We skied in Rauris, which is about a 20-minute drive from Zell, last Christmas. We also went out on the 23rd. That area of Austria is quite low, so it can be risky in terms of snow cover. We had snow in Rauris, but not all of the runs were open as there wasn't enough. This included some of the beginner runs, meaning there was limited scope for those. Because of the lack of snow, the existing runs were also very icy, making skiing quite tricky.
Christmas skiing can be brilliant, but as last season showed, if the start of the season is rubbish, it leads to dodgy ski conditions.
Have your friends been there before at Christmas?
Also, have you posted on Snowheads? That's a much more active forum, and you'll get lots of quick answers and advice.
I've attached photos of our trip to Rauris.
They are:
Nursery slope at 950m.
The summit at 2,175m.
A black run, closed because of lack of snow. Approximately 1100m at that point (taken from the gondola).