Top 10 Christmas Towns
Woodstock, VT, photo courtesy of HGTV.
In case you missed the one-hour special, “Top 10 Christmas Towns”, which premiered on HGTV December 7, never fear. Not only will the show be reairing all month (check your local listing for air times in your area), but also you can find clips right here.
Also, learn how to create down home holiday craft projects and recipes, including corn shuck angels, cowboy Christmas decorations, wassail and German spiced wine.
Below is a list of the towns, along with highlights.
Check out a slideshow with breathtaking photos here.
1.) NEW ORLEANS, LA – French Quarter Christmas
This city mixes spirit and spirituality during this time of year, shaped by the bayou, blues and Creole Christmas tradition. Traditions include fancy cornucopias filled with candy and flowers, like those used in olden days by gentlemen to woo women. Snow machines give youngsters a fun winter wonderland. Finally, some 2,000 locals gather to see candles in front of the St. Louis cathedral in Jackson Square to pray for those lost during Hurricane Katrina and other hardships over the years.
2.) KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE – Christmas by the Sea
Residents incorporate seashells into most of their decorations, especially wreaths. They eat lobster for Christmas dinner, rather than turkey – also Santa comes in a lobster boat every year and Christmas trees are made entirely of lobster traps.
3.) MOUNTAIN VIEW, ARKANSAS – Ozarks Christmas
The locals pay tribute to their centuries-long musical heritage by caroling in the caves, in a huge amphitheater located in Blanchard Spring Caverns, where the sound is incredible! Also they make corn shuck angels (made out of corn husks and string) that hold various musical instruments like fiddle banjos and dulcimers, and a guy whittles spools into ornaments.
4.) NORTH POLE, ALASKA – Alaskan Christmas
Just outside of Anchorage, this town celebrates with a stunning ice-carving competition, when artists have 29 hours to create their work using drills, chisels, hot water and heat. With sculptures ranging from a Santa on a rooftop to snowmen to a girl playing a harp while standing on a chair, this event consistently wows the crowds.
5.) ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA – Scottish Christmas
Residents celebrate the town’s rich Scottish heritage, with an annual Christmas parade complete with bagpipes, dogs and a sea of kilts and tartans. The celebration culminates with the elaborate Holiday Boat Parade and a dazzling light show along the Potomac.
6.) MACKINAC ISLAND, MICHIGAN – Vintage Christmas
Just a frozen 20 minute ferry ride from the northern tip of Michigan, this town of only 500 people celebrate Christmas like they did a century ago — people travel only on horse and buggy, since cars have been banned for 100 years. Among the town’s traditions, Santa visits every child to hear their Christmas wish, they have an annual island Christmas bazaar where they sell unique crafts and their decorations are full of lots of green, red and lilacs, which is a special local color.
7.) DURANGO, COLORADO – Old West Christmas
Families use found items from the Old West for ornaments and trimmings, including cowboy boots as stockings, chaps as table runners or bridle bits as garland to wrap around stairwells or railings. They also have a Polar Express which has been around since the late 1880s, where kids show up in PJ’s, and they hop on a locomotive train which rides 30 minutes out of town to the “North Pole,” where Santa is waiting and gives them a little bell.
8.) WOODSTOCK, VERMONT- Medieval-style Christmas
Traditions stem from pagan days, including “wassail weekend” (where they drink apple cider-based drink, with fruits and spices, and alcohol) and a huge Yule Log fire on the village green. The entire town is decked with traditional wreaths and pine garlands throughout.
9.) SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS- Southwestern Christmas
Residents pull out all the stops to make this Christmas memorable, from piñatas and mariachis to riverboats and twinkling trees. Instead of turkey, they make tamales. Some of the traditional Mexican decorations include figurines made from cornhusks wearing colorful dresses. Finally, they stage an annual spirtual and spirited procession, “La Gran Posada,” a moving reenactment of the first Christmas eve.
10.) LEAVENWORTH, WASHINGTON – Bavarian Village
This former mining and logging town was transformed into an over-the-top Bavarian village 40 years ago, complete with Old World traditions for kids and grown-ups and redesigned architecture. There, they sip traditional Gluvine-spiced wine drinks and kids lead a lantern parade every weekend. During the holidays, this 2,200-person town swells to 50,000. The town even has a gingerbread factory that specializes in high-end holiday houses that they ship all over the world.
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Hi
Really enjoyed seeing clips of the Top 10 Christmas towns. Nice to see Woodstock Vermont which is just over the mountains from the Manchester Vermont area!
Wondered how we go about submitting Our Town of Manchester, Vermont for next year’s inclusion????
We were instrumental this year in bringing Horse Drawn Wagon rides to the area pulled by the rare breed ,American Cream Draft Horses! While known as a ‘Designer Outlet’ shopping town, we are soo much more than that! We have wonderful activities in town such as the wagon rides, and the tree lighting ceremonies, concerts and live Nativity scenes at the local churches. We are also situated at the base of beautiful Mt Equinox and minutes away from skiing at Bromley and Stratton Mtn.
Working with our local Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jay Hathaway is always a pleasure as he and his staff make every visitor to our area feel like they are ‘coming home’ for the holiday! Jay was instrumental in bringing the Great Pumpkin Challenge to our area and we have successfully beaten the prior year’s challenges to make our mark in the Guiness Book of World Records…. With his experiences of working and living in our community he would be a wonderful resource to speak to the beauty of Manchester and the surrounding areas.
As for us here at the Casablanca Motel, we truly love being a part of this community and for us it really is a “Top Christmas Town”!
Diane Pouliot & Linda Benway
Please let us know how we might submit our own presentation for consideration.
Where’s the Leavenworth’s recipe for the Gluvine?