For the last few years, while everyone starts gearing up for Christmas, I’ve had a secret wish to escape it all and fly off to Barbados. This year I let that secret out. My husband gave me that look. Who do you think we are, royalty? Do you think money grows on trees? Hastily I abandoned the idea and got stuck into Christmas in England. How do I think it would compare?
Scenery
Barbados certainly has stunning beaches, but does a Christmas morning spent on white sands have a more dramatic backdrop than Christmas morning spent walking in Windsor Great Park? That’s where we ended up. The deer were out, the sky was blue and even though I’ve seen the view of the castle from the top of the Long Walk many, many times, it never fails to lift my heart.
Weather
Now I’m a sun worshipper, so much of what I love about the idea of Christmas in Barbados is linked to the weather. But would a Christmas filled with warmth and sun feel as…well, Christmassy as the snow we experienced when we visited my husband’s family in Loughborough on Boxing Day?
The sea
Barbados has to win hands down in this category, or so you’d think. But we spent a few days on the South coast, walking round Thorney Island and ending with lunch in a traditional pub with a roaring fire. It’s hard to beat that feeling of coming in from the cold to the warmth of an English pub.
New Year’s Eve
I’m not sure what happens when the clock turns midnight in Barbados, but whatever it is I know it couldn’t beat standing on Westminster bridge and hearing Big Ben chime. Followed by watching the most stunning firework display I have ever seen. The power of them blew us away. It looks amazing on the television but in real life – wow. Just, wow.
So, do I still want to spend Christmas in Barbados. Umm…whisper this, so my husband doesn’t hear. Yes.