Santa played a secret visit to the winners of the Blue Chip Vacations Secret Santa competition this Christmas, leaving some amazing gifts for the lucky family to enjoy. A member of the bookings team picked a Christmas booking reference from a hat and to decide who got the surprise visit from St. Nic.

The Kirby family from Aldershot were this year’s victorious holidaymakers, whose fantastic prizes included an iPod shuffle, iTunes vouchers, a hot diamond earring and necklace set and a set of Laura Ashley wines glasses. There was even a hamper for the family dog!

Blue Chip Vacations Green Guru Jon Pressling reports here on the little changes we can make to have a fun, environmentally friendly Christmas.

Whilst enjoying the festive period here is an alarming fact that you may find harder to chew than your aunties home made Christmas pudding; every Christmas we create an extra five million tonnes of waste. This includes 8,000 tonnes of wrapping paper, 4,200 tonnes of aluminium foil and a staggering 1125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging.
With this is mind and increasing awareness of environmental issues generated by the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, our Blue Chip Vacations team have put their tinsel covered thinking caps on to provide a selection of tips aimed at reducing your carbon footprint but not your celebrations.

Blue Chip Vacations Jon Pressling reports here on the teams' recent fact finding mission to the charming North Cornwall town of Newquay.

From the tranquil waters of the English Channel to the raw power of the Atlantic Coast, on a bright December morning a team of hardy explorers set out on a fact finding mission to Newquay.

It seems Judy Speirs has been very busy of late, first playing auctioneer in the Children in Need Auction that Blue Chip Vacations kindly provided a prize for, then introducing a famous Canadian singer in a world record attempt just up the road in Exeter! On December 5th 2009, history was made, as the world record for the number of people wishing each other a Merry Christmas could have been broken at St. James Park, Exeter. The previous record was set in Hong Kong in 2007 and stood at 4898, while there were 5500 present to watch Exeter City vs. Brighton.

One of our most beautifully situated properties; Rocklands are an exquisite set of cliff-side apartments, overlooking Tolcarne Beach in cosmopolitan surfers haven Newquay. With fourteen beautiful properties on offer in this exclusive development, it really does make for a truly magical break. With a communal rooftop sundeck and hot tub, these sumptuous apartments boast contemporary design and luxurious finishes, to create a unique and extravagant feel. The perfect place to celebrate Christmas or New Year, have a recharging January break or watch the sun rise on a spring morning, Blue Chip Vacations are proud to offer a staggering 20% discount on all breaks between now and late March 2010, so there really couldn't be a better reason to book your short break in Newquay. Come before Christmas to enjoy the inaugural 12 Days of Christmas Festival, or a New Year break will present you with the chance to visit the enchanting Fancy Dress parade. So if you fancy a break of 3 nights or more at these Rock bottom prices, check out Blue Chip Vacations' beautiful range of Rocklands properties.

The hustle and bustle of festive shopping can be a little expensive at times, but thanks to Torbay Council, that needn't be the case during your shopping trip in the South West! The ‘Park for a Pound' initiative will once again be running throughout December, even encompasses the January sales. This promotion means that you can park in one of the many Torbay Council-owned pay and display car parks throughout the bay from 6pm Friday evening to 10am the following Monday! It's also valid in all the pay and display car parks, so users can move their car around the Bay as much as they like! The beautiful towns that make up Torbay, Brixham, Paignton and Torquay, are charming coastal resorts with beautiful views and diverse, interesting places to shop. There really couldn't be a more picturesque setting to complete your Christmas shopping than in the stunning South West. Blue Chip Vacations have a number of amazing properties in Brixham, Paignton and Torquay, so book yourself a Christmas shopping break and take advantage of this fantastic deal!

Lying at the heart of the picturesque village of Tuckenhay, South Devon, The Old Bakehouse, valued at over £3 million, provides the perfect self-catering venue for a large seasonal family gathering. Sat on the River Dart, at high tide you can feed the local swans from the ground floor windows or sit on the landing stage and relax in the natural beauty of the creek. At low tide you can listen to the babbling sounds of the river as it washes over the rocks, or even go for a paddle. And, if the Dart's water proves to be a touch on the chilly side, which it undoubtedly will at this time of year, you can choose to dip your feet into the luxurious outdoor hot tub instead.

Newquay is set to play host to its inaugural ‘12 Days' winter festival from 13 December when a series of events take place to toast the start of the Christmas season. Atmospheric medieval carol services, family fun days, a series of live music evenings, a Jazz and Ale Festival, and a fabulous Food and Arts Fair make up this fantastic festive celebration. We've a great range of cosy self-catering properties available in Newquay from as little as £66 per person.

Commencing with a Carol Service at Newquay Zoo and family fun day on 13 December, the festival jumps into a series of live music events from 15 December. The centrepiece of the ‘12 Days' celebrations, the three day Jazz and Ale Festival, starts on Friday 18 December. Dozens of local ales will be available to be sampled ranging from the Queen of Cornish Ale, Betty Stoggs, through to the unusually named and rather provocative Ginger Tosser.

The quaint west Devon market town of Tavistock will open its doors to some of the finest local produce with a Christmas Food and Drink Fayre this December. Beginning with a Dickensian evening on December 4th, this 3 day event will be held in the towns' charming Bedford Square. The Dickensian evening will inaugurate proceedings, with specially decorated shop windows, staff dressed in majestic Dickensian attire and street entertainment all adding to the olde-worlde charm. Hot chestnut stands will be on hand to provide warming tasty treats. If that's got you in the mood for some scrumptious festive fodder then the two day food fayre should fit the bill perfectly! Around twenty stalls have been promised, offering the finest in local truffles, beer, cheese, Christmas puddings, fudge and chocolates that this resplendent region has to offer.

The charming South-Devon sailing town of Dartmouth is set to come alight on 11th December when hundreds of hand-made candle lanterns parade through the town's streets in a beguiling procession to mark the start of the Christmas season. Blue Chip Vacations has a number of attractive self-catering properties available in the town over the two days of the festival.