Everyone loves the year-end holidays but here are some ideas to make the coming Yuletide season just a little more special
Like how we save the best things for last, the anticipation of Christmas festivities make the yearly 365-cycle more worthwhile. If you're planning on enhancing this year's Yuletide experience, here are some ideas to kickstart your grand plans that are best experienced with loved ones and friends!
Christmas at Hogwarts
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is giving Harry Potter fans the ultimate Yuletide treat with an authentic Christmas dinner hosted at the Great Hall, which was seen in the Potter films. The Dinner in the Great Hall, which is scheduled to take place on 3rd December 2015, will allow diners to indulge in festive treats as well as Potter inspired dishes and beverages such as Butterbeer. Diners will also get a special character wand and entrance to the Studio Tour. The dinner, set to take place from 6pm to midnight, is open to fans 18 years and above and will cost £230 per head. wbstudiotour.co.uk
White Korean Christmas
Swap roasted turkey and cranberry for fried chicken and kimchi this year with a trip to South Korea. The holiday season is celebrated with great fanfare in the capital, Seoul and especially Busan where the annual Christmas Tree Festival is held yearly. The city sparkles with brightly lit trees; colourful art installations as well as light shows in the weeks leading up to December 25th and there are a number of street performances and carolling groups to usher in the festive cheer. Best of all, the year-end period is also fittingly chilly, allowing travellers the opportunity to truly experience a white Christmas.
Santa Claus In Denmark
Christmas comes early in the city of Aalborg, Denmark with the arrival of Santa from Greenland. On November 28, Father Christmas will make an appearance at the Port of Aalborg, where he will be welcomed by the Mayor and the townsfolk before embarking on a sleigh ride through the city to grace Aalborg’s traditional Christmas market. Incidentally, capital city Copenhagen also hosts the annual World Santa Claus Congress each July where over 100 ‘Santas’ from 15 countries converge to discuss issues pertaining to all things related to Christmas, and being Father Christmas of course.
Santa’s Lapland, Finland
What better way to get into the spirit of Noel then visiting the man in red in his natural environment. Accessible via selected airports in the UK, fans of Santa can journey to the inhabited Lapland and engage in a variety of outdoor activities snowmobiling, toboggan-racing as well as reindeer-lassoing and snow-hockey. The highlight of the trip though is a visit to the Elf School and Santa's Control Centre itself, where Santa fans can understand the intricate workings of the North Pole. There’s also a special Ice Gallery and snowball range to keep the fun factor of this unique Christmas treat on an all-time high.
Christmas in Vienna
If you’re looking for an old-fashioned traditional Christmas celebration, look no further than Vienna. The decked-out historical city comes alive in December with numerous Christmas markets selling plentiful festive treats, gifts and festive sweets, snacks and beverages. The Austrian capital also hosts frequent open-air concerts and performances, notably the famed Vienna Boys Choir that performs each Sunday at the renowned Hofburg Chapel.