If you don’t fancy snuggling up with your beloved at home this Christmas, or you’d just like to get away from tiresome relatives, splashing out on a Christmas getaway might be exactly what you need.

London’s Big Ben in a snow storm

It will surprise your loved one and guarantee yourself a romantic holiday season.

If you don’t mind the cold weather then there are a variety of beautiful European destinations to choose from that will offer you a Christmas to remember.

Visitors to Paris will see beautifully decorated Christmas trees at every corner and will be charmed by the tradition of placing shoes outside for Santa Claus to fill with gifts rather than the hanging up of stockings or sacks. As well as all the usual Parisian sights to see, which are lit up with a fairytale feel, the highlight of Paris has to be the luxurious Christmas fayre – fine wines accompany every meal, with Christmas Dinner comprising aphrodisiac oysters, fois gras, smoked salmon and roast beef.

Germany offers the quaintness of its beautiful Christmas markets, where the children talk of the maiden Christkindl rather than Father Christmas. December 6 is celebrated as St Claus day, and everywhere you look you will see perfectly crafted gingerbread houses and colourful advent wreaths. The Christmas markets are an absolute delight to behold, filled with the aroma of traditional food, mulled wine and with the irresistible offering of beautiful handicrafts, jewellery and clothing. You’d better turn up with a few euros in your pocket.

Thousands of tourists flock to Rome every year seeking the splendour of an Italian Christmas. Visitors to the Vatican City won’t be disappointed. With Italian Christmas celebrations starting on December 8 and carrying through to January 6 there’s plenty of opportunity to feel the Christmas spirit.

The most spectacular feast is eaten on Christmas Eve, which usually consists of traditional fish dishes and vegetables followed by Panettone and topped off with Spumante sparkling wine. Presents are opened and traditionally this is followed by midnight mass in St Peter’s Square.

As well as marvelling at the breathtaking art and architecture of the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica, it’s essential to experience the electric atmosphere on Christmas Day when literally thousands of people gather in the Vatican Square to receive blessings from the Pope.

Rhian Gibbings

The Christmas tradition of kissing under the mistletoe, like all traditions, stems from places and cultures we might not associate with the custom as it is known today.

Mistletoe is a hemiparasitic plant. It usually grows on trees and even sinks roots into the trees to get nutrients but it is capable of photosynthesis so it is not a full parasite.

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe may have its roots in Norse legend. Frigga, goddess of love had a son named Balder and because of a dream he had, she became alarmed and sought to protect him from harm from every living creature and plant, that he could not be harmed by anything on or under the earth. Mistletoe did not grow on or under the earth, but on trees. The evil god Loki knew this and prepared a poison arrow with it with which Balder was killed. After three days Frigga was able to restore her son to life and from then on, it is said she kissed everyone who passed under the mistletoe and decreed that it stood for life and love from then on.

In England the tradition of mistletoe goes back before the birth of Christ. Mistletoe was revered by the Druids, and mistletoe that grew on an oak was considered to have magical qualities. The plant was also considered a symbol of fertility, as it remained green even as the deciduous trees it grew on appeared to be in winter’s grip of death.

The plant continued to be endowed by superstition with mystical and healing properties throughout medieval times. The tradition of hanging the plant in doorways began in England and it was considered good luck as well as a love charm. Over time this tradition included kissing under the mistletoe with the superstition that a girl who wasn’t kissed would not be married within the coming year.