If the thought of squeezing fourteen relatives around your kitchen table fills you with dread, taking over an entire cottage for the festive week is an increasingly appealing alternative. Condé Nast Traveller UK has pulled together a shortlist of nine Airbnb stays across Britain that tick the Christmas boxes: wood burners already crackling, big antique dining tables for the main event, and villages with December markets on the doorstep.
The picks span the whole country, from snowy hill country to the coast. Couples get a stone cottage near Bala Lake in North Wales — a quiet base for walking the lakeshore when it's frosty and retreating indoors when it's not. Families with a crowd in tow are pointed towards the Old Cottage in Winster, a/Peak District village that looks like it was designed for a Dickens adaptation, while design-minded travellers might prefer Lacemaker Cottage in nearby Wirksworth. For sheer scenery from the sofa, Podkin Lodge in Kent makes the list, offering leafy views without straying far from London.
The common thread is practicality as much as prettiness. These are Superhost listings with strong guest reviews and ratings, vetted for amenities that matter in December: heating you can trust, space to cook a proper roast, and locations where a bracing winter walk is on the agenda rather than a distant possibility. Several sit within easy reach of local Christmas markets, so you can combine the cosy-cottage thing with mulled wine and gift shopping in town.
It's a reminder that Christmas availability moves fast. The most characterful properties in the Peak District, Wales and Kent tend to be booked for the festive fortnight months ahead, so if any of this appeals, the time to check dates is now rather than mid-November. The source also maintains running lists of Airbnbs in places like the Cotswolds, Cornwall, Edinburgh and the Lake District, useful if your festive fantasy leans more seaside or city break than fells-and-fires.