The Christmas break is a time for getting together with your family, all generations, as well as eating and drinking. With families spread all over the country, finding space for everyone to sleep and sit down for a meal when they get together can be difficult. Also there is the perennial problem of who drives. 

One way to solve this problem is to have Christmas dinner at a restaurant but this doesn't solve the problems of who drinks and where to sleep. I know when we go to visit our family; we usually sleep on put-u-ups which are never as comfortable as a proper bed. The cost of a meal out on Christmas day can cost over £60

Another idea is to go away for a family break, either to a hotel or self catering but at over £400 per person; this is not a cheap option.

A better idea is to come with the family to France where Christmas is not so manic and over the top as it is in the UK. Christmas Dinner is often served on Christmas Eve and for an area famous for duck and foie gras , the Dordogne, Fruits de Mer is popular! This is France so things are often slightly bizarre to the British.

At La Petite Auberge, we can offer you a Christmas which can be either totally self catering, or with meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Lunch catered for a fee. We can do you initial shop for you and order meat or fish so that you don't have to worry about getting it ordered or you can do it all when you arrive. We are also happy to put up a tree and decorate it so that Christmas starts when you arrive.

 La Petite Auberge is a gite complex near Eymet in France. It is only 25 minutes from Bergerac airport with its links to the UK but is situated in the quiet French countryside.

La Grande Maison is a large gite that can sleep up to 18 in 7 bedrooms and 6 bath/shower rooms. One room is a family room and has a king size bed with 2 single beds and one bedroom is separate to the main house but is cosy with gas central heating. The dining room is large enough to sit 18 around 3 tables and the lounge is 9m by 7 m and has room for all. For those of you who want to watch the Queen's Speech, there is UK satellite TV. There are board games, jig-saws and books to read by the score.

Apart from the normal Christmas activities of presents (yes Father Christmas will find your children) and Christmas dinner, what else is there to do? This area is great for walks, some starting from our village, vine yard tours and wine tasting. There is great and dreadful wine in this area but it is fun finding out which is which. Mitch who works at the wine cave in Eymet is a great source of information on all things French wine and Chris and I can recommend some that we prefer.

To find out more about booking La Grande Maison for your family Christmas break, and more details of the rooms please click here to look at our website.