We usually go away at Christmas, and book something quite far in advance. Last year it was India, however, this year we didn’t really get round to it – I think the delay in going on the Antigua holiday with my parents meant we didn’t really want to commit to something in case it got moved again. Once it was looking like Antigua was going ahead, we realised we hadn’t made any plans for Christmas, in England or anywhere else.
On the spur of the moment and driven by some very reasonable flight prices (a result of the fact most people don’t want to lose their Christmas Day) and use of Avios points, we booked British Airways Business Class flights to Hong Kong, flying out on Christmas Eve and flying right through Christmas Day, arriving in Hong Kong in the afternoon. We finished work on Friday and headed to Mum’s for Christmas nibbles and drinks and presents the next morning, then we got to Terminal 5 with LOADS of time to spare so we could take advantage of the lounge and get into the festive holiday spirit.
We camped out in the lounge, poured ourselves some drinks, helped ourselves to some nibbles, poured some more drinks and generally nobbed about having fun and feeling very happy. We even found time to fit in a trip to Wagamama to try out some soups for Soup is Food.
Then it was time for the flight. We had specifically booked the route with the A380 on – it’s a brand new plane with a really lovely Club Cabin and as soon as the plane took off we changed into pyjamas, and obligatory Christmas headband (me). We ate a full Christmas dinner, complete with champagne, wine and port. Not quite like being at home but a brilliant substitute. The crew were ace, and it really felt like a valuable part of the holiday, rather than the usual feeling of just wanting to get the journey over with. And I got at least 6 hours sleep – perfect.
I definitely wouldn’t hesitate about flying on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day again, I really enjoyed it (and it was much cheaper!)
