THE 9 MOST CHRISTMASSY TOWNS IN AMERICA!

Solvang, Calif.: A Very Scandinavian Christmas

   The Southern California city of Solvang (Danish for "sunny field") was settled by Danish Americans in the early 1900s and to this day continues to celebrate its Scandinavian roots. Often referred to as the Danish capital of America, Solvang observes Julefest every year to mark the Christmas season. The word Jule is associated with Christmas, but it dates back to the Norse times, when it referred to the yearly winter solstice — the turning point when the daylight hours are at their shortest but begin to grow longer again. After the village's half-timbered houses and four large windmills are decorated with bright lights, the festivities get under way with a tree lighting at city hall, Danish folk dancers, music, horses and carriages and even a parade.

Woodstock, Vt.: A Historic Festival in a Picturesque Town

   Is there a better place to celebrate Christmas than Vermont, where the air has a fragrance of pine needles and the ground is (most likely) dusted with snow? For the past 25 years, Woodstock has hosted Wassail Weekend, a pre-Christmas festival that is rooted in 19th century Norse culture and traditions. While the city itself is a sight to see during the holiday season, Wassail Weekend brings a distinctive parade of more than 50 horses and riders adorned in holiday costumes and period dress, as well as wagon and sleigh rides, a wassail feast and tours of the city's most notable historic buildings. (Wassail is a hot beverage, often something akin to cider, associated with Christmastime.) The city even makes it easy to complete (or start) your holiday shopping: throughout the festival, local shops stay open late, with enticing window displays that appear to be plucked from a movie scene. It's everything you imagine Christmas to be, but so much more.

Los Angeles: Fiesta on Olvera Street

   Las Posadas is a traditional celebration held mostly in Mexico and Guatemala during the evenings of the nine days before Christmas. It depicts a short pilgrimage that re-enacts the Christmas Eve journey of Mary and Joseph, although it started as a Mexican-Indian fiesta that was "adopted" by the invading Spanish conquistadors. Each year from Dec. 16-24, neighborhoods all over Latin America host processions, with a different house hosting festivities each night. Los Angeles has a version of the celebration on its Olvera Street that the public can participate in. Processions start at the Avila Adobe at 7:30 p.m.; local merchant families create candlelit processions of Mary and Joseph followed by children, adults and animals.

Pigeon Forge, Tenn.: There's a Christmas Place for Us

 

   Families who love all the trappings of Christmas can visit the Inn at Christmas Place, a four-star hotel that spares no detail, in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The establishment features old-world Bavarian architecture and is renowned for its very comprehensive Christmas decorations and month long activities leading up to the big holiday, including a singing Santa Claus and a visit by Charles Dickens' great-great-grandson. If that's not enough Christmas cheer, guests can cross the street and visit Christmas Place (the hotel's namesake), the American South's largest Christmas store.

Frankenmuth, Mich.: A Big Store in 'Little Bavaria'

   Visitors to Frankenmuth, Mich., a town of fewer than 5,000 residents, can visit Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, the self-billed "world's largest Christmas store." The town, nicknamed Little Bavaria, features charming Franconian-style architecture that enhances the Christmas spirit when tourists check out the holiday cheer. Bronner's site, the size of 1½ football fields, includes the Silent Night Memorial Chapel, the half-mile-long (0.8 km) Christmas Lane and a decorate-your-own-ornament station. The store, opened in 1945, takes in more than 2 million people each year. Visitors can also experience authentic Bavarian hospitality at the Bavarian Inn of Frankenmuth.

Santa Claus, Ind.: Your Holiday One-Stop Shop

   Billed as "America's Christmas Hometown," Santa Claus, Ind., has a lot to live up to. And boy, does it try its darnedest. The hamlet of Santa Claus in southwest Indiana got its name in 1852, according to the town's website, when a child suggested the name at a town-hall meeting. Another story says the town used to be known as Santa Fe but was forced to adopt a new name when it tried to open a post office and learned that there already was a Santa Fe in Indiana. So residents changed the name to Santa Claus. Either way, the Christmassy village has worn its moniker proudly. Not only does that very post office get tons of mail written to Santa Claus (the gift purveyor), but also Santa Claus the town acts as a one-stop destination for any Christmas need you could imagine.

McAdenville, N.C.: Christmas Town, USA

   On Dec. 1 each year, the tiny textile town of McAdenville, N.C. (pop. 619), transforms into the biggest holiday light display in the U.S., earning it the coveted name of Christmas Town USA. For a full 26 days, Christmas Town glimmers and shimmers with the light of more than 375 decorated trees. But it's not just the illumination that makes the town's Christmas display spectacular. More than 200 wreaths are fastened to lampposts throughout town; a life-size Nativity set, as well as a display of Santa and his reindeer, add hints of small-town charm; and the lake's fountain gleams under a colorful light show while the sounds of Christmas carols chime from a nearby church. It's a complete Christmas experience that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. As the town prepares for its 56th annual holiday transformation, one thing is for sure: There's no way Santa could miss McAdenville on his journey.

New York City: Big City, Even Bigger Christmas Celebration

   The Big Apple tends to swell in size over the holidays, as millions of tourists rush to take in the sights and sounds of a city they might only have seen before on a television screen. From Rockefeller Center'sgorgeous (and enormous) tree surrounded by heralded angels to Bryant Park's Winter Wonderland and, of course, the unbelievable performances of the Radio City Rockettes and the Nutcracker ballet troupe, New York City reserves the holiday season for its moment of magical transformation. Just be sure to bring your patience — waiting in line to see the holiday window displays at Macy's, Barney's, Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue may evoke your not-so-cheerful side, but it's an unmissable tradition, just like the shopping you can do inside those stores. Even the city's side streets seem to sing with cheer during the holidays, as trees are adorned with white lights and wreaths go up in windows. It's almost like a movie scene, but then again, New York always is.

Washington: A Capitol Christmas

 

   U.S. Presidents have hosted the lighting of America's tree since 1923, when Calvin Coolidge walked from the White House to the Ellipse at Washington's President's Park to present a 48-ft. (15 m) Balsam fir. Over the years, the tree has appeared in several different Washington locations, including the White House lawn, but since 1954, the decorating and lighting have happened at the Ellipse. In 2011, the 89th annual celebration takes place on Dec. 1. Performers will include singers Marsha Ambrosius and Rodney Atkins and the band One Republic, with appearances by TV host Carson Daly and Kermit the Frog.