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10 Min Read Punctuated by unending impediments, our end-of-the-year travel plans seem to have been ambushed by soaring coronavirus rates, and the discovery of a mutated variant of COVID-19 in a far-off country. As a result, Christmas 2020 is metamorphosing into a home-bound formality, carols are vacillating between the four walls of our rooms, and late-night outings are being rendered out of bounds.
But wait. Think about it. Would you experience the slightest of Christmas blues if you lived in, or could visit any time, a place that captured the essence of the holiday season every single day?
Yes, these places exist, and we promise we’re not trying to put a spin to this story. Here are seven of Christmas’ real-life manifestations.
Santa Claus, Indiana
The name is pretty self-explanatory, isn’t it? Indiana’s Santa Claus, alias America’s Christmas Hometown, is the country’s prime destination for year-round festivities. A Christmas Wonderland housing 2,500 inhabitants, it is home to the only post office in the world that’s named after Santa Claus. Mail a postcard from this location, and receive the much sought-after Santa Claus postmark during the Christmas season. Map your steps to Santa’s Candy Castle to discover an overwhelming range of handmade, decadent confections, and indulge in the best frozen hot chocolate ever.
Yes, people have testified to that.
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Santa’s twenty-two feet tall statue, stationed in front of the Santa Claus Museum and Village, is another sub-destination you need to cross off your wishlist. You can also visit Santa’s Lodge, and feast on Santa-themed meals at St. Nick’s Restaurant.
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If Christmas could be distilled into one room, you’d stumble upon the gargantuan Santa Claus Christmas Store featuring gifts, decorations, sweets, collectibles, and thousands of distinct ornaments for you to skim over. Christmas shopping just got a little easier, didn’t it? Don’t forget to channelise your inner child at Santa’s Toys, a store that holds within it over 2,500 speciality toys.
Christmas Casino and Inn, Cripple Creek, Colorado
Inside Colorado’s Bronco Billy’s, a Christmas-stricken casino transcends the monotony of the real world, and introduces you to a multi-faceted holiday season saturated with lights, garlands, decorations, and rooms that imbibe nuanced themes. Against the backdrop of the omnipresent holiday music, this casino features a German Christmas Pyramid, an astounding 15foot-tall Christmas tree, nine life-size nutcrackers, a wall characterised by cuckoo clocks, four-thousand ornaments, and a range of games and slots to engage you. Since it also overlaps as an inn, an overnight accommodation isn’t a far-fetched hankering. Comprising twelve rooms, all encapsulating a distinct holiday theme, Mr and Mrs Claus’ Room or Santa’s Reindeer Den, for instance, the inn accessorises each of them with lights, tinsel, holly, and numberless festive touches.
Santa’s Village, Jefferson, New Hampshire
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A Christmas-themed amusement park, complemented by festive music, sparkling trees, and snow-covered grounds, Santa’s Village features 23 whimsical rides named after the holiday season. It harbours two roller-coasters, four water rides, three theatres, two of which present live performances, and one that screens a 3D movie, as well as Santa’s Home.
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Ensconce yourself in Santa’s rocking chair, and immortalise your experience with a picture alongside le Père Noel. Conclude your day by boarding Santa’s Express Train. Or ditch the chugging, and wing your way up to the sky on a swing-ride called Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree for a lasting adrenaline rush.
The Inn at Christmas Place, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Nestled in Christmas Tree Lane, The Inn, an extension of the Christmas Place, is perpetually festooned with twinkle lights, wreaths, garlands, and gigantic red ribbons. Three nights a week, Santa makes an appearance, and carols along to holiday tunes while strumming a guitar. On Mondays and Fridays, he narrates stories to children.
The Incredible Christmas Place is a premier shopping pocket for the festive season. Just like Santa’s Christmas Store, it is decked out with ornaments, designer-styled trees, collectibles, and hundreds of personalised lights to satiate your Christmas spirit.
Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth, Michigan
Tucked away in Frankenmuth, Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is one of the largest one-stop-shops for Christmas. Defined by a dash of awe-struck passersby, a streak of holiday cheer, and a throng of outdoor decorations, stockings, ornaments, Santa suits, and everything festive, this pulsating Alpine-styled structure is open for all but six days of the year.
Castle Noel, Medina, Ohio
A year-round indoor Christmas-themed experiential destination, and the holy grail of props acquired from your favourite Christmas movies, with over 400 displays just from The Grinch, Castle Noel hosts the latest crop of Christmas windows from Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Lord and Taylor, along with a North Pole mailroom, a massive cuckoo clock, a vintage exhibit reminiscent of toys from the 50s through the 80s, and a gift shop. Don’t forget to reserve your energy for a red slide bearing a striking resemblance to the one Ralphie was kicked off in A Christmas Tree. If you’re over 80, and reading this, you can have your photo hung up on their Wall of Fame if you ride down the slide. Interested?
The Santa Claus House, North Pole, Alaska
Once a post-office for the North Pole, Claus’ house is now better known for his forty-two-foot statue, transfixed to the ground right outside his abode, coaxing people into his mural-filled lair.
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A 1952 relic, Santa’s home is the perfect nook for collectibles, ornaments, Made in Alaska souvenirs, North Pole apparel, and candy assortments. While you’re there, be sure to write a letter back home to receive an authentic North Pole postmark. Ask for the Original Letter from Santa too. You’ll be surprised.
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04 Min Read 
Offbeat destinations
