Being an 'all year round' holiday favourite, Lanzarote is a very popular choice of destination during the Christmas season. Christmas is often a time when friends and family get together at home but more and more recently people are deciding to swap the cold, dark winter days with the warmer climate of Lanzarote and the Canary Islands.

Christmas is now one of the busiest times of the year in Lanzarote and visitors numbers are comparable with the summer season. The nice thing about Christmas in Lanzarote is that there is no 2 month commercial build up where you are forced to listen to Christmas carols and fight your way through Christmas decorations in shops from the beginning of November. Christmas in Lanzarote, whilst still celebrated, is a much more understated affair.

As is always the case in Lanzarote, you will be able to find a nice meal on Christmas day although you might have to hunt around if you fancy the traditional turkey. The Spanish tend to have their Christmas feast on Christmas Eve, where Lamb and Lobster are usually ever present on the menu! In typical Spanish fashion the Christmas feast usually consists of several courses and many different side dishes! As the Christmas Eve meal is such a big event you will find that many of the local restaurants and bars close early on Christmas so that the staff can spend the evening with their families and also attending the Christmas Eve Mass celebrations.

The food aside, probably one of the biggest reasons that people choose to spend their Christmas in Lanzarote is the weather. However strange it may seem to wake up on Christmas morning to blue sky, sunshine and warmth there is nothing better than a stroll beside the sea on Christmas morning (apart from maybe spending some time on the beach in the afternoon!)

Whilst I have said that the Spanish do celebrate Christmas the actual exchange of Christmas gifts takes place after New Year, on January 6th. This is known as the day of the Kings and is a day of festivals, street parades and entertainment.

So in all, Christmas in Lanzarote is a very relaxing time, celebrated in an understated fashion (compared to the UK) in the warm climate of the Canary Islands. If you've decided that you have had enough of the frantic festive Season in the U.K then maybe its time you thought about spending Christmas on the Island?