Will you need a holiday after your holiday? Try these Southern spots

Every October, I promise myself that I will take care of all the shopping and holiday preparations before Thanksgiving so that I may relax and enjoy this season. And every year I end up scrambling round in mid-December trying desperately to check off boxes on my shopping and to-do lists.

This year, I am even more behind than usual. It’s nine days to Christmas, and all I want this year is to make it to December 26^th.  As I have no time to spare between now and next Friday, I can’t afford to daydream of relaxing getaways to tropical islands or snow-packed resorts in the Rockies.

But when Boxing Day arrives next Saturday, I will be ready to get out of Dodge. I may not be spending Christmas out of town, but I would like very much to find a Christmas-y destination nearby to reflect on a season (and year) that has zoomed by at warp speed.

If you are more together than I am, you may want to check out Travel and Leisure’s list of the ten best places to spend Christmas. Their far-away suggestions range from the beautiful and traditional — like the village of Castleton, England; the city of Vienna, Austria and the Arctic island of Tromso, Norway – to unconventional spots like the Brazilian rainforest, palm-filled Key West or a summer beach getaway in Kaikoura, New Zealand.  Travel and Leisure’s number one destination is in the stunning high desert plain of Taos, New Mexico.

I will be looking much closer to home. I am considering a mini-ski break to one of our southeastern ski spots. I have written before that I am not a (snow) skier. In fact, I have always liked my skis wide, on water and pulled by a fast boat.  Lately, however, I have begun to think I may be missing something by not snow skiing. I also think my children should at least learn that slalom snow skiing doesn’t mean you are skiing down the mountain on just one ski.

As I “Bing-ed” holiday travel options in the region, I came across a few other possibilities for a restorative and fun getaway.  

• Visitors to New Orleans this December can enjoy a taste of the finer things at the grand old and newly-restored Roosevelt Hotel. Stroll past 20 lighted birch trees and 26 Douglas Fir Christmas trees lining the “block-long winter wonderland” in the lobby. Pause to listen and sing carols played live on the baby grand piano there, before heading out to explore the Big Easy or relax in the hotel’s luxurious Guerlain Spa.  Rooms in the special Winter Escape getaway package begin at $159 and include a complimentary breakfast for two and a hotel credit up to $200.  
• Take some time to do something fun. These entertainment packages in Nashville and Pigeon Forge, Tenn. include accommodations, breakfast, and a choice of live country music shows, theatre, dinner cruises, and museums or winter festival admissions. Two-night packages in Dollywood begin at $215 per person through the 30^th of December, while two-night packages in Nashville for the same dates start at $315 per person. 
• Even a day trip back in time could do the trick. Experience the holiday the way Moravian missionaries introduced it to the Cherokee Nation in the 1800s with a visit to the Chief Vann House in Chatsworth, Ga. The house will be decorated for the season with natural décor and hand-crafted ornaments through the first week of January.

Are you taking a post-holiday break this year? How far are you traveling? What do you think of Travel and Leisure’s list of best destinations? What would have made your list of “anywhere in the world” Christmas trips?

What makes your list of best December getaways in the South? Are you looking for an active getaway like skiing; something less conventional; or just a good place to sleep in, sit by the fire and drink your hot chocolate in peace?