The answer to your most burning holiday question is finally here! NextVacay did a comprehensive analysis of Google search data, Instagram posts and population and weather data to find the top ten most Christmassy towns in the United States.
The analysis ranked the towns by Christmas Spirit, or the percentage increase of searches for each destination over the past year; Average Snowfall, with a higher score given to those destinations with higher snowfall; Coziness, which ranks smaller towns higher than larger ones; and Instragrammability, which takes into consideration the amount of posts in which the town name was hashtagged with the word "Christmas." Bonus points were given to towns with Christmas Markets.
Leavenworth, Washington is the most Christmassy town in America, and it's not surprising why. The town is designed to resemble a Bavarian village and goes big for Christmas, with 21 miles of Christmas lights decorating the town. It's super popular on Instagram and is home to a whole host of fun holiday activities, like a reindeer farm, Christmas market and even an annual sledding competition. It also receives an average of 96 inches of snowfall a year!
Mystic might be famous for its pizza, but it's also very into the winter holidays. With a Christmas market, thirty-eight local Christmas tree farms, a lantern light tour and boats decorated with Christmas lights, this small town has aced the cozy winter charm people love this time of year. Mystic welcomes 27 inches of snow a year.
Woodstock, Vermont takes the title of the third most Christmassy town in America. With 67.6 inches of snow a year, a lively Christmas market and traditional Christmas decorations, this town has much to enjoy during the holidays, including the Billings Farm, a local holiday favorite.
Boston, despite being the first large city on the list, ranks high in Instagrammability and offers a large Christmas market, 35 nearby Christmas tree farms and receives an average of 43.8 inches of snow each winter. It also hosts the New England Christmas Festival, a seasonal favorite among locals.
The Big Apple might lose some points in coziness because of its massive size and population, but it totally makes up for it in Instagrammability and its holiday markets. And who wouldn't want to take a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park during the winter, when the city is decorated with twinkling lights and other decorations? It also receives 28.5 inches of snow a year, so visitors can enjoy the quieter side of New York.
New Hope is the sixth most Christmassy town in America. Besides its strong sense of holiday cheer, it ranks well on Instagram and offers a traditional Christmas market. It's also home to the North Pole Express and receives 22 inches of snow per year.
East Aurora, New York is the seventh most Christmassy town in America due to its Healthy Zone Ice Rink and is whopping 116 inches of annual snowfall, the highest amount out of any other city on the list! This town's great for enjoying all types of outdoor winter activities, including making snowmen.
A fitting name for the eighth most Christmassy town in America, Bethlehem offers a cozy, photo-worthy town with a great Christkindlmarket. The town also welcomes over 30 inches of snowfall each year.
The only California town on this list, Big Bear Lake is home to a famous City Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and welcomes 52.7 inches of snowfall each winter. It also offers its own Christmas market for locals and visitors to enjoy.
In tenth place, Vail ranks well in both coziness and Instragrammability factors. It also features its Kris Kringle Market for residents and visitors to enjoy, as well as its 108 inches of snowfall each year, making it a well-known ski resort destination.
To see the full report and to view the top 50 most Christmassy towns in the country, please click here.
