Give your presence, not presents – Part 1.

Swapping presents for a surprise weekend away.  

Already overwhelmed with the Christmas wish lists piling up? Take inspiration from this tried and tested present swap this Christmas – children approved!  

Last week was my little boy’s sixth birthday. He woke up early and bounded down the stairs with the boisterous excitement only a small child can muster at 6am on their birthday morning!

He ran into the kitchen and paused. He’d normally be greeted with a large pile of presents awaiting him on the kitchen table, but today there was nothing but a pile of balloons. OK, balloons are pretty fun when you’re six years old…but where are the presents!?

We handed him a small parcel containing a warm hoodie and a new pair of swimming shorts and told him to quickly get dressed and pack an overnight bag.

The excitement of a surprise trip quickly outweighed his disappointment and 10 minutes later he was in the back of the car asking, ‘Are we there yet? Where are we going? What are we doing!?’

As we approached our destination I played a special song through the car to give him a clue. It was the Alton Towers theme tune music! We were going to Alton Towers and staying in the Splash Landings Hotel!

The next 48 hours was a whirlwind of roller coasters and rides, shows, slides, games, screams, splashing, rivers, waterfalls, pirate ships, thrills, spills, spins and belly laughs.  

At the end of the first day we all piled into our hotel room where a birthday cake, a balloon and a teddy bear were waiting. We ordered room service and fell asleep chatting about our favourite rides, excited to do it all again tomorrow.

Our second day was all about the waterpark and we enjoyed ride after ride after ride until all five of us were so tired we could barely stand up.

We left Alton Towers in tired contentment and as I buckled up Joseph’s seatbelt he whispered, ‘Thank you mummy, that was the best weekend of my life!’

I knew this weekend at Alton Towers wasn’t just about the rides. It was about spending a weekend together. It was the excitement of bunk beds and a shared hotel room, staying up late and the anticipation of a surprise holiday. Just being together and having fun, dancing, laughing, screaming and splashing together was the best present the whole family could wish for.

‘Where will we go for my birthday?’ my eldest son quickly asked.

‘Would you not rather have lots of presents for your birthday?’ I replied, knowing that my older son is a sucker for toys and has a LEGO wish-list as long as his leg.

‘No way! That weekend was the best. Let’s have a mini holiday for Christmas too!’

I knew that our weekend away together was far more special than any plastic toy. This was a trip that we would all remember for a lifetime.

And unlike a plastic toy (which would inevitably be broken in a few weeks time!) this was something we could all enjoy together.  

So it seems a new family tradition has been born. We’ll be replacing presents with our presence and a family fun weekend away together!

So would you rather have a few presents or give your uninterrupted presence to your loved ones? We’d love to hear about it, drop us a line at info@tripr.travel and we may feature your story too!  

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