If you want to combine sunshine with tradition, Australia is one of the best places for a hot Christmas holiday. A lot of the Christmas customs in Australia are similar to the UK. You can go to Christmas carol concerts and Santa will still come to visit – even on the other side of the world.

Since Christmas in Australia falls in summer, you’ll often find that Christmas lunch consists of cold meats and salad, while Boxing Day is spent barbecuing on the beach. But don’t worry – you’ll still be able to find a traditional roast dinner and Christmas pudding, if you’d prefer. Whatever you choose, you can expect to spend Christmas in the sunshine. Sydney and Perth see temperatures in the mid-to-high twenties, while temperatures in Cairns and Brisbane hover around 30°C.

Few places are as magical as New York at Christmas. The Big Apple is undoubtedly one of the best places to visit in December – there’s an endless list of festive activities.

You can go ice-skating in Central Park, see Fifth Avenue’s light shows and festive shop windows, and visit the giant tree at the Rockefeller Centre. And no Christmas in New York would be complete without tickets to the famous Radio City Christmas Spectacular. If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, New York is a good choice – it has a much higher chance of snow than the UK. You can open your presents on Christmas morning, then wrap up warm and go for a stroll through Central Park.

Dubai is a great choice for a hot Christmas holiday. And it’s a particularly good option for families, thanks to the mid-twenties temperatures and seven-hour flight time.

Kids and adults alike will love the city’s theme parks, beaches and activity-packed hotels. Plus, if you haven’t quite finished all your Christmas shopping before you go, Dubai’s gigantic malls have everything you could possibly need. If you decide to spend Christmas in Dubai, you can relax on powdery sands or soak up the views from the city’s infamous rooftop bars. Or, if you’d prefer to do something more active, try out watersports or take a 4x4 tour into the desert.

Been looking at all-inclusive Christmas holidays? If you want maximum enjoyment and minimum faff, consider spending Christmas in Mexico. This beach-lined country is filled with luxury resorts, where everything will be taken care of – meaning you can have a relaxing break.

In Mexico, a lot of the main festive celebrations take place on Christmas Eve, when you can tuck into delicious dishes like roast turkey, salt cod and pozole – a thick, tasty stew. This means you can throw yourself into the Mexican celebrations, and then spend Christmas Day opening presents and playing on the beach. Mexico’s reliable weather certainly makes it one of the best places for a hot Christmas – temperatures in Cancun reach highs of 28°C.

If you fancy something completely different from your usual festivities, Christmas in Japan ticks all the boxes. Christmas isn’t a Japanese tradition so it’s not a national holiday – most schools close on Christmas Day, but a lot of businesses remain open. Couples exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, but most people prefer to give presents on New Year’s Eve, which is a much bigger occasion in Japan.

Food-wise, fried chicken is the order of the day for Christmas dinner, and Japanese Christmas cake is a sweet sponge topped with whipped cream and strawberries. So if you want a Christmas holiday abroad with a twist, Japan makes a fantastic choice. Plus, you could take the kids to Tokyo Disney Resort to see the Christmas Parade – what a present that would be.