Prevailing wisdom suggests we should all spend Christmas at home.  However, amidst the dim, fuzzy brown 40-watt bulb of winter weather, enforced conviviality, TV specials and over-cooked sprouts, getting away can be the best Christmas present ever. Here's where to head…

Cape Town:  Southern Hemisphere summer bathes the city in bright light and warm breezes.  Catch a morning cable car up Table Mountain, head to the beaches of Camps Bay for a swim and light up a braai for lunch.  In the evening take a table at one of Victoria and Albert Waterfront's many restaurants.  Book early - airline seats are always in demand at Christmas.

Havana: Artfully crumbling facades hark back to when the city rode high as a playground for the rich, the famous and the disreputable from across the US.  Forget Christmas retail therapy - this is an atheist state and thanks to Fidel and a bullying US trade embargo the global High Street hasn't reached Havana.  Instead enjoy music, mojitos and viva la revolución!

Malta:  Winter never really bites in Malta, a fact celebrated by long-stay visitors.  Busy with tourists in summer, the Baroque wonderland of Valletta takes on a more local feel off-season, the same being true of the island's beach resorts.  Across the country Christmas retains a strong spiritual connection, particularly amongst the churches of Gozo, a 20-minute ferry ride away.

Lake District:  Villages freed from summer crowds, Christmas in Cumbria offers unobstructed views of the fells and lakes.  Though some visitor attractions are closed, properly kitted out walkers can still enjoy stunning high level and valley hikes.  Langdale and Borrowdale in particular are never more beautiful than when the fell tops are sprinkled with snow.

London:  Compact and easily explored on foot, in a city not known for its patience the West End at Christmas has a surprisingly welcoming feel.  Avoid the zombie apocalypse of Oxford Street shopping, instead enjoy the sight lines of Regents Street and the jumble of Soho's alleyways. Take a turn on the London Eye and follow up with a Thames Clipper riverboat to Greenwich.

Mayerhofen: Austrians relish the winter outdoors, and ski season in the Tirol is certainly big business.  However, despite the undoubted lure of the pistes, below the sharp peaks of Ahorn, Penken and Horberg, Mayerhofen remains a remarkably traditional alpine country town.  For those who love the mountains, whether up close or from afar, the resort offers an honest and uncomplicated Christmas break.

New York: No longer necessarily an exotic destination, Manhattan's unavoidable cinematic references are still strong for Christmas visitors, accentuating feelings of being extras on When Harry Met Sally. Wrap up well, wear your trainers, take in the views from the Empire State, explore Fifth Avenue, wander Central Park, and have 'what she's having' at Katz's Deli on Houston Street…

Prague:  Freezing winter temperatures and a concentrated dose of Gothic architectural fantasy are part of Prague's central European Christmas package.  Cross the Vltava River by the 14th century Charles Bridge, check your watch by the Old Town Square's Mediaeval astronomical clock and convey seasons greetings to the 'good king' himself in Wenceslas Square.

Sharm el Sheik:  Egypt's social and political turmoil can't be ignored but to be brutal holidays in Sharm, and other Red Sea resorts, never really connected with the country beyond anyway.  It's a simple offering; Christmas with sunshine, sand, sea and an international standard resort, and right now it's all at a bargain price.

Tenerife:  Quieter than the summer months, average temperatures of 16 Celsius mean Christmas Day on Tenerife can be spent bobbing in the sea whilst observing distant snows on the slopes of Mount Teide.  Popular resorts like Playa de Las Américas offer a 'traditional British' Christmas.  If that's what you want to avoid, head instead to the island's capital of Santa Cruz.

This article has been produced in association with www.talkholiday.com