I spent Christmas Day with my family in an empty caravan park – it was the best idea ever

WAKING up in crisp white bedlinen to the smell of Christmas dinner cooking and the sight of winter sunlight glinting through the trees, it feels a bit like I've fallen into the festive film The Holiday.

Instead we're staying in a luxury lodge at a near deserted holiday park on the Norfolk coast at Broadland Sands near Great Yarmouth for a festive family get-together.

6

6

6

6

We all know that Christmas can be a bit hectic, especially if you've got your extended family coming to stay for a while.

The extra cleaning, bed-making and cooking are enough to inspire a few choice words that could put you firmly on Santa's naughty list.

So that's why we decided to splash out £275 on a lodge near my in-laws, so we could all spend time together but without the time-consuming prep work that sucks all the fun from the festivities.

Instead, my family of five, including sons aged 11, nine and four, walked into a pristine, cosy space with plenty of open-plan living that made it easy for a dozen people to be in one room together without getting under each other's feet.

The fact that it wasn't someone's home made it simple for everyone to chip in with the cooking and clearing up, without needing to ask where plates were kept or if there was enough space in the cupboards for supplies.

And with the cost of living crisis in full swing, there was no concern about having the heating on or using the oven for every meal, as all the utilities were included in the hire price.

We took our huge slow cooker with us in case the oven wasn't quite big enough to fit a turkey that could feed all of us.

Plus you never really know what the situation will be with baking trays and roasting tins when you're heading to a holiday rental.

6

Putting the turkey on to cook overnight meant we awoke to a lodge filled with the unmistakable smell of the dinner to come, and there was plenty of room in the oven for those all-important side dishes.

We were hoping for a stress-free set-up and the most prep work we had to do to get the lodge ready was to bring the patio furniture inside and give it a clean so we had two tables to push together and enough chairs to fit everyone for a sit-down meal.

We found ample matching crockery and cutlery in the cupboards, so that was another thing ticked off the list.

Of course, even the best laid plans will have some hitches and we certainly had our fair share.

Our journey to Norfolk included hitting debris on the dual carriageway, our car filling with smoke, being towed to a nearby farmyard by a passing tractor and then waiting for hours for recovery as the sun went down and the temperature dropped below freezing.

The lovely farm folk kept us topped up with hot drinks and we finally made it to our weekend away, tired, hungry and very grateful to see our inviting home-away-from-home. 

Once we arrived, two of the children fell ill with temperatures while another relative tested positive for COVID.

But at least at the lodge, we could have our own space and she could recover in her home without having to play host while feeling rough.

It might seem a bit strange to choose a holiday park that is closed for the winter season, but the solitude was just what the doctor ordered.

We've stayed at the same site when it's been full of guests before and it was nice to see a different side to the park and have a change of pace.

Overlooking an atmospheric old church and being surrounded by frosty woodland added to the festive feel.

Booking a luxury lodge gave us the ultimate no-stress Noel - the perfect way to have less prep and be more present at Christmas.

6