The holidays you could book for the price of Christmas

With festivities set to cost an average of £973, why not go full Scrooge this year and splurge the cash on a holiday instead, says Sophie Butler

Bah humbug, it’s that time of year again. Over-eating, over-drinking and over-exposure to family, plus a battering when it comes to the bank account. A recent survey suggests that Londoners spend an average of £973 on Christmas, including the gifts, food, drink and all the extras it entails. The tally is lower elsewhere (£752 in Scotland, £803 in East Anglia) yet, for many families, the bill will be even higher.

But, if it doesn’t sound too Scroogelike, does Christmas really warrant spending so much money? Does the family need those expensive presents, the flowing fizz, the deluxe crackers, the vast turkey and all the endless trimmings? Wouldn’t everyone be happier if they reined it in a little? After all, think what else you could do with the money when it comes to getting a different kind of break in 2024.

Granted, £973 won’t buy you a luxury holiday in peak season, but there are plenty of fabulous breaks to be had for this amount at other times of year. It could be a few nights of dinner, bed and breakfast in a UK spa hotel, or a family half-term stay in a cosy cottage in Wales. Or perhaps a chance to soak up the sights on a weekend break to Paris, or even some early-season sunshine in the Balearics. Alternatively, invest your cash in a new year’s resolution and challenge yourself on a creative course in West Sussex.

It’s not too late to set your festive budget a little lower. Send fewer cards, pick a smaller tree, cut down on gifts, skimp on stockings and curb your culinary costs. Make the bells jingle, not the cash tills. Chances are you won’t even notice the difference when it comes to good cheer and jollity – and if it means being able to afford an extra break in 2024, surely it’s worth a go?

So spend that £973 on a holiday instead: we’ve picked out a selection of top breaks which cost, give or take a tenner, exactly that...

Maximise the Christmas cheer by planning a springtime flit to Paris in May. Savour the prospect of sauntering through its grand boulevards and gardens in the early sunshine and people-watching from a street-side café table. Window-shop along the Champs Élysées, stroll from the Place de la Concorde through the Jardin des Tuileries to the Louvre and book advance tickets for the “Inventing Impressionism” exhibition at the Orsay Museum.

Eurostar (03432 186 186; eurostar.com) offers a three-night stay at four-star Maison Malesherbes on Place Saint Augustin from £963 B&B for two people, including rail travel, departing St Pancras on May 10.

£966: Half term in Wales

Hold back on the presents and instead give your family the gift of a February half term break in a spectacular corner of the UK for bracing walks and board games by the fire. Pick one of the Landmark Trust’s many characterful, family-sized houses, a choice which includes Stockwell Farm in Powys, a

Spring in Paris centuries-old stone farmhouse with far-reaching views over the spectacular Radnor countryside. The scenic walking country of Offa’s Dyke is close by, and the towns of Hay-on-Wye and Llandrindod Wells are within a 15-minute drive.

Landmark Trust (01628 825925; landmarktrust.org.uk) offers stays at Stockwell Farm, sleeping six, at £966 for a seven-night rental, from February 9-16.

Rein back on the Christmas cooking and treat yourself to an indulgent halfboard break at Congham Hall near Kings Lynn in West Norfolk, where the nightly rate includes a full English breakfast and three-course dinner. With 31 rooms spread through the main house and courtyard garden, this relaxed Georgian house also offers an onsite Secret Garden Spa with a swimming pool, hot tub and range of treatments. Local excursions include the King’s house at Sandringham, 18th-century Houghton Hall, the shopping town of Burnham Market and Norfolk’s vast sandy beaches.

Congham Hall (01485 600250; conghamhallhotel.co.uk) offers three nights from £840 half board for two people sharing a standard room. Add in a half-day spa package at £130. Based on a weekday or weekend stay before March 31.

Endure the worst of December’s wintery chill by looking forward to the prospect of a sunny June getaway funded by the money you’ve saved on Christmas. Head to Majorca’s northeastern beach resort of Puerto Pollensa, with its pretty bay backed by the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains and its promenade and marina edged with low-key bars and restaurants, for a week of watersports, walking or poolside flopping.

Tui (0203 451 2688; tui.co.uk) offers a seven-night stay at four-star Club Del

Sun in Majorca

Sol Aparthotel in Majorca’s Puerto Pollensa from £982 B&B per person, based on two people sharing a junior suite with a balcony or terrace, including flights and transfers, departing June 20.

£984: Creativity in West Sussex

Divert your Christmas cash into an inspiring residential course at West Dean College near Chichester in West Sussex. Part of the West Dean Estate on the edge of the sprawling South Downs, it offers tuition in a wide variety of arts and crafts including painting, photography, jewellery making, sculpture and basketry, aimed at all levels from beginner to expert. Accommodation is provided at the main house or the adjacent Old Vicarage – and food is sourced from produce which is largely grown onsite.

West Dean (01243 818 300; westdean. ac.uk) offers a four-day “making jewellery in silver” course at £545 per person. Add in a four-night stay at the college at £439 half board, based on sole use of an en suite standard room, from January 14-18.

is more warming in winter than the promise of a Majorcan holiday hQuality time: spend a week in the Welsh countryside £970: Spa hotel in Norfolk £982: Sunshine in the Balearics

£963: Spring in Paris

gTour de force: Paris is always delightful in spring iNothing