Christmas & New Year

VisitScotland invites you to attend the first ever live screening of global highland games in Inverness this Hogmanay. The dawn of 2009 will see the official twinning of the Inverness Highland Games and the Triad Highland Games in North Carolina with the Waipu Highland Games in New Zealand.

When the ball drops every 31 December in Times Square, the world’s eyes are squarely on New York City. This year will be no exception. With a new 12-foot-high, 11,875-pound New Year’s Ball (double the size of previous balls), covered in 2,668 Waterford crystals and powered by 32,356 Philips LUXEON Rebel LED lights, the new ball will create a spectacular and colourful kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square.

Escape the chilly, frosty weather this Christmas by heading to the Southern Lake District, where a totally tropical experience awaits. On December 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30, families can set sail with Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver, if they visit special Treasure Island performances at the World of Beatrix Potter, in Bowness-on-Windermere.

Treat your loved ones to the perfect Christmas and New Year present by whisking them off to the stunning Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in the heart of Sorrento. This exclusive opportunity is an unmissable chance to spend time with family or friends over the festive period, in the prestigious historic surroundings with breathtaking views over the Amalfi Coast.

Families seeking a fun day out during the festive period can go along to the Ironbridge Gorge Museums in Shropshire’s stunning Severn Valley where seven of the ten museums will be open daily from 10am until 4pm. They will only be closing on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Being stuck at an airport is grim any time, but as the delay of over 100 flights at Gatwick last week showed, Christmas crowds and bad weather put the Hell in Noel, warns EssentialTravel.co.uk.

Winter has already started in Gstaad-Saanenland – and this season the town is providing even more fun for families.

Despite the current state of the economy, it looks like the recession isn’t preventing sun seeking Brits from opting for a Christmas break abroad according to the latest survey from the world’s largest travel search engine Kayak.co.uk. Almost half (43%) of those that were surveyed are escaping the winter blues by jetting away this festive season.

The Italian Connection has announced a 15% reduction on a selection of 60 Italian villas in Italy for the season 2009. This gift is valid if you book your accommodation between the 5th and the 25th December 2008. To whet your appetite here is a sample of what is on offer.

Tis’ the season to be jolly, but for the ‘hostess with the mostess’ this is not always the reality. When you have your entire family to shop for presents, cook hefty meals, and provide entertainment for, it is easy to feel overloaded, stressed and harassed over the festive period.

Gifts are best when they reveal an appreciation for your recipient's hobbies and interests, so give your cruising comrades something that relates to their love of sailing. From a silly "Cruise Cash" jar, to stately ship paintings and even a few commodities for the kids, we've gathered a list of our favourite holiday cruise gift items.

Start Christmas early this year and spend two nights completely free of charge on a B&B basis when booking a four night festive break at The Hotel & Extreme Academy, Watergate Bay, on the north coast of Cornwall.

Fosse Farmhouse, a charming Cotswold Stone Georgian Guest house in the picturesque Castle Combe Valley of North Wiltshire, has forged links with a high class Japanese restaurant and now runs an exchange programme where the head chef of "Mominoki House" will be joining the team at Fosse Farmhouse over Christmas to offer visitors a taste of the Orient.

International star Leona Lewis is set to headline the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Krakow. The Grammy-nominated star and former X-Factor winner will be performing alongside other female acts to welcome the New Year in the city’s Main Square. New Year's Eve parties in Krakow have brought together Poles and tourists for many years and they’re always quite a show. Thousands of revellers, a kaleidoscope of colours, an impressive firework display at midnight and a great atmosphere all make for a great party until the early hours.

Domani opened last month with the ambition of being Hong Kong’s finest Italian dining establishment. With Mauro Uliassi, a Michelin star chef behind the menu, a contemporary and artistic glass gazebo to call home and a relaxed ambience of modern elegance, Domani is set to reignite Hong Kong’s dining scene.

Can’t face a Christmas at home after all? Would you like to someone else to manage the demands of Christmas lunch and enjoy some warmer weather? Two award-winning* hotels in Cyprus are offering the chance to make a last minute decision and get away from the UK - the luxury five star Columbia Beach Resort in Pissouri Bay Cyprus and the chic contemporary boutique Londa hotel in Limassol.

This holiday season, give the gift of life as it used to be. The Territory invites golfers, and non-golfers alike, to experience the casually elegant lifestyle being enjoyed at this award winning golf and residential community in one of the country’s truly unspoiled locations.

Le Meridien Al Aqah will again play host to unique and family fun activities held over the Christmas period in Fujairah this December. “Le Méridien Al Aqah will make this celebration even more memorable for family and friends, ensuring that it will leave a lasting impression,” said Patrick Antaki, General Manager, Le Méridien Al Aqah.

Last time we looked, Lapland wasn’t in Dorset. In fact, we’re fairly sure that Lapland is not in the UK at all.

Looking for a quiet Christmas or New Year for two? Can’t think of an amazing present for your truelove? Too late to escape from the family festivities? It isn’t - thanks to the launch this week of what is Northumberland’s tallest, smallest and most unique self catering accommodation, and Christmas gift – The Outchester Ducket.

Cruise-loving kids can now take well behaved parents on holiday too, thanks to a new promotion launched by Costa Cruises. Fed up with loud snoring, sleep talking and late night television, the new offer gives children the chance to take advantage of double cabins – one for them and one for their noisy parents – providing more space to relax and unwind in comfort.

December is here, the Christmas countdown is on and Bristol is the place to be for a winter wonderland of festive events and celebrations. Visit Bristol for a short break, a shopping trip or to simply soak up the atmosphere as the city sparkles with light and colour. There is so much to unwrap this winter that a special website visitbristol.co.uk/winter has been created to showcase the array of seasonal activities taking place in the city.

Christmas just isn’t complete without some rum sauce on the pud, but there’s only one place to go, if you want to make your festivities a real rum do this year. Award-winning attraction, The Rum Story, in historic Whitehaven in the Western Lake District, is the spiritual home of everything to do with rum and, even today, the source of the finest dark spirit of them all – Jefferson’s Rum.

Durham is hosting a series of ‘Recession-Proof’ events and special-offers to capture the classic and traditional spirit of Christmas for visitors this December.

Luxury breaks, traditional Christmas getaways and winter sports are just some of the highlights on offer in Seattle this season.

What do golfers crave this holiday season? Spring. The Island Resort & Casino suggests placing the gift of golf under the Christmas tree this year with 2009 golf stay-and-play packages.

A new guide to a stress-free Christmas holidays has been launched by the Yorkshire Moors and Coast Tourism Partnership (YMCTP). Alongside survival tips for the big day are ideas to help lower anxiety levels during December, including non-commercial Christmas shopping and presents, and ways to find some serenity and even get a bit silly during the Christmas season.

Edinburgh’s Grassmarket has never been a better place to shop for unique Christmas presents for the whole family with late opening and special offers on selected days and a new look for the whole area.

The quandary of what to do during the school Christmas holidays, once Santa has long departed, is resolved by letting off steam, according to England’s most exquisite steam railway – the Ravenglass and Eskdale.