Turkey

From slaving away in a steamy kitchen, to entertaining endless family members – it’s fair to say Christmas can be pretty relentless for many parents. 

These women, however, say they’ve found the perfect solution: swapping home for a Butlin’s mini-break over the festive period. And it costs A LOT less than you might imagine.

‘Going to Butlin’s guarantees Christmas will be extra special for the kids’

TEACHER Kim Heath’s lucky kids have holidayed around the globe, but their favourite place to go is down-to-earth Butlins.

Kim, 36, has enjoyed Christmas Day with a difference at the traditional UK holiday camp for the past few years – and her youngsters wouldn’t have it any other way. 

She celebrates the occasion with husband Graham, 38, kids Olivia-Belle, nine, and Grayson, four, and members of their extended families. 

Kim told The Sun: “Olivia-Belle has been to places like Dubai, Sydney and the Caribbean and we’ve even been to Lapland.

“But she loves Butlin’s because the family are together and everyone’s going to be having fun.”

Butlins was once a top holiday destination for UK families but it’s fair to say its reputation has ebbed and flowed in more recent years. 

Kim added: “A lot of our friends say they can’t believe we go to Butlin’s but if you’ve got kids and want to make sure they have an extra special Christmas, it’s magical.

“You can do as much or as little as you like, you can even go swimming on Christmas Day.

“It’s just a really nice place to be.”

The family from Caerphilly, South Wales, are able to save money on the annual festive break thanks to Kim’s father-in-law, who owns an eight-berth caravan at Butlin’s Minehead, Somerset. 

She said: “Nowadays, just going to the local farm to meet Santa with the kids can cost £70 whereas at Butlins it’s all included in the site fee, and we’re lucky enough to have the caravan to sleep in.

“My house isn’t big enough for everybody, you’d have to try and squeeze everybody in but this way no-one has to be on their own on Christmas night.

“My mum’s friend stayed with us last year and we’ve met up with other family and friends who are staying separately too.”

Last year, Kim and relatives enjoyed a Christmas Eve visit to Santa’s Grotto at the resort and there’s usually a pantomime on offer on the big day itself. 

She said: “On Christmas Day, we open presents and then we dive into the activities.

“Everybody’s in a really good mood and everything is open on Christmas Day so you’ll never hear your children say they’re bored.” 

When it comes to the big Christmas Dinner, that comes in buffet form.

“Nobody’s really expected to cook,” explained the Butlin’s fan, who lives two and a half hours away from her favourite coastal resort. 

“There is no pressure, there’s no one person at home spending the day cooking in the kitchen.

“We’ve travelled around the world, but Butlin’s is so easy – it’s all planned out for you and the children have big smiles on their faces. 

“We’ve always had a really lovely time.” 

Butlin’s Minehead opened in 1962 and is the largest of the holiday park’s resorts, accommodating up to 7,500 guests in its chalets and apartments. 

Facilities on offer include an amusement park and vintage fairground. 

Until earlier this month, four-night stays were still available at Minehead Butlin’s from £199.

“The parks really go to town at Christmas”

The first of the chain’s parks to open in 1936 was Butlin’s Skegness, where mum-of-two Anita Workman, her software engineer husband Dave, and their kids Grant, seven, and Iris, five, have enjoyed Christmas Day. 

The family makes the three-hour journey to Butlins Skegness multiple times a year, with Anita finding the resort has extra sparkle during the festive season. 

“Butlins is our happy place,” said the stay-at-home mum. 

“Your children are only children for a short time, especially when it comes to the magic of Christmas. 

“They have the best time of their lives when we go.”

They first made the decision to spend Christmas Day at Butlin’s a few years ago, after Anita’s mother-in-law sadly passed away.

Unable to face an empty seat at their Christmas Dinner table, the family from Bolton, Lancs, opted for their favourite holiday destination instead.

“We had only ever done home Christmases before and we decided to shake things up because it would have been really obvious Dave’s mum wasn’t there,” she says. 

“Looking back, it provided more than that. 

“The kids loved all the shows. I took them to a local pantomime once, and they were disappointed because it didn’t compare to the Butlins one.

“We loved the fireworks on Christmas Eve too.”

The family enjoyed Christmas Dinner in the site’s main restaurant, which is served buffet style and offers turkey and all the trimmings, plus much more besides.

She said: “If you want to have a traditional dinner on the big day, it’s going to be there but if you fancy something random, that’ll probably be there too.

“Fussy kids can enjoy pizza, chicken nuggets or fish fingers.

“There are crackers on the tables, with Christmas hats to wear. They really go to town.”

Less traditionally, the family’s Christmas Day at Butlin’s was also filled with shows, swimming and fairground rides. 

The Workmans opt for premium dining and accommodation when they stay at the park and Anita appreciates the special effort the famous Butlin’s Redcoats make with her children – particularly with Grant, who has autism. 

Known for their distinctive red jackets, the frontline staff’s main roles are to host families and provide entertainment. 

Magician Stephen Mulhern, the late Des O’Connor and Ian ‘H’ Watkins of Steps fame are among the celebrities who launched their career in showbiz working as a Redcoat. 

She said: “The Redcoats can’t be underestimated, they are awesome.

“We like to get into a venue early for a show and they will come and sit and play card games with the kids to entertain them.

“It sounds like something so minor, but it can mean so much to them.”

Up until earlier this month, four-night deals were still available at Butlin’s Skegness from £195.

The United States Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will hold talks in Miami, Florida, with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye as efforts continue to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, even as Israel repeatedly violates the truce on the ground.

A White House official told Al Jazeera Arabic on Friday that Witkoff is set to meet representatives from the three countries to discuss the future of the agreement aimed at halting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Axios separately reported that the meeting, scheduled for later on Friday, will include Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

At the same time, Israel’s public broadcaster, quoting an Israeli official, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a restricted security consultation to examine the second phase of the ceasefire and potential scenarios.

That official warned that Israel could launch a new military campaign to disarm Hamas if US President Donald Trump were to disengage from the Gaza process, while acknowledging that such a move was unlikely because Trump wants to preserve calm in the enclave.

Despite Washington’s insistence that the ceasefire remains intact, Israeli attacks have continued almost uninterrupted, as it continues to renege on the terms of the first phase, as it blocks the free flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian territory.

According to an Al Jazeera analysis, Israeli forces carried out attacks on Gaza on 58 of the past 69 days of the truce, leaving only 11 days without reported deaths, injuries or violence.

In Washington, Trump said on Thursday that Netanyahu is likely to visit him in Florida during the Christmas holidays, as the US president presses for the launch of the agreement’s second phase.

“Yes, he will probably visit me in Florida. He wants to meet me. We haven’t formally arranged it yet, but he wants to meet me,” Trump told reporters.

Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating and guaranteeing the truce after a devastating two-year genocide in Gaza, have urged a transition to the second phase of the agreement. The plan includes a full Israeli military withdrawal and the deployment of an international stabilisation force (ISF).

Fragile truce, entrenched occupation

Qatar’s prime minister warned on Wednesday that daily Israeli breaches of the Gaza ceasefire are threatening the entire agreement, as he called for urgent progress towards the next phase of the deal to end Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Sheikh Mohammed made the appeal following talks with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, where he stressed that “delays and ceasefire violations endanger the entire process and place mediators in a difficult position”.

The ceasefire remains deeply unstable, and Palestinians and rights groups say it is a ceasefire only in name, amid Israeli violations and a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Since the truce took effect on October 10, 2025, Israel has repeatedly breached the agreement, killing hundreds of Palestinians.

Gaza’s Government Media Office says Israel committed at least 738 violations between October 10 and December 12, including air strikes, artillery fire and direct shootings.

Israeli forces shot at civilians 205 times, carried out 37 incursions beyond the so-called “yellow line”, bombed or shelled Gaza 358 times, demolished property on 138 occasions and detained 43 Palestinians, the office said.

Israel has also continued to block critical humanitarian aid while systematically destroying homes and infrastructure.

Against this backdrop, Israel Hayom quoted an Israeli security official as saying the so-called “yellow line” now marks Israel’s new border inside Gaza, adding that Israeli forces will not withdraw unless Hamas is disarmed. The official said the army is preparing to remain there indefinitely.

The newspaper also reported that Israeli military leaders are proposing continued control over half of Gaza, underscoring Israel’s apparent intent to entrench its occupation rather than implement a genuine ceasefire.

Compounding the misery in Gaza, a huge storm that recently hit the Strip has killed at least 13 people as torrential rains and fierce winds flooded tents and caused damaged buildings to collapse.

Israel’s two-year war has decimated more than 80 percent of the structures across Gaza, forcing hundreds of thousands of families to take refuge in flimsy tents or overcrowded makeshift shelters.

The Ukrainian president says Kyiv could drop its long-held ambition of joining NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees.

Ukraine has indicated it is prepared to drop its long-held ambition of joining NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said ahead of meetings with US envoys and European allies in Berlin.

Zelenskyy described the proposal on Sunday as a concession by Kyiv, after years of pressing for NATO membership as the strongest deterrent against future Russian attacks. He said the United States, European partners and other allies could instead provide legally binding security guarantees.

“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join NATO; these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” Zelenskyy said in response to questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat.

“Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries – Canada, Japan – are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” he said.

“And it is already a compromise from our part,” Zelenskyy added, stressing that such guarantees must be legally binding.

The shift would mark a significant change for Ukraine, which has long sought NATO membership despite Moscow viewing the alliance’s expansion as a threat.

While the move aligns with one of Russia’s stated war objectives, Kyiv has continued to reject demands to cede territory.

Zelenskyy said he was seeking a “dignified” peace and firm assurances that Russia would not launch another attack, as diplomats gathered to discuss what could become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. He also accused Moscow of prolonging the war through sustained attacks on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.

Pressure to reach a settlement

The talks come amid pressure from US President Donald Trump to reach a settlement. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner on Sunday arrived in the German capital city of Berlin for discussions involving Ukrainian and European representatives.

The decision to send Witkoff, who has previously led negotiations with both Kyiv and Moscow, suggested Washington saw scope for progress.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine, Europe and the US were reviewing a 20-point plan that could culminate in a ceasefire, though he reiterated that Kyiv was not holding direct talks with Russia. He said a truce along current front lines could be considered fair, while noting that Russia continues to demand a Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of Donetsk and Luhansk still under Kyiv’s control.

Despite diplomatic efforts, Russian attacks have continued, leaving thousands without electricity in recent strikes. Ukrainian officials say Moscow is deliberately targeting the power grid to deprive civilians of heat and water during winter.

Fighting has also intensified in the Black Sea. Russian forces recently struck Ukrainian ports, damaging Turkish-owned vessels, including a ship carrying food supplies. An attack on Odesa set grain silos ablaze, according to Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba. Zelenskyy said the strikes “had no … military purpose whatsoever”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against further escalation, saying the Black Sea should not become an “area of confrontation”.

“Everyone needs safe navigation in the Black Sea,” Erdogan said, calling for a “limited ceasefire” covering ports and energy facilities. Turkiye controls the Bosphorus Strait, a vital route for Ukrainian grain and Russian oil exports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian attacks ‘had no … military purpose whatsoever’.

Russian forces have attacked two Ukrainian ports, damaging three Turkish-owned vessels, including a ship carrying food supplies, according to Ukrainian officials and a shipowner.

Friday’s attacks by Russian forces targeted Chornomorsk and Odesa ports in Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region on the Black Sea. A Ukrainian navy spokesperson told the Reuters news agency that three Turkish-owned vessels were damaged in total, but did not provide additional details.

Posting video footage on social media of firefighters tackling a blaze on board what he described as a “civilian vessel” in Chornomorsk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian attacks “had no … military purpose whatsoever”.

“This proves once again that Russians not only fail to take the current opportunity for diplomacy seriously enough, but also continue the war precisely to destroy normal life in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

“It is crucial that … the world maintains the proper moral compass: who is dragging out this war and who is working to end it with peace, who is using ballistic missiles against civilian life, and who is striking the targets that influence the functioning of Russia’s war machine,” he said.

Today, the Russian army carried out a missile strike on our Odesa region, and last night there was also a Russian attack on Odesa’s energy infrastructure. At one point we talked about the situation in this city and the people of Odesa with President Trump.

Today’s Russian… pic.twitter.com/gIgXUlc4AJ

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 12, 2025

Zelenskyy did not name the vessel, but it was identified as the Panama-flagged and Turkish-owned Cenk T by Reuters, which matched cranes and buildings to satellite imagery of Chornomorsk port.

The ship’s owners, Cenk Shipping, confirmed it was attacked at about 4pm local time (14:00 GMT). There were no casualties among the crew, and damage to the ship was limited, it added.

An employee of a private company was also injured in a separate attack on Odesa port, where a cargo loader was also damaged, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba confirmed.

He added that Russia had used drones and ballistic missiles in the port strikes, which were “aimed at civilian logistics and commercial shipping”.

Ukraine’s three large Black Sea ports in the Odesa region are a key economic artery for Kyiv.

Late on Friday, Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the vessel had been attacked in Chornomorsk port. It added that there were no reports of injured Turkish citizens.

The ministry said in a statement that the attack “validates our previously stated concerns regarding the spread of the ongoing war in the region to the Black Sea, and its impact on maritime security and freedom of navigation”.

“We reiterate the need for an arrangement whereby, in order to prevent escalation in the Black Sea, attacks targeting navigational safety as well as the parties’ energy and port infrastructure are suspended,” it added.

Hours earlier, in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan’s capital of Ashgabat, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for calm in the Black Sea and suggested that a limited ceasefire for energy facilities and ports could be beneficial for regional security.

Turkiye, which has the longest Black Sea coastline at approximately 1,329km (826 miles), has grown increasingly alarmed at the escalating attacks in its back yard and has offered to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow.

The attacks come just days after Putin promised retaliation and threatened to cut “Ukraine off from the sea” for Kyiv’s maritime drone attacks on Moscow’s “shadow fleet” – unmarked tankers thought to be used to circumvent oil sanctions – in the Black Sea.

Kyiv says the tankers are Moscow’s main source of funding for its almost four-year-old war. It has also tried to squeeze Russian revenues by expanding attacks to the Caspian Sea, where it struck a major oil rig this week.