Airbnb hosts both love and loathe Christmas as they try to make as much money as possible: 'It's something we count on for the winter months'

Melinda Johnson, who runs 29 Airbnbs in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, decks their halls for the competitive holiday season.

Courtesy of Melinda Johnson

• Nightly rates for Airbnbs spike during the holidays. One Tennessee cabin triples its price. 
• Hosts go all out to woo guests, corralling dozens of Christmas trees and backup turkeys. 
• One analyst said Airbnb owners who don't raise their rates enough are "leaving money on the table."

This year, Melinda Johnson is decorating 29 Christmas trees.