Carolers, hot chocolate, holiday decorations galore…celebrating Christmas is an art form, and these small towns have perfected it, spreading cheer every December. A Santa in the square? Child’s play. Here, villages turn storybook Christmases straight out of a Dickens novel into reality, taking celebrations to the next level in the form of parades, unique trees, miles of ornate lighting displays, pageants, and enough chestnuts and cocoa to send the elves into hibernation. If you want to feel like you’re stepping inside your favorite magical holiday flick, visit one of these best Christmas villages and towns in the U.S., Germany, and around the world.
Slovan, California
In the Santa Ynez Mountains outside Santa Barbara, this tiny Danish village celebrates Christmas with ample cheer during its annual Julefest. Events include the Skål Stroll Wine and Beer Walk, candlelight tours, a nativity pageant, a holiday concert, and the Julefest parade. Keep an eye peeled for the Jule Nisse: festive gnomes with clues leading toward holiday prizes.
Bad Ragaz, Switzerland
The Swiss town of Bad Ragaz kicks off its yearly Christmas season in late November with a ceremonial Festival of Lights, illuminating the 131-foot-tall sequoia tree on the lawn of Grand Resort Bad Ragaz—supposedly the tallest living Christmas tree in Europe. Other events hosted at the picturesque village’s Grand Resort include several Christmas markets, multiple concerts, dinners, parties, and processions, and a Russian Christmas gala.
Franklin Tennessee
Nearly 100,000 people travel to Franklin, Tennessee each year for its Dickens of a Christmas: a two-day festival featuring over 200 musicians, dancers, and characters from Charles Dickens stories. Other highlights include a Victorian Christmas Village, carriage rides, and a makers village.
Aarhus, Denmark
Denmark’s second-largest city, the quaint destination of Aarhus, is a Christmas dream. The town boasts thousands of lights on its “Strøget” high street, with delights including a Christmas market selling Danish specialties, the exterior of department store Salling wrapped up like a gift, Christmas tree-lined streets in the Latin Quarter, and a panorama of Danish Christmas throughout the ages at The Old Town Museum, Den Gamle By.
Williamsburg, Virginia
Calling itself the Best Christmas Town in America, Colonial Williamsburg particularly shines at Christmastime. Traditions abound, such as caroling by torchlight, a gun-salute display, and every home in the historic area lighting a candle in their windows—dating back to the days of the Founding Fathers. As far as lights, the area can’t be beat, with Busch Gardens donning 10 million lights for the largest display in North America. And the Community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Market Square is a must.
Colmar, France
A quaint Alsatian village close to the German border, Colmar is reportedly one of the locales that inspired Belle’s town in Beauty and the Beast. Indeed, the fairy-tale aspect of Colmar comes to life during the holidays, with five Christmas markets, an endless array of twinkling lights, carolers, a roller coaster, carousel, and ice-skating rink.
Alexandria, Virginia
For a traditional American Christmas, head to Alexandria, Virginia, where the Old Town’s streets and 18th-century row houses bustle with good cheer each December. Festive-seekers can find carolers, hand bell choirs, ample lights and decorations, while close by there’s Mount Vernon, home to Aladdin, a Christmas camel, as well as a Colonial Christmas experience.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
A meticulously-preserved walled medieval town in Germany, Rothenburg ob der Tauber boasts a centuries old Christmas market well-worth the trip to its cobblestone streets. (Incredibly, this used to be Germany’s second largest city.) Revelers can find treats like mulled wine, grilled sausage, roast chestnuts, or an original Rothenburg Snowball fried dough pastry, while other highlights include a German Christmas Museum. The market kicks off every year with the appearance of the “Rothenburger Riders,” horsemen who—while formerly scary—are now believed to be messengers of good news
Santa Claus, Indiana
With a name like Santa Claus, how could this small Indiana town not be full of seasonal tidings? Celebrations include the annual Christmas parade, a Santa Claus Arts & Crafts Show, Santa’s Candy Castle for elven chats, a German-inspired Das Nikolaus Fest, and the Santa Claus Museum & Village, where children can write letters to St. Nick. (PS: letters postmarked by December 20th will receive a response, too!)
Mont Tremblant, Quebec
At Christmastime, Canada’s pedestrian village Mont Tremblant turns into a winter wonderland, complete with skiing, tubing, dog sledding, and horse-drawn sleighs. Toufou, the town mascot, greets visitors who come for events such as the holiday parade, Lumberjack Day, concerts and entertainment from the Grelot Family elves, and generational storytelling on Legends Day.
Branson, Missouri
It’s no wonder Branson is known as America’s Christmas Tree City: this is a town that does Christmas proud. Over 6.5 million lights sparkle in Branson every festive season, with other highlights including more than 1000 Christmas trees, Rudolph’s Holly Jolly Christmas Light Parade, a drive-through lights display, Living Nativity petting zoo, and the Christmas celebration at Silver Dollar City with its nightly lights display and Christmas festival.
Coburg, Germany
The hometown of Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert—who reportedly introduced the Christmas tree and other German festive customs to England—the Bavarian city of Coburg comes alive at Christmastime with its traditional Christmas Market, candlelight parade led by the Coburg Children’s Choir, and Christmas decorations aplenty. Revelers can also enjoy treats like spiced wine, mulled beer, and Lebkuchen, a baked German gingerbread treat, as well as enjoy horse and carriage rides around the charming town.
Frankenmuth, Michigan
During the holidays, Little Bavaria in Frankenmuth, Michigan features a panoply of events earning its spot as one of the preeminent Christmas destinations. Highlights include a European-style Christmas market, meals with Santa and Mrs. Claus, horse-drawn carriage rides, and the world’s largest Christmas store: Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the size of one-and-a-half football fields.
Winchester, England
This medieval city features one of England’s biggest and most charming German-inspired Christmas markets with more than one hundred wooden chalets. Seasonal bright spots include the outdoor skating rink, British Crafts Village complete with nativity scene; festive food like bratwurst, minced pies and mulled wine; family carols at Winchester Cathedral; an annual Lantern Parade; and a charitable Santa Fun Run.
Riverside, California
The six-week long Festival of Lights debuts each Thanksgiving at historic The Mission Inn in Riverside, California, with a grand countdown celebration featuring more than 5 million holiday lights and a fireworks display. Despite the sunny Southern California background, holiday-seekers can find horse-drawn carriages, an arts market, nightly live entertainment, and, of course, visits with Santa Claus.
Montreux, Switzerland
The small Swiss town of Montreux features a legendary Christmas Market overlooking Lac Léman, with more than 160 chalet stalls, crafts, mulled wine, local delicacies, live music, artisan gifts, and numerous restaurants. Children and adults alike can enjoy the Lumberjack Village, catch sight of Santa on his flying sleigh, ride the Big Ferris Wheel, visits elves in the Place du Marche (otherwise known as Elves Square), and even take a cogwheel train up the Rochers-de-Naye mountain to Santa’s House. Nearby, the medieval fortress of Chillon Castle provides even more festive delights.
Bath, England
The Georgian spa town of Bath transforms into a winter wonderland at Christmas, complete with annual Bath Christmas market featuring more than 150 chalets, an ice rink, Victorian carousel, parties, wreath-making workshops, festive train rides, visits from Santa, and more. Don’t forget to check out the Christmas Tree Carol Trail to enjoy each of ten trees decorated in the style of a classic Christmas song.
North Pole, Alaska
Only fifteen miles away from Fairbanks, you’ll find the picture-perfect village of North Pole, Alaska. As befitting a town literally celebrating Christmas year-round—Santa and Mrs. Claus make an appearance in the 4th of July parade—here guests can find the Santa Claus House: equal parts general-store, post office, and holiday shop. No trip is complete without seeing Santa’s sleigh and reindeer, the annual Winter Festival, the world’s largest Santa statue, and aptly named streets like Snowman Lane and Kris Kringle Drive.
Freiburg, Germany
As the unofficial capital of southwest Germany’s Black Forest, the town of Freiburg features Christmas charm aplenty. Its traditional and undeniably quaint Christmas market offers crafts, gifts, seasonal nibbles and drinks from more than 130 stalls, while other must-dos include a life-sized wooden nativity and daily advent services at St. Martin’s Church.
Have you kept to your new year’s resolutions? Sadly most of us haven’t, and many of us have given up trying. But why is this? Are you going to wait another 12 months before you try again? Many people give up if they fail once. You are putting unreasonable pressure on yourself if you do this.
In one of the British Heart Foundation publications I came across a lovely phrase: ” A lapse is not a collapse”. In other words, because you’ve failed once, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed completely. Sometimes you have to fail several (or even many) times before you succeed. Thomas Edison said: “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” It is said that Edison was asked how he could bear to have so many failed experiments, and he said: “I’ve learnt 700 ways not to make a light bulb.” I’m not sure if this story is true, but it really shows graphically the power of positive persistence.
So, pick yourself up and try again, but before you do – think again. Think about the goal you’ve set yourself, and ask yourself some questions: Is it worth achieving? Is this the best way to achieve it? Do I need help from others to achieve my goal? Should I break a big goal down into several smaller goals? Have I set myself too many goals?
Then be persistent and tenacious. Louis Pasteur said: “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in my tenacity”.
Make 2020 a year when you got closer to the person you could be:
“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” Barbara Kingsolver
Apparently a baby falls at least 1500 whilst learning to walk. Now that’s an interesting thought – think of all those things that we would have never learnt as babies if we’d given up as easily as we do now!
Everyone loves the holiday season. It is a chance to spend time with family and friends and have a break from the everyday routine. The Christmas holiday is a time for decorating the house and filling it with smells of mince pies. Young children get excited at the thought of all those presents waiting to be opened under the Christmas tree. Preparations can be hard work for those in charge but it is all worthwhile.
Planning in advance is the key to a successful and stress free Christmas holiday. Shopping for gifts at the last minute is a sure fire way to raise the blood pressure! Many people shop by mail order or on the Internet in order to beat the crowds. The only last minute shopping that needs to be done is perishable food items. Christmas dinner can also be prepared in advance to a degree with the aid of the freezer. The cook should leave other family members to do the dish washing afterwards!
Most people like the traditional way of doing things and that includes decorating the tree on Christmas Eve. Some people also like to attend church on Christmas Eve and the carol service can be a moving experience, setting the mood for the Christmas holiday. Christmas dinner is usually turkey with all the trimmings. Turkey can be dry, so it’s a good idea to have a stuffing with apples and sage and plenty cranberry jelly. Roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, sprouts, bread sauce and thick gravy are the perfect accompaniments followed by Christmas Pudding and brandy butter sauce. For those preferring something less rich, cheese and crackers is ideal.
Deciding what to buy children can be difficult. There is so much choice but many parents are on a budget. Young children will often spend more time playing with the gift wrapping than the actual present! The little gifts put into the Christmas stockings are sometimes, the most appreciated. Whatever the present, the thought of Father Christmas coming down the chimney is the highlight of the Christmas holiday.
It’s tempting to overindulge in food and drink during the festive season. Membership of fitness gyms tends to go up during the month of January with everyone desperately trying to lose the pounds they gained over the Christmas holiday. Drinking too much is more of a serious problem, especially at the office party. No one wants to start the holiday with a hangover!
Although the commercialization of Christmas is often decried, shopping is an important and central activity to some of the intangible magic of Christmas. It is at the malls or downtown stores that some of the favorite sights, sounds and scents of Christmas can be experienced. The decorations at Malls and retail establishments are usually very fanciful and eye-catching, especially to children, with the many colorful and twinkling lights. It’s also a wonder for both adults and children alike to look at the numerous tinsels, baubles and figurines such as fairies, angels and little babies that adorn the main Christmas tree in the center of shopping malls and others in department stores. These trees are usually extremely well embellished with decorations that are arranged in a very professional way that most shoppers can’t replicate in their own homes. It’s therefore a delight for them to stare at such trees in wonder and amazement.
Along with the wide variety of decorations in retail establishments, there also is the sound of music playing, bells ringing, the laughter and wishes of Merry Christmas from shoppers that also create a special atmosphere and add to the magic of Christmas. Even the sound of cash registers in the background adds something to the special feeling shoppers have at Christmas time.
And of course there’s always a Santa Claus that children can meet and tell what they want for Christmas, and also have their picture taken. Sometimes Santa Claus may distribute Christmas gifts to children, telling them that because they have been very, very good they are getting an extra special early Christmas present.
The ability to delight children by telling them stories about Santa Claus, as well as making them see and talk to the jolly old fellow, puts a lot of magic and excitement into Christmas. Once the tradition is started, or from the first time that children have been told the story, it becomes something that they look forward to every year during the Christmas season.
There’s also the sound of music from choirs or school groups who often give open performances singing Christmas carols and songs in malls and downtown areas of towns. Families and others who are out and about will pause to listen or to sing along with these groups. Shopping is undoubtedly an enjoyable activity for most people during Christmas, but merrier and more memorable times are enjoyed when time is spent with family, friends and colleagues during the season. Before Christmas Day arrives, there usually are parties at home and at work, an evening out with friends and other occasions to get together and share the spirit of Christmas. The presence of special Christmas music and people dressed in holiday attire provide a different atmosphere and contribute to the magical feeling of the season.
Another thing that is different at Christmas is the scent from a fresh Christmas tree, of gingerbread and other cookies baking and other food preparations that are specially done at Christmas time. Most people who select a real Christmas tree instead of an artificial one for their homes do so because of the wonderful scent it provides. For many people, that scent from a Christmas tree is what puts Christmas into everything else.
Another popular scent at Christmas comes from the popular Christmas song ‘Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire.’ The actual roasting of chestnuts by families during the Christmas season may be a rare occurrence these days but it is occasionally done in some downtown areas and in bakeries and confectioneries that make fresh products everyday.
All these events, activities, happenings, sights, sounds and scents of Christmas and the holidays create special and unforgettable memories. And who can deny that a pleasant memory is always something that is truly magical.
“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” Roy L. Smith
New Year is a time of celebration, beginning of all the new work and activities where as leaving all the worst deeds in the past. I truly hope you are looking forward to the holidays and the New Year, and I want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you the best of times. Let’s not forget that we really do have something to celebrate. We are still here. That’s something to be thankful for. We still have people that care about us. And we all have the capacity to make things better. Isn’t this freedom to create a better world for ourselves and our loved ones?
Let’s get happy and celebrate the spirit of the New Year. Let’s do something that will give us a better future. Let’s become part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
New Year is a time to ring out the Old and ring in the New with fun, party and celebration among our friends and families. It’s that time of year again when we find ourselves saying things like “where did this year go?” or maybe even “I had such big plans for this year”. Well, whatever it is you are saying, I suggest you to dig a little deeper and reflect a little more; to consciously complete this year.
Resolutions are taken to improve the faults and mistake done in the past year and not to continue in upcoming year. New Year is a best time to wish your friends and families for their success and prosperity in upcoming year. For this purpose greetings and well wishing cards are used as an effective means to wish each other. The most easy and quickest means is through “Sms”. As most of the people around the world have mobile in their hand. These sms really behave as a short and sweet means to get closer to your friends and families either they are close to you or far from you.
Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends.
Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year’s Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. So, best wishes for your friends and families in the beginning of the year may bring lots of luck and prosperity for them.
Don’t sit back and wait for the best wishes to arrive instead step forward and send best wishes to your nearest and dearest ones. You can find lots of New Year wishes sms and greetings on web.
Author: Rahul Roy
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin
Most people like the traditional way of doing things and that includes decorating the tree on Christmas Eve. Some people also like to attend church on Christmas Eve and the carol service can be a moving experience, setting the mood for the Christmas holiday. Christmas dinner is usually turkey with all the trimmings. Turkey can be dry, so it’s a good idea to have a stuffing with apples and sage and plenty cranberry jelly. Roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, sprouts, bread sauce and thick gravy are the perfect accompaniments followed by Christmas Pudding and brandy butter sauce. For those preferring something less rich, cheese and crackers is ideal.
And of course there’s always a Santa Claus that children can meet and tell what they want for Christmas, and also have their picture taken. Sometimes Santa Claus may distribute Christmas gifts to children, telling them that because they have been very, very good they are getting an extra special early Christmas present.
And we all have the capacity to make things better. Isn’t this freedom to create a better world for ourselves and our loved ones?
