For many the Christmas period presents the perfect opportunity to take a short break and get away for a little rest and relaxation. For some a cosy chalet in snow covered mountains is the ideal break while others yearn for some warm sunshine. Being only a short flight from the UK, Lanzarote offers the combination of convenience and value for British tourists seeking some warmer weather.

The holiday resort of Puerto Del Carmen receives around the same, if not higher numbers of visitors over Christmas as it would during the peak weeks of the summer. Festive celebrations on the island are not exactly like the typical British Christmas due to the Spanish influence. The Spanish celebrate Christmas slightly differently with two main days reserved for their traditional events. The first is Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, when families will get together to admire the many artistic nativity displays that people have lovingly crafted during the weeks before. Many will attend an evening mass then return home for a elaborate family meal.

Christmas day itself is usually a quiet affair and there may even be some shops and restaurants open for business. The next traditional celebration is Epiphany, or El Dia De Los Reyes, on January 6th, when children receive their gifts. In a similar tradition to the way children in the UK leave out a stocking to hold presents from Father Christmas, children on Lanzarote will leave out a straw filled shoes to feed the tired camels of the three wise men. Come morning and the straw will have been replaced by the children's presents, representing the gifts left by the Three Wise Men for Baby Jesus.

A tradition which seems to be growing in popularity in the UK is the New Year firework display, but this is already a well established part of events in The Canaries. There are also many German visitors to the Canaries and their Sylvester or New Year firework displays are also well known. The residents call fireworks "fuegos articificales" or artificial fire and there will be displays all over the island on New Year's Eve.

Flythomascook.com offer flights to Lanzarote from 13 UK airports during December.