... and where else to find some seasonal sparkle

Rarely keen to focus on the present when its candlelit past will do, Bath (visitbath.co.uk) is always good for a Christmas of yesteryear. So it proves at The American Museum, at nearby Claverton Manor (01225 460503; americanmuseum.org; £8), which is retreating into the Twenties for Jazz Age-inspired festivities until Dec 17. The main Christmas Market (bathchristmasmarket.co.uk; until Dec 10) will intrude a little more on 2017, with 200 chalets laid out along Bath Street, York Street and Abbeygate Street. Birmingham’s (visitbirmingham.com) Christmas has a German accent – the 120 stalls that gather on Victoria Square every winter (until Dec 24 this year; germanchristmasmarket birmingham.com) are confusingly marketed as the “Frankfurt Christmas Market”. Expect bratwurst galore. For less sausage and more sparkle, the city’s Botanical Gardens are also serenading the season – by illuminating the site’s glasshouses and asking visitors to walk a trail between them dusted with mistletoe and crystals. Until Dec 30 (£7.50; 0121 454 1860; birminghambotanical gardens.org.uk). Some might say a mixture of the Scottish capital and whisky is cliché. But check in at Edinburgh (edinburgh.org) retreat The Balmoral (0131 556 2414; roccofortehotels. com) this month, and the alliance of warming spirits and festive vibe should defeat all notions of over-familiarity. The in-house Scotch bar has a “Past, Present and Future” masterclass slated for Dec 13 (7pm; £35) – a journey through six whiskies from established, current and up-coming distilleries. And the Balmoral Bar is offering a “five-course” festive cocktail tasting experience (£55) during December. Double rooms from £205.

Winchester’s rink, below; Bath’s market, below left