Christmas Alternatives: Ideas for a Unique Holiday Season

This Christmas, why don't you try something new: forget the holiday altogether and seek a Christmas alternative? Sure, keep on donating to charity and, and hang on to that Christmas-sy friendliness, but forget the crazy expenses and the suffocating stress so closely associated with the holidays. Instead, try one of these fun alternatives:

Take a Christmas Cruise: Instead of buying your family expensive presents, agree to spend your hard-earned money on a Christmas cruise instead. Departing from dozens of ports annually, Christmas cruises can take you and your family somewhere exotic and exciting. Just Google "Christmas cruises" and take your pick of destinations. Think Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean and more. Two years ago, I took a Holland America Christmas Cruise to Cabo San Lucas and Ooxaca, Mexico. Basically, it was one of my best Christmases ever.

Go to a Christmas-Free Country: Want to forget Christmas altogether? Many countries don't celebrate the holiday at all, so why not go to one such place? China, with its amazing atmosphere and its famous city Hong Kong, doesn't celebrate Christmas, and neither does Egypt, with its pyramids, camels, and foreign cultures.

Take a Vacation to New Zealand/Australia: When its winter in the USA and Europe, its summer in New Zealand and Australia. These countries are amazing and unique, and boast impressive cultures as well as magnificent wildlife- just imagine the numerous kangaroos and wallabies, the forests and the pristine ocean reefs. Trips can be pricey, but your experience will be well worth the expense. Go to the New Zealand and Australia official tourism sites for more ideas.

Volunteer: Can't make it out of town for Christmas? Instead of holing up at home this Christmas, take your friends and family downtown to volunteer at the local homeless shelter and give a real Christmas to men, women, and children too poor to have one. Or, if you're really into helping out, go one step further and...