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So, why does the 'Perfect' holiday home need to be a mansion? We grew up middle class and had nice but simple home. We had some wonderful holidays. Those memories I will never forget. To this day, our familes still celebrate being a family, although it's a fantastic get-together in an average 3 bedroom home, we have such a wonderful time as a family. My dad is terminally ill with cancer and this will be his last Thanksgiving and Christmas. The memories in our simple, but nice home will live in our hearts forever.
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
By Christopher Solomon of MSN Real Estate
What's your ideal home for the holidays? A place with a huge kitchen for entertaining second cousins? A cozy home in Vermont with a crackling fire and snow falling outside? A condo on the ski slopes?
With help from our partner Realtor.com, we've scoured the listings to bring you 10 homes for sale nationwide that would be great places to get together this time of year. Take a look — then act fast. There aren't many shopping days left.
NOTE: All descriptive information is courtesy of listing agents. Properties were on the market and listed as available at the time of publication, unless noted otherwise.
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
Traditional beauty
Amherst, N.Y.
- 4 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms (3 full, 3 half)
- 5,232 square feet
- $824,900
Sometimes only the feeling of a traditional home will do for the holidays. This 1921 Tudor-style home northeast of Buffalo has that old-style feel, but with modern upgrades. Old World touches include a wood-paneled drawing room, but the home is large enough to also have a modern, eat-in kitchen. Out back is a fenced yard with an in-ground pool and pool house to make you long for summer's return.
- Realtor.com: Browse other Amherst homes
- Video: How to plan a winter vacation
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
Handsome Virginian
Arlington, Va.
- 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
- 3,397 square feet
- $1.5 million
Sometimes what you want is a classy, comfortable place that says "home." This 1951 house just outside of Washington, D.C. has that vibe. The previous owners spent more than $450,000 on improvements in the past few years, and it shows in the new kitchen, new front porch and new bedroom suite. A family room off the kitchen -- stocked with, among other appliances, a wine cooler for holiday beverages -- opens to a parklike backyard.
- Realtor.com: Browse other Arlington homes
- 'Listed': Hire a circus, sell your house
- MSN Lifestyle: Check out the holiday spending guide
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
Mountain majesty
Bozeman, Mont.
- 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
- 4,700 square feet
- $849,000
Bozeman is a great place to get together come winter: World-class skiing at Big Sky is a little more than an hour away, and Bridger Bowl is even closer. This 4,700-square-foot home has big views of the Bridger Mountains from its large dining room, which is ready for a family-sized dining table. A tricked-out kitchen includes an extra-large pantry for storing all the stuffing for that holiday turkey. In the adjoining great room, a big custom fireplace with wood-beam mantel is ready for long nights before the fire.
- Realtor.com: Browse other Bozeman homes
- Video: How to plan a winter vacation
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
Country club view
Edina, Minn.
- 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms
- 8,675 square feet
- $2.99 million
With its early snow on the ground, Minnesota just seems like the right place for holiday gatherings. If you have the dough, this home would be a great place to gather the brood: The 1937 estate just southwest of Minneapolis has been expanded twice in recent years, most recently to include a wing with a family room and a huge fireplace. The hilltop home has great views — south over the Edina Country Club golf course, and north to Minnehaha Creek (of "Hiawatha" fame).
- Realtor.com: Browse other Edina homes
- 'Listed': Hire a circus, sell your house
- MSN Lifestyle: Check out the holiday spending guide
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
Mountain refuge
Jackson, Wyo.
- 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
- 6,311 square feet
- $8.75 million
With the giant, snow-covered Tetons filling the windows, this estate made of big logs and river rock is a quintessential Jackson Hole escape for a big family. From the great room, the home's centerpiece, you can sit and watch the torchlight parades snake down the slopes of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. A recreation room has a wood-burning fireplace, pool table and game table for family contests. The mudroom has a 30-boot heater for drying gear after a powder day.
- Realtor.com: Browse other Jackson homes
- Video: How to plan a winter vacation
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
Snow country stunner
Stateline, Nev.
- 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms (5 full, 2 half)
- 5,817 square feet
- $3.29 million
A ski house is a great place for the extended family to meet — but how to manage all those bodies? Why, with an expansive (if expensive) home like this, of course. This new, ski-in/ski-out custom home (see more here) at the top of Heavenly Ski Resort, on Tahoe's eastern shore, has a kitchen with double everything, three fireplaces and two family rooms — one of which includes a mini kitchen so you can grab a quick snack and hit the slopes again.
- Realtor.com: Browse other Stateline homes
- 'Listed': Hire a circus, sell your house
- MSN Lifestyle: Check out the holiday spending guide
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
Spokane-area splendor
Liberty Lake, Wash.
- 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
- 5,200 square feet
- $899,997
If you're hoping to gather the family in the Inland Empire of the Northwest, how about on the shore of Liberty Lake, in the eponymous suburb of Spokane on the Idaho state line? This four-level home is ready for the whole family to relax, with a built-in indoor hot tub with stone waterfall, a built-in wet bar, five entertaining decks and more than 5,000 feet of living space.
- Realtor.com: Browse other Liberty Lake homes
- Video: How to plan a winter vacation
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
Snug New Englander
Hales Location, N.H.
- 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
- 4,377 square feet
- $599,900
A big New England family demands a big — yet cozy — spot to gather come winter. You could do a lot worse than this spacious, picture-pretty home in tiny Hales Location, in eastern New Hampshire. Ceramic tiles, hardwood floors and custom woodwork help make the inside of the place special. But it's what's outside that's especially intriguing: winter walks in the snow through the adjoining state park and to Echo Lake nearby.
- Realtor.com: Browse other Hales Location homes
- 'Listed': Hire a circus, sell your house
- MSN Lifestyle: Check out the holiday spending guide
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
A slope-side refuge
Park City, Utah
- 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
- 4,730 square feet
- $4.59 million
Nothing says winter holidays like strapping on the skis with the family. How about doing it from this ski-in/ski-out home, which sits right on the ski run? You can ski right onto Park City's Town Lift or walk down to the shops and restaurants of the former mining town's impossibly quaint Main Street. To accompany big gatherings, this 1995-built home has a second family room and an open layout.
- Realtor.com: Browse other Park City homes
- Video: How to plan a winter vacation
Homes for the holidays: Great places to gather the whole family
Home on the range
Billings, Mont.
- 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
- 5,451 square feet
- $699,900
If you're looking for a place for the family to gather in "The Last Best Place," you might not need to look any farther than this 17-acre spread in Billings. The 3-year-old home is ready to entertain all the relatives, with five bedrooms, a home theater and a family room with bar. Radiant-heat floors keep Jack Frost at bay.
NOTE: This property is no longer listed.
- Realtor.com: Browse other Billings homes
- 'Listed': Hire a circus, sell your house
- MSN Lifestyle: Check out the holiday spending guide
- Find a home in the perfect neighborhood





