With no turkey and no tinsel, Mark Palmer finds Marrakech still makes for a fabulous festive family holiday. […] Twenty four hours in Essaouira is absurd, but the teenagers needed to be back in Britain for New Year’s Eve and I wanted them to sample Berber country before heading home. Good decision.  We headed out to the mountains and opted for a two-night stay at peaceful La Roseraie, near the village of Ouirgane, at an altitude of some 3000 ft. The champagne air, lush rose gardens and immaculate lemon groves combined to assuage any lingering stresses and made us keen to explore the region further. […] From here, it’s a though but not unreasonable climb to the summit of Jbel Toubkal which we promised to attempt on another occasion.