Ah, Christmas! The season of shopping and traffic and shopping and cooking and shopping and wrapping and on and on and on. If the Christmas craziness is getting to you, maybe it's time to put everything on hold for a day or two and get away from it all.

Starting Dec. 1, the Victoria Clipper will offer its annual Seattle to Victoria and Butchart Gardens Holiday Lights Tour. Leaving at 8 a.m. every morning through New Year's Day and returning at 7:45 p.m. the following evening, the luxurious Victoria Clipper will take travellers across the Sound to Victoria, B.C., where the magic of Butchart Gardens at Christmas awaits to delight and amaze.

Visitors to the garden will have the opportunity to skate on the 5,000-square-foot outdoor ice rink. Afterward, they can visit the Butchart Gardens coffee shop for hot cocoa and homemade gingerbread and cookies. Then the young and young-at-heart can experience the Rose Carousel, the only carousel on Vancouver Island.

The show really gets going around 4 p.m. As the sun sets, 300,000 twinkling Christmas bulbs light up the gardens. Live Christmas music fills the air as guests wander along the self-guided "Magic of Christmas Walk," admiring creative displays based on "The 12 Days of Christmas." There's even a prize for children under age 12 who can locate all 12 days.

Guests can also enjoy a gourmet Christmas dinner or afternoon tea menu at the Dining Room Restaurant located in the former Butchart mansion, and then head to the James Bay Inn for a long winter's nap.

To reserve a spot on the Clipper and a room at the inn, contact Clipper Vacations at 206.448.5000.

For families who would like the opportunity to celebrate Christmas Eve with the jolly old elf himself, look no further than the beautiful Lake Quinault Lodge, located in the heart of the Olympic National Park. Christmas Eve With Santa begins at 6 p.m. with the arrival of Old St. Nick and ... his pack llama? Santa may do a thing or two differently around here, but he's still the same sweet old guy who delights in hanging out with the kids, handing out presents and settling down by the fire to read The Night Before Christmas.

Real chestnuts roasting over an open fire and Christmas Eve dinner in the Roosevelt Room Restaurant will bring the evening to a close. Wake up the next morning to a hearty Christmas breakfast and the beauty of the Olympic Rain Forest in winter.

Rooms at the lodge start at just $89 per night, which includes the visit with St. Nicholas himself. To learn more about this unique holiday experience, contact the Lake Quinault Lodge at 888.435.1044.

Seattle to Victoria and Butchart Gardens Holiday Lights Tour, Dec. 1 to Jan. 1; Pier 69, 2711 Alaska Way, Seattle; adults (18+), $171; youth (12-17), $141; child (5-11), $67; 206.448.5000, clippervacations.com

Christmas Eve with Santa, 6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 24, Lake Quinault Lodge, 345 S. Shore, Quinault, $89/night, 888.435.1044, olympicnationalparks.com