December is approaching at a faster rate of knots than ever before, and you know what that means – Christmas shopping. Now, when it comes to seeking out gifts for the ones I love, I’m in the majority: I want it over with as quickly as possible. However, I was chatting to a colleague about her shopping plans and she revealed to me that she was planning on taking a Christmas shop n’ spa break in London.

The idea is that you head off on your Christmas shopping and top off the day’s work by indulging in spa treatments and staying in a luxurious hotel. That way, the stresses of Christmas shopping disappear and the whole experience turns into a bit of a holiday. Now that’s the sort of Christmas build-up I can get behind.

Usually, I’m not the type of person that likes to go to the spa very often, but I’m sure that’d change if I started. Then again, my bank account probably wouldn’t approve too much of me getting used to being pampered – though a once in a while treat must be okay. So I’ve been thinking about recreating the London shop n’ spa here in York, or somewhere nearby and gorgeous like Durham, which is a stunning city with many excellent shopping and sightseeing opportunities!

It also made me think about spa breaks in general and how they’re some people’s idea of the perfect break away – the entries to our Build Your Dream Break competition proved this. I got to thinking that giving a trip to a spa as a gift might be a welcome present for your family or loved one this Christmas – combined with our Superbreak gift vouchers, you could even give your recipient the choice!

The beginning of 2010 is going to be an exciting one and I’m sure that most people are determined to make the welcome party a good one, too.

While Christmas is usually a family thing for me, New Year is one where I love to focus on my friends. There’s nothing like getting together with a big bunch of people and celebrating the New Year in style. This year, however, it looks like things might be a little different – some of my friends have said they’re interested in going away to celebrate this time around! And guess who they turned to for suggestions?

Naturally, it’d be a bit much to expect to travel too far to celebrate the changing of the year, so I thought I’d look into New Year celebrations in the UK first – but I’m sure there are some of you out there who either live outwith the Euro zone or would be more than happy to travel, so I may end up doing several posts on this (and Christmas too, if I can squeeze them in – I love the holiday season!).

So let’s get started – what’s on offer in the UK? Well, I thought I’d start by checking out the capital – London, of course. If you’re in the vicinity of the big city, there’s going to be a cracking fireworks display along the banks of the Thames, at Alexandra Palace Park and in various other London locations. It’s such a big city that I wonder what the chances are of standing somewhere open and seeing more than one fireworks display going off at once! Of course, hitting Trafalgar Square at that all important moment is surely an event to remember, as is attending the parade on New Year’s Day held at 12 sharp – if you can get up, that is.

Of course, if I’m going to talk about large scale New Year’s celebrations, I can’t get away without mentioning Edinburgh. The capital of Scotland is renowned for hosting the biggest New Year’s celebrations in the world. Its annual Hogmanay party, which lasts for the three days surrounding the big night itself, is filled with concerts, events, exhibitions and street performance as Scottish revellers get into the party mood in style.

Every town, city and village in the UK has its own celebrations, but I’d definitely recommend hitting the big cities like the two mentioned above, as well as Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow if you’re hoping for the biggest party of the year – the problem is deciding where.

I’ve always been a fan of trying out new experiences and, since it’s been getting colder and colder outside, my imagination’s been off on the ski slopes around the world, wondering what it’d be like to take lessons and get gliding down stunning vistas of beautiful snow.

The first – and last – time I ever tried anything that resembled skiing was at Hillend in Edinburgh a couple of years ago. My partner thought it’d be a nice, romantic idea to hit the dry slope in Scotland’s capital before heading out for drinks and to nurse our wounds. Well, in the end, I had so many wounds my partner didn’t get a chance to even think about anyone’s other than mine, and I vowed never to go skiing again.

But you know what it’s like – you see those pristine slopes of the Alps and imagine what it’d be like to go speeding down in the cold, crisp air, throwing up sheets of snow as you make a turn, almost feeling as though you’re flying – and you have to admit that it sounds pretty amazing.

Winter sports have always been something that are popular year round because, no matter what time of year it is, it’s always snowing somewhere. So I’ve been doing a little research on some of the hot ski locations, though I already know that if the opportunity arose, I don’t think I could accept – Edinburgh was traumatic enough for me! But while I’m dreaming, I can at least pretend I’m a good skier – one that gets to hit the slopes in America on an amazing winter break stateside, that is! It looks like there are plenty of places in the US that are great for skiers, like mountains in Montana (who’d have thought?) or stunning slopes in Colorado.

Of course, staying close to home is a more tempting option for many ski fans, especially during the tough economic climate. France looks to be one of the best places for supreme ski opportunities, spreading out towards Germany and Switzerland, meaning there’s a great deal of choice if you’re stuck for where to go. And if you fancy hitting the piste in summer, New Zealand’s always an option…

As for me, I think I’ll stick with the après fun – skiers are known for being great partiers once the day on the powder’s up, right? Well, that’s where you’ll probably catch me – sitting in front of the fire with a mug of hot chocolate, resting up for a big night out

One type of break that’s always appealed to me is heading off to Africa on Safari. It could be ever since my obsession with The Lion King began when I first saw it that I’ve always wanted to visit South Africa and see real Simbas and Pumbaas for myself but it must be truly amazing to head off on a safari and explore the great plains of an unknown country.

Just imagine trekking in the Savannah, experiencing firsthand the long grass, stubby trees and infrequent opportunities to grab a drink at a watering hole – of course, we’d be safely tucked away in our tour jeeps with our water bottles instead of joining the wildebeest for a refreshing drink, but you get the idea! Then there’s the chance to see an elephant lumbering out of a forest, a rhinoceros basking in the sun and a real hippopotamus escaping the heat by going for a dip in a mud pool. Beasts like these are simply unfathomable in a country like the UK, where the biggest animal you’d see in the wild is about the size of a badger – though, of course, deer and wild horses never fail to make me stop and catch my breath, but – and perhaps it’s because I live here – there’s not a great sense of majesty around such creatures.

Not like polar bears of the Arctic Circle – Canada, Norway and Denmark to name a few – which are breathtakingly impressive in their strength, poise and majesty. That reminds me that Mercedes, the Canadian polar bear that lived in Edinburgh Zoo for many years in a none-too-spacious enclosure has now been moved up near Inverness to enjoy a proper life in a huge nature reserve habitat. Hearing about that recently made my day – I hope she’s happy in her new home!

Going back to Africa, however, the idea of immersing yourself in a whole new country with a different climate, animal population and geography fascinates me – and that’s before you even get to the people and their culture. New scenery, new animals, new rules – though I’m not sure I could be trusted not trying to snaffle a meerkat of my own through customs on the way back!

Well folks, it’s finally over. Our Build Your Own Dream Break competition had the Superbreak office in a tizz for some weeks, and I have to say we’re glad to have a little bit of time to relax after the rush to collect all of the entries and decide on a winner.

And guess what? The effort was fantastic. We got hundreds of entries ranging from the sweet and romantic to the downright bizarre, with a surprising amount of you choosing to build your dream break right here at home. There were plenty of entries looking to enjoy a break in Edinburgh, London, Liverpool, the Lake District, Inverness and here in York

We also discovered dreams involving Spain, Italy, France, Norway and Germany, with many of you hoping to take advantage of the cold weather by heading off on New Year or Christmas breaks, filled with romance, snow and walks through idyllic city settings. Some of you, however, wanted nothing more than to jet off for a holiday in the sun in destinations like Hawaii, Sydney, the Caribbean, New Zealand and a host of South American destinations like Peru and Mexico. It was clear our entrants really got their imaginations going and ran wild with their dreams – especially one fellow who included the presence of Angelina Jolie in his!

Unfortunately, there’s only so much Superbreak can do – and that isn’t one of them. One thing we did do, however, was pick a winner. And it was tough. There were heaps of fantastic dreams and cutting them down to end up with only one was a truly nightmarish task. But we managed, and our congratulations go to Paul Marshall for his poignant entry, which we hope he can make true with the £1000 prize which can be used to tailor make a break on our website.

As for the rest of you who didn’t manage next time, keep your eyes peeled. We had so much fun with this competition that we’re already brainstorming the next – so good luck and keep dreaming!

Remember, remember – tonight is Guy Fawkes Night, the night we get together and celebrate the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot back in 1605. Well, sort of. Nowadays, it’s mostly about energetic firework displays, actually bonfires aren’t even that common any more… but it’s a tradition still worth enjoying.

I really love this time of year, despite the darkness. What with the fun of Halloween being followed so closely by Guy Fawkes Night, it’s a really good way to herald in the winter months and to console ourselves with the fact that, yes, it’s getting colder now – and quite a lot colder at that! And it’s nice when you see people keep traditions alive.

Some people are still going the whole way when it comes to bonfires too. I saw an article on the BBC that detailed how a Kent bonfire society is all set to burn an effigy of Katie Price. That’s right – Jordan, celebrity model, author, plastic surgery connoisseur and star of one of the most publicised divorces in years. They’ve put up a 30ft model of the star and are making preparations to set her alight tomorrow night. However, given the south east England society’s penchant for burning figures from the public eye – having chosen Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross last year, as well as Cherie Blair and Saddam Hussein in previous years – they’re adamant that it’s to be taken as nothing more as a joke.

I’m not sure if I’d see the funny side if I was Katie Price, but I bet lots of people will be heading down to enjoy setting alight to the guy, as well as taking in fireworks and a torchlight procession.

In Worcester, there’ll be a bonfire, barbecue and fireworks, as well as circus acts that’ll entertain crowds with impressive fire-eating displays – made all the more magical by the covering of the night sky. Leeds‘ Hyde Park will be packed with thousands of spectators braving the mud to eagerly await a stunning firework display and a big bonfire lighting up the night. Such events are taking place up and down England – and the rest of the UK, of course. I know I’ll be heading out to catch York’s best Catherine Wheels tonight, just need to remember two pairs of socks this time!

It’s just two days until the spookiest night of the year – and, even scarier, the closing of our Build Your Dream Break competition. While Halloween offers the chance for tricks as well as treats, our competition is decidedly just about the treats – and there’s still time to enter, so hurry and submit your entry to be in with a chance to win your dream break come true, courtesy of Superbreak!

Whenever Halloween comes around, I always get a little sad. Nostalgia strikes for when I was little, going from door to door with my friends, receiving loads of sweets and those always unwanted apples from neighbours. On one trick or treating trip we even found toothbrushes thrown into our pillow case buy some well-meaning adult, but now I can see why someone might think that was a good idea. At the time, we’d never felt more ripped off!

But childish longings aside,York is always a great place to be at Halloween. The city centre is already perfect for setting the mood, what with the shadow of York Minster with its gothic architecture looming over the streets, which wind and weave throughout one another to create a real maze for visitors who don’t know their way around.

I always imagine that some cities must be better suited to things like Halloween than others. York is one that definitely makes sense because its layout and architecture lends the city so well to suggestions of the macabre – perhaps that’s why we have so many ghost tours! Durham, similarly, has the same style of winding streets and closes – much like Edinburgh, which possesses a whole street (the Royal Mile, of course!) that spawns narrow alleyways and creepy passages, perfect for exploring on All Hallows Eve.

Edinburgh is also home to the Samhain ritual, which will be taking place on the Royal Mile and sounds amazing. Hundreds of performing artists come together to stage the battle between summer and winter in celebration of the harvest, which sounds like an exciting way to spend the last night of the month.

i still haven’t decided what I’ll do on the big night itself though, what are you doing this Halloween?

It looks like tomorrow night Brighton is going to be living up to its ‘bright’ name as the White Night event takes place. An all night cultural festival, the White Night is now in its second year and invites visitors to “do something different in the middle of the night”.

This time around, the Halloween season is receiving plenty of attention as organisers have said they’ll be injecting a dose of mystery and magic into the festival, which will include a variety of venues hosting an impressive amount of events, of which most are free.

I really love the idea of this festival, especially because it gets people to forget about how much they miss the summertime light in the mornings and evenings and instead embrace it. After all, it means the festival will last longer – which can only be a good thing. There’s just so much going on, from exotic art exhibitions to amazing live bands exhibiting some of Brighton’s best local talent. Then there’s the chance to experience Gregorian chants being sung at St Bartholomew’s Church, or get your fortune told at 3am, which I bet would make the experience all the more spooky.

Bike to the Future also sounds fun, where visitors can climb into the saddle and get taken on a virtual time-travelling journey through Brighton and into the future. There are also night bus tours, casinos, a penny arcade and a neon coin slot game where members of the public can put a penny into the slot at the top and watch their coins cascade down to the bottom.

All of this and much more is happening in the southeast of England this very weekend- I wish I’d heard about it sooner, I might have tried to go. Maybe next year! Perhaps one of our entrants to our current Build Your Dream Break Competition might think to add it into their request – the competition’s ending soon, so don’t forget to enter if you haven’t already!

Many of you will be aware that Superbreak is currently running a build your dream break competition, where you have to tell us what your idea of the perfect break would be. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, we want you to do it in twenty words or less – and that’s where the fun begins. Trying to pack your idea of the perfect holiday into just twenty words has clearly been proving to be something of a difficult task, but keep them coming and you never know your luck!

We’ve had heaps of entries so far, from the nice-but-normal romantic city break style choices to some really wacky and adventurous ones. It’s been a pleasure reading them so far, and the competition has had all of the Superbreak office buzzing over the last few weeks – I think there’s more than a few of us who have been eyeing up our last days of annual leave after being inspired by your suggestions.

So go ahead and tell us what your dream break would be. Don’t worry, you can be as imaginative as you like – after all, we’re looking for an eye-catching winner whose dreams we can turn into reality. That’s not to say we don’t adore the slightly more usual ones too, meaning that you’ve got a great chance no matter what your ideal break would be.

And time is running out – the competition closes on Halloween, October 31, which is just a little over a week away – now there’s a scary thought! Keep the entries coming and you can also add me to Twitter to stay up to date on how the competition is going. Good luck!

After doing some research into how Halloween is celebrated on the continent, I found out some pretty interesting facts on what France, Portugal and Spain do in honour of the holiday. One thing tied the holidays together in particular, and that was a day just after Halloween is called All Saints’ Day in all three. This day, which takes place generally on November 1, is dedicated to honouring the dead and was created by Pope Boniface IV in order to quieten down the Pagan celebrations of Samhain, a fire festival that marks the autumn harvest.

However, it seems like the popularisation of Halloween by big celebrator America has managed to influence other countries into considering the spookier side of the festival – with many thanks going out to the American horror industry that exploded in the 80s, with films like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and, of course, Halloween gaining mass global popularity. So, while keeping to their traditional All Saints’ Day celebrations, more and more countries across Europe are beginning to embrace Halloween and its ghoulish festivities too.

Here in the UK, Halloween is a pretty big tradition. Kids get dressed up and go trick or treating – called ‘guising’ in some parts of the north, as well as in Scotland and Ireland (the name comes from children dressing up in ‘disguise’) – and many adults will head out to fancy dress parties and celebrate in other ways.

But that’s enough about us – what about the Italians? In Italy, Halloween is becoming more and more popular amongst children and teenagers, who are beginning to see just how much fun dressing up and trick or treating can be. Italians are notorious for their party hard attitude – so if Halloween gives them another excuse to have a ‘Festa’, then they’ve been reaching for it with both hands over the last few years.

In Germany, you’ll commonly see carved pumpkins adorning the windows of shops and residences as Germans get to know the year’s scariest holiday. It’s not yet tradition for kids to go trick or treating, but it seems as though the party atmosphere in Germany is immense and many Germans take the holiday as an opportunity to get dressed up in their best witch, vampire or werewolf costume and head out to any number of themed parties.

Halloween doesn’t seem to be all that popular all over the continent, sadly – but it is getting there. For example, Copenhagen in Denmark is known for throwing massive events, with Halloween in Tivoli amusement park being one of the greatest, In mid-October, Tivoli Park is transformed into an immersive Halloween world, with pumpkins, witches, scarecrows and vampires roaming around set to terrify and entertain visitors. The festival lasts until the end of the month and all rides are open late into the night. It sounds to me like this could be the winner – a two week Halloween festival! That definitely sounds like one that only hardcore Halloween fans would enjoy!