While many Canadians love being home for the holidays, there are those who find palm trees more appealing than Christmas trees on Dec. 25.
As pressures mount to complete holiday shopping, wrap the perfect gifts, and prepare a turkey dinner for 12, some people choose to eschew the whole tradition and seek refuge from the stress under sunny skies.
Sean Shannon, managing director of the online travel provider Expedia.ca, said the Christmas season is one of the busiest times of the year, and Dec. 23 is traditionally the most hectic travel day across the country.
"In some cases, people may be travelling back home to spend time with family. But for other folks, they see it as a good break in the action and a chance to get away and recharge," Shannon said in an interview.
Yixin Hsieh will be among this year's horde of Christmas-time travellers when she boards a flight to Florida on Dec. 20.
For the past 19 years, she and her family have gathered on Marco Island to spend the holiday season in a tropical climate.
In spite of the fact that Hsieh's mother puts on a turkey dinner each year, Hsieh said Christmas never feels like a busy time down south.
"It never feels hectic in Florida. It's such a slow-paced place," she said. "People are really laid-back. It's just like going to the cottage."
The idea of a more conventional Christmas complete with bustling malls and brisk winter weather holds little appeal for Hsieh, who said she sees Christmas as a chance to relax and get caught up with family scattered around the globe.
Atsuko Hashimoto, associate professor in Brock University's department of Tourism and Environment in St. Catharines, Ont., said the allure of escaping from traditional Christmas pressures is often what tempts people to spend money on pricey vacations.
She said in some cases, trips have become substitutes for Christmas presents, thereby eliminating one of the most stressful elements of the holiday season.
She praised the tourism industry for recognizing this trend and for responding with packages designed with holiday-weary travellers in mind.
"They (tourism companies) are offering all-inclusive or semi-board packages so that people don't have to worry," she said. "They don't have to cook, they don't have to prepare for parties. These seem to be the products they're trying to sell."
Hashimoto also attributes the rising travel trend to a shift in how Christmas is perceived in Canadian society.
"Christianity is no longer the dominant religion and has lost a lot of its significance," she said. "The religious tone has been diluted, and that's the reason why many people see it as a non-religious celebration where they can take time off."
For Hsieh's family, the annual Christmas vacation has as much to do with practicality as with the need to get away.
With schools closed for the holidays and many offices enforcing a break, Hsieh said many family members find themselves with the free time to come down to take part in the festivities.
"My mom's sisters wound up getting time shares in the same condo complex as us, so it's become a bit of a reunion," she said.
Hsieh's family is in the minority of Christmas travellers, according to Lori Ramlochan, branch manager of Marlon Travel.
In her experience booking clients, she has found that the December trips tend to be one-offs that are rarely repeated.
"If a family's done it one year, we don't usually see them booking it again the next year," she said. "It could be the cost, or maybe they just miss the traditional Christmas."
One consistent trend is the popularity of tropical destinations.
Ramlochan said most of her clients shy away from ski trips or jaunts to Europe, preferring instead to visit warmer and less expensive countries such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.
"I guess the climate helps (you) feel like you're doing something different," she said.
Topic: Re: Christmas in the Sun (Read 1884 times)