17 Can’t-Miss Christmas Places to Visit

From Santa’s workshop to the land of candy-cane stripes, these locales will put you in the Christmas spirit.

by Roxanne Hoorn, Staff Writer

17 Places

You don’t have to go all the way to the North Pole to feel some Christmas cheer. There are places all around the world that scream Christmas, in one way or another—from the red-and-white-striped hills of Azerbaijan to Santa’s New York workshop, and roaming reindeer in Scotland to Christmas trees around the globe.

Get in the holiday spirit by exploring these 17 spots that are all about Christmas.

Chandler, Arizona

Tumbleweed Christmas Tree

Every Christmas, one Arizona city makes the most of its dry climate by creating an arid desert tannenbaum.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Lutcher, Louisiana

Bonfires on the Levee for Papa Noel

A Cajun-style Christmas on the river also involves sky-high pyres and explosives.

Added by Tammy Mercure

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Chippewa Falls Christmas Village

A town filled with hot chocolate, dazzling lights, and lots of Christmas cheer.

Added by dlukenelson

Cleveland, Ohio

A Christmas Story House and Museum

The home made famous by the 1983 holiday classic is now a perfectly preserved shrine to the movie.

punkeymonkey529

Added by punkeymonkey529

The Bronx, New York

Bronx Christmas House of the Garabedian Family

Because holiday cheer is at its finest when it includes eerie mannequins, right?

Added by cait7911

Akureyri, Iceland

Christmas House

Iceland: home to volcanoes, waterfalls and, apparently, Santa?

Dampo

Wilmington, New York

Santa's Workshop

A hamlet full of permanent Christmas spirit holds one of the earliest theme parks in the United States.

Added by scates

Highland, Scotland

Cairngorm Reindeer Centre

Britain's only herd of free-ranging reindeer.

First-Ever Public Christmas Tree Marker

A stone marker and sculpture in the city of Riga stake a claim for the very first community Christmas tree.

ahvenas

Added by ahvenas

Leiden, Netherlands

Leiden's Floating Christmas Market

A market built atop boats is one of the few floating holiday markets in Europe.

CoolCrab

Added by CoolCrab

Mount Ingino Christmas Tree

The world's largest "Christmas tree" is illuminated by hundreds of lights stretching 2,000 feet up the slope of Mount Ingino.

Meg

Groningen, Netherlands

World's Largest Christmas Bauble

Every winter, this former planetarium is transformed into a massive, brightly-lit Christmas ornament.

CoolCrab

Added by CoolCrab

The Menster Christmas Cookie Gravestone

A mother’s sweet tradition lives on with this unique memorial.

Added by dganfield

Rovaniemi, Finland

Santa Claus's Main Post Office

Roughly 17 million letters to Santa have found their way to this Arctic Circle post office.

Siyazan, Azerbaijan

Candy Cane Mountains

Swirling layers of white and red rock earned these mountains their festive nickname.

Michelle Cassidy

Added by Michelle Cassidy

Gävlebocken

If there is one thing you don't want to be in Sweden during Christmas, it's a Yule Goat.

stanestane

Added by stanestane

Seattle, Washington

Nutcracker House

Old 'Nutcracker' sculptures from 'Where the Wild Things Are' author found new life as a seasonal attraction.

Added by chersthomasetmoby

Map