exciting on Christmas morning without taking over an entire suitcase.

I avoid fully wrapping presents before a flight because airport security may need to inspect them. Instead, I pack gift bags, tissue paper, tape, or a few flat sheets of wrapping paper and wrap everything after we arrive. Clothing can also provide extra cushioning around anything fragile.

Large gifts can be shipped directly to your destination, although you should ask the hotel or vacation-rental host before sending packages. Another option is to leave a bulky present at home and bring a photograph or clue for the child to open on Christmas morning.

Experiences make especially good travel-friendly gifts. Tickets to a show, a special tour, ice skating, or an activity at your destination create another vacation memory without adding anything to your luggage.

You can also make shopping part of the celebration. We sometimes visit a Christmas market or local shop and let our children choose small presents for one another. In Colmar, our kids bought each other hats shaped like storks—the bird of Alsace. Those silly hats became one of the most memorable gifts from that Christmas.

 

Choose Accommodations That Work for Christmas

Where you stay can make a big difference when you are celebrating Christmas while traveling. I usually prefer a vacation rental when our family is staying somewhere for more than two nights, and I especially love having one over Christmas. A rental gives us room to relax, a kitchen for preparing familiar foods, and space to hang stockings or put up a small tree.

A hotel can also be a wonderful choice. Many hotels are beautifully decorated for Christmas and may offer holiday meals, visits from Santa, children’s activities, or other celebrations. You also get to enjoy Christmas without cooking, cleaning, or trying to figure out an unfamiliar kitchen.

Before booking, think about how your family wants to celebrate. If cooking a traditional Christmas dinner is important, check that the rental has the appliances, pans, dishes, and table space you will need. If you prefer a hotel, ask whether its restaurant will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and whether reservations are required.

It is also worth asking whether your accommodations provide a Christmas tree or decorations. Some vacation-rental hosts will decorate before you arrive. If they don’t, ask whether you may bring a small artificial tree or use temporary decorations that won’t damage the walls.

If a tree isn’t possible, get creative. We have decorated branches with lights, paper chains, and pinecones. It doesn’t have to look exactly like Christmas at home to feel festive.

 

 

How To Celebrate Christmas Away from Home

Bring decorations with you

This may sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Over the years we have put together a Christmas box that helps us decorate our Airbnb for Christmas. We use it when we travel somewhere within driving distance, and it has enough Christmas decor to decorate a small house.

For example: fabric swags, tiny wreaths, twinkle lights, and stockings.

If you are flying and can’t pack a box, add some colored paper, tape and scissors to your suitcase. You can cut out snowflakes and hang them from the ceiling, make paper chains or fold origami ornaments.

There was one Christmas that we spent in Europe without our Christmas stockings, so we bought men’s socks at a grocery store, cut out decorations from paper, and glued and taped them to the socks. We had so much fun doing it!

We have also used wrapping paper to cover doors in an Airbnb, and it brought color and fun into the house.

 Keep the most valued traditions.

I have always felt like the traditions we have are the stories our children will tell. They are important to a family. Don’t forget about them just because you are on vacation. Instead find ways to incorporate them into your celebration in a new place.

For example: If you love to decorate cookies, bring the decorating things you will need. If you volunteer over Christmas find a local opportunity. If you always go to midnight mass, you can find one to attend almost anywhere in the world.

Keep gifts small

By keeping gifts small I mean small in size! Especially when we are flying somewhere over Christmas we keep gifts as tiny as possible. Some of our favorites gifts we have given that were tiny and light are: AirPods, a Nintendo Switch, favorite movies, a makey makey, lol dolls, world’s smallest walkie talkies, portable charger that actually works, kindle books, and coloring books.

 Make a new tradition

There will be some new situations when you travel for Christmas, and you can fight it or embrace it! It may even become a new family tradition.

Our kids love to go ice skating on Christmas Day when we go to Quebec City for Christmas and feel like they should do it every year no matter what.

Have your favorite music on hand

It is easier than ever to have your favorite Christmas music at all times. Load your family’s favorite Christmas music on your iPod. All you need is a small speaker and you can have Christmas dance parties, Christmas lullabies and Christmas sing-a-longs.

Bring traditional food with you

Part our our Christmas Eve dinner is a chili dip that our family loves. It calls for canned chili, cream cheese and taco seasoning. (Sounds weird but you try it and you will love it!) It is near impossible to find canned chili in Quebec, France, Germany, you name it. We have scoured store after store with no luck. So now we make sure to pack a can of chili in our suitcases.

Cook ahead of time

If you have the luxury of driving you will be able to cook some of your favorite treats and dinners and bring them with you. We do this on every road trip we take. I don’t have to bring a million unusual spices  or baking trays, or worry about if the house has a well-stocked kitchen. It helps us to stay within our budget, and it frees me from cooking during our vacation!

We like to load up our plug-in cooler when we take road trips. It keeps all of our food cold without ice, and it plugs in to our car’s DC outlet as well as a regular 110v outlet.

Take an Instant Pot

This tip goes hand in hand with cooking ahead of time. We have more options in our Airbnb’s when we don’t have to worry about a fully stocked kitchen. We take our Instant Pot with us and use it to reheat our favorite Christmas soup, make our favorite hot chocolate and cook a last minute dinner.

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 Find Christmas events happening near you

Most of the Western world celebrates Christmas, and there are sure to be local Christmas events wherever you travel. My favorite way to find things to do for the holidays is to check the tourism board. They will have the most up to date and accurate information.

In addition, I will post a query on the travel boards at TripAdvisor, and often a local will point me in the right direction.

If I need more options I will find a fabulous travel blog and follow it to a tee!

 

Figure out where Santa is visiting.

If your family is visited by Santa at Christmas, you will have to decide what he will do when you are on vacation. There are lots of options. Santa is a very agreeable fellow, and he will be sure to do what is best for you.

We generally send a note to Santa telling him where we are for Christmas. That way he is prepared and will be able to find us even though we are away from home.

Some families choose to have Santa leave presents at their house, and the kids get to open them when they get back from vacation. Or, if a present is too bulky to get home, Santa will often leave a picture of the item for a fun Christmas morning surprise while delivering the item to home.

Other families get their vacation provided by Santa and just open stockings while they are traveling.

No matter how Santa visits, there are always surprises at the end and that makes kids happy no matter what!

Frequently Asked Questions About Celebrating Christmas While Traveling

How do you celebrate Christmas while traveling?

Choose two or three family traditions that matter most and find simple ways to bring them with you. Pack a few lightweight decorations, plan a favorite meal, bring Christmas music, and arrange gifts before leaving. Then add a local activity or tradition that makes the destination part of your celebration.

How can I make Christmas special away from home?

Don’t try to recreate every detail of Christmas at home. Keep the traditions your family loves most and create one new memory together. Visit a Christmas market, attend a local concert or church service, go ice skating, try a traditional holiday food, or exchange small gifts purchased at your destination.

How do you handle Santa when traveling for Christmas?

Tell Santa where you will be staying before the trip. Santa can deliver small presents or stockings to your accommodations while leaving larger gifts at home. Some families make the vacation the main present, while others bring a photograph or clue representing a large gift waiting for the child when the family returns.

Should you wrap Christmas presents before flying?

I prefer to pack presents unwrapped because airport security may need to inspect them. Bring flat wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper, and tape, then wrap the presents after arriving. You can also ship gifts directly to your destination, but always ask the hotel or vacation-rental host before sending packages.

What should you pack for a Christmas vacation?

Bring only the items that make Christmas feel meaningful to your family. That might include stockings, lightweight decorations, a downloaded Christmas playlist, gift bags, one favorite food, matching pajamas, a Christmas book, or supplies for a simple craft. Avoid filling an entire suitcase with decorations you may not use.

Is a hotel or vacation rental better for Christmas?

A vacation rental is usually better for families who want more space, a kitchen, and the freedom to decorate or prepare traditional meals. A hotel may be better if you want beautiful decorations, planned activities, holiday meals, and a Christmas without cooking or cleaning. The best choice depends on which traditions are most important to your family.

What is the best way to spend Christmas on vacation?

No matter how you choose to spend Christmas when you are on vacation, it will be successful. The fact that your family is together and making memories means it will be of great value. If you have any other tips that we forgot please comment below!

 

 

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Last update on 2026-10-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API