Holidays tend to be one of the most joyful times of the year, but that doesn't mean they're without stress. All that freaking out about entertaining, often times other members are traveling in from somewhere else, and don't get started on how hellish holiday travel is... but apparently, there's a new travel trend forming that hopes to do away with all that – family trips to all-inclusive resorts.

"In most cases, once a person takes a resort vacation during the holiday season, especially at one of the nicer properties worldwide, they wonder why it took them so long to try it," says Bob Levinstein, CEO of ResortCompete.com. "With very few exceptions, people who travel to these all-inclusive resorts during the holiday season think they've just enjoyed one of the best gifts to themselves ever."

Some of the locales Levinstein suggests include Punta Cana, where Dreams offers special events for the kids including turkey calling, special arts & crafts and history lessons with live 'Pilgrims.' But that's just Thanksgiving. Christmas has the associated décor and a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve, followed by Christmas dinner on Christmas day. And the only sweat you'll break over that meal comes in the form of digesting turkey.

There's also Cayo Espanto, Belize, which is right on the second largest barrier reef in the world, and the Dreams resort in Los Cabos, if you're into something more tropical. If not, Vista Verde Ranch in Colorado will give you all the Christmas sleigh rides you desire, along with tree cutting and whatnot. Or the Deerhurst Resort in Ontario has skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating and more.

In the grand scheme of things, the concept of family travel during the holidays versus not appears to be a six of one, half dozen of the other scenario. So on one hand, you have to go through the hell of airport holiday madness with the whole family in tow, but once you get there, everything is taken care of. Whereas if you stay home, you have to deal with all the cooking and clean-up and hosting and whatnot, but you don't have to deal with the travel.

Really, it seems like doing a trade-off would be the ideal – one year at home, another elsewhere. That way you get the best of both worlds.