Guide ·
Christmas breaks for large groups
Twelve to thirty people, one roof, one turkey. Here is how the people who do it every year actually book it, and what goes wrong when they leave it late.
The houses that work for a big Christmas are the same ones that work for a big birthday in June, with two differences: the week is fixed, and everyone else wants it too. If you have landed here in autumn for this Christmas, skip to the end, pick a house that is free, and book it today. If you are reading this for next year, you are in the right place.
When the good ones go
Most agencies open Christmas week eleven to twelve months ahead, and the houses that sleep 16 or more with a proper dining room go first. By March the choice for a group of 20 has usually halved. By September, what is left is either very big, very expensive, or a long way from anyone. The sensible pattern is to shortlist in January, agree the house with the family by February, and pay the deposit before Easter.
What the week actually costs
The from-price on a listing is the cheapest week of the year, which Christmas never is. Expect Christmas week to be two to three times the low-season rate for the same house. A house that shows “from £2,000 a week” will often be £5,000 to £7,000 for the week of the 20th to the 27th. The only number that matters is the one on the agency’s calendar for the actual dates, so click through before you get attached.
Christmas is almost always let as a full seven nights, usually Saturday to Saturday or Friday to Friday, and most owners will not split it. New Year is the same, and some houses sell the two weeks together.
Bedrooms, not sleeps
“Sleeps 16” can mean six bedrooms and two sofa beds. For a week with grandparents, a new baby and three teenagers, count the bedrooms with doors. Our rule of thumb for Christmas is bedrooms equal to the number of couples plus one for the children’s dorm, and at least one bathroom for every two bedrooms. The facts table on every house page shows bedrooms and bathrooms side by side, and the guide below lists houses with six or more bedrooms.
The kitchen
One domestic oven and a 7 kg turkey for 18 people is a bad morning. Look at the kitchen photos for a range cooker, two ovens, or an Aga, and ask the agency if you cannot tell. Ask about the fridge and freezer too: a week’s food for 18 plus the drinks does not fit in a family fridge, and a garage or utility room with a second one is worth more than a hot tub.
Ask whether there is a table that seats everyone at once. Houses often have a dining room for twelve and a kitchen table for six, which is fine for the week and wrong for the one meal that matters.
Heating, wood and the cold snap
Old farmhouses and converted barns can be cold in the last week of December. Three questions for the agency: is heating included or metered, is wood for the burner supplied, and can the heating be set before you arrive. A house with an indoor pool or a hot tub is worth checking for the same reason; a pool that is “available” but unheated in December is a square of cold water.
Dogs, cots and the drive
If the dogs are coming, filter for dog friendly and check the enclosed garden chip, then ask how many dogs are allowed; two is a common limit. Travel cots and high chairs are usually available on request but not always in the numbers you need. And think about the drive on the 23rd: a house four hours from the furthest relative, on a single-track lane, in the dark, in December, is a different proposition from the same house in July.
Splitting the money
Agree the split before you book, not after. The two models that work are per adult (children free) and per bedroom (a couple with the big room pays more than the cousin in the box room). A £6,000 week is £375 each for 16 adults or £300 each for 20. One person books, holds the deposit, and collects the balance a month before the agency wants it. Put it in writing in the group chat so nobody is surprised in November.
Last-minute Christmas
If it is already October: look at the biggest houses first, because the 20-plus places are the ones that stay free longest; look at the regions furthest from London, because they empty last; and look at houses that only take a fixed week, because the owners who insist on seven nights lose the short-break trade and sometimes still have the week. The Christmas occasion page filters for five or more bedrooms and shows what is in the data today.
