Christmas and New Year's Eve 2025: how to prepare your holiday home

The Christmas holidays of 2025 are just around the corner. For many owners, these are the busiest and most profitable weeks of the winter. They are also the weeks with the most questions: what do you charge for Christmas Eve, how long must guests stay at a minimum, and how do you prevent a New Year's Eve party that gets out of hand? At the end of November 2025, you still have time to make adjustments.

The calendar: two holidays that almost coincide

In Flanders, the Christmas holidays run from 22 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 inclusive. In Wallonia and Brussels, the winter holidays start on the same day, but they already end on 2 January 2026.

That difference seems small, but it has consequences. Walloon and Brussels families have to be back home just after New Year. Flemish families still have an extra weekend. As a result, in the first days of January 2026 you will mainly see demand from Flanders, while the week around Christmas is open to all Belgian families at the same time.

If you also look at Dutch guests, check their own school holidays. They often partly coincide with the Belgian ones, but not always completely.

If you let a property in Ghent, you have an extra advantage. Winter in Gent, the Christmas market, runs from 4 to 31 December 2025 inclusive. As a result, the weekends before the holidays also draw visitors to the city.

Christmas and New Year's Eve are two different markets

Many owners put one high price on the whole period. That is understandable, but it leaves opportunities untouched. Christmas and New Year's Eve attract a different audience.

Around 24, 25 and 26 December, it is mainly families who book. They look for a quiet place to be together, often with the grandparents too. They book early, pay attention to comfort and plan their meals at home. For them, a large dining table and a well-equipped kitchen weigh more heavily than the location.

Around New Year's Eve, demand shifts. Groups of friends and couples look for a place to round off the year. They often book later, are less price-sensitive and want to be close to a city, the sea or a party.

That difference translates into your prices. The nights around Christmas can be considerably higher than normal, but you do not need to set them at the maximum. Families compare carefully. The night of 31 December is usually the most expensive night of the whole winter. There, your price can follow demand.

The days between Christmas and New Year's Eve are a separate case. They are often less in demand than the holidays themselves. A slightly lower price or a shorter minimum stay helps to fill them.

Minimum stay: do not fill the gaps too late

In this period, the minimum stay is at least as important as the price. Without a rule, you can easily end up with one single night on 31 December. After that, the property may stay empty for days, because nobody books the short leftovers before and after it.

A few workable rules of thumb:

• Around Christmas, a minimum of three nights works well. Families want to stay a few days anyway.
• Around New Year's Eve, many owners choose a minimum of three or four nights, including the night of 31 December.
• If there are still single gaps left at the start of December, lower the minimum for exactly those dates.

Look at your calendar every week. A rule that is right in November may be too strict in mid-December.

New Year's Eve without a party that gets out of hand

New Year's Eve is the night on which owners most often suffer damage. A group that promises a quiet stay invites twenty more friends at midnight. With a few measures, you greatly reduce that risk.

Start with screening. Read every message from guests booking for New Year's Eve carefully. Ask a short question about the reason for their stay and how many of them are coming. An honest and concrete answer is a good sign. A vague or evasive answer is not.

In addition, make your house rules clear. State in the listing and in the confirmation message that parties and extra visitors are not allowed. Mention the maximum number of people and the quiet hours at night. The more concrete the rule, the better guests respect it.

A noise monitor that only measures volume, without recordings, can give you a signal when things get too loud. Always mention such a device in your listing. Cameras inside the property are not an option. Outside, at the entrance, the platform's rules apply. You must then also disclose them clearly.

Finally: talk to your insurer. Ask whether damage caused by guests is covered and under what conditions. An ordinary home insurance policy often does not cover holiday letting.

Small festive details with a big effect

Guests who book for Christmas expect atmosphere. You do not have to build a complete set. A few simple touches already make a big difference to how the stay feels and to the reviews that follow.

Think of a small Christmas tree or a few branches in a vase, warm string lights, extra blankets on the sofa and a nice table runner. A welcome pack with coffee, tea, something sweet and a bottle of bubbly always goes down well on New Year's Eve.

Also check whether the kitchen is ready for a festive meal. Are there enough plates, glasses and cutlery for the maximum number of guests? Is there a large oven dish, a casserole and a corkscrew? Families cook elaborate meals at Christmas.

Heating and arrival: the cold moment

A cold property on arrival is the complaint you can most easily avoid. Turn the heating up well in time, especially if the property has been empty for a few days. A smart thermostat lets you do that remotely.

Have the boiler serviced before the holidays if that has not been done yet. A broken heating system on 25 December is hard to fix. Tradespeople are on holiday themselves then.

Also think about the path to the front door. A lit path, a doormat and a place to put wet shoes and coats make the first moment pleasant. If it gets slippery, make sure there is grit ready.

Send guests a clear arrival message a few days in advance. Mention the address, where they park, how they get in and who they can call. In the bustle of the holidays, that prevents a lot of phone calls.

Your planning for the coming weeks

If you take action now, you will be in a strong position in December. A short checklist:

1. Check your prices for 24, 25 and 26 December and for 31 December separately.
2. Set the minimum stay per period and review it every week.
3. Update your house rules, paying attention to parties and the number of guests.
4. Have the heating checked and test the thermostat.
5. Get the festive items and a welcome pack ready.
6. Plan the cleaning between bookings, because your cleaners also want time off around the holidays.

Help with the festive season

This period calls for a lot of follow-up in a short time. YourDomi adjusts prices daily based on market data and answers guests 7 days a week in their own language. Our own cleaning team works with a fixed checklist and a photo check, and every booking gets its own code for the smart lock. If you would like to know what that could mean for your property, request a personal proposal.