Join the club
Where to go in December
Festivities near and far
Go full-on festive season with snow, mulled wine and all the accoutrements in New York or Belgium, or leave that behind for the beaches, wine tastings and alfresco adventuring on Australia’s east coast or in the Caribbean.
New York
Avg. temperature: high 7ºC; low 0ºC
New York in December is raved about for a reason, and we’re all in for its annual festivities. Make for Brooklyn’s Dyker Heights, where residents famously adorn brownstones with bright lights, be enchanted by Fifth Avenue’s festive windows and skate into the season at Central Park’s rink. Or ditch the city completely, and head Upstate for snow-coated villages straight from a Hallmark set.
Dominican Republic
Avg. temperature: high 30ºC; low 21ºC
December is one of the Dominican Republic’s cooler months, when temperatures hover around the mid-to-high 20s. It’s a prime time for hoofing it around the capital, Santo Domingo, home to some of the oldest colonial architecture in the Americas. In the lush central highlands, the time is ripe for sampling chocolate from the latest cocoa harvest or tackling the Caribbean’s highest mountain, Pico Duarte.
New South Wales
Avg. temperature: high 32ºC; low 14ºC
You’re guaranteed good cheer with Australians, particularly in December — the height of their sun-baked summer. New South Wales has options for all: bask in balmy evenings at Sydney’s dazzling harbour; tackle heady hikes in the blue-skied Blue Mountains followed by generous pours in wine-soaked Hunter Valley; or hit Byron Bay for a bounty of outdoor activities. A jolly good state in which to see out the year.
Belgium
Avg. temperature: high 9ºC; low 3ºC
Look away, grinches, Belgium is bustin’ out all over with Christmas cheer in December. Each market, from Antwerp to Bruges to Ghent, has a distinct charm: drinks in a castle, light trails to follow, Christmas-tree merry-go-rounds or petting zoos; and all have gingerbread-house architecture, gallons of glühwein and ice rinks. Annual dance and jazz music fests add to the jolliness.
Courchevel
Avg. temperature: high 0ºC, low -8ºC
‘Tis the season to wish for pistes on Earth — and in the Three Valleys ski area of the French Alps, they’re already coated in snow. A cheeky December ski trip requires careful curation: a resort with a solid, early-season reputation, excellent snow-making (just in case), and the kind of luxury stays that can turn time away from the slopes into a blessing. Courchevel, we’re looking at you.
South Africa
Avg. temperature: high 32ºC; low 19ºC
Ahh, December in South Africa, where the 25th is celebrated with beach time and a braai… Cape Town and the Garden Route gear up for high summer, the velds are in bloom, whales breach offshore, and cellar-destined grapes swell under the African sun. Among the country’s game reserves, discover a different kind of Christmas gift: incredible wildlife and endless scenic savannah. We’re game if you are.