North Pole, Alaska, USA One of the most Christmassy destinations in the world, year-round you'll find dazzling decorations, twinkling lights and other tributes to Old Saint Nicholas.
In 2022, China was the leading exporting country of Christmas decorations globally, with exports of such articles amounting to over 9.7 billion U.S. dollars. Netherlands and India were some of the other key suppliers of Christmas decorations worldwide.
Though New York City and Paris lead the pack with iconic holiday decorations, the cities of Madrid, Melbourne, and six other destinations around the world are arguably just as festive and brilliant.
Not only does Iceland celebrate 13 days before Christmas, children also get presents from 13 different Santa Clauses, or Yule Lads. Each of these lads has his own different qualities and they can all be a bit feisty. But if good children place their shoes on the windowsill, the Yule Lads will leave them little gifts.
Bhutan. Because Christians make up less than 1% of the country's total population, Bhutan does not celebrate Christmas. Much of the country practices Buddhism, which has been around for over 2,000 years now.
For 11 months of the year, Lobethal is just another tranquil town in the Adelaide Hills. Each December, however, it puts on a spectacular Yuletide display after dark that earns it a moment in the limelight.
Rovaniemi, Finland
The town of Rovaniemi is known as "the official hometown of Santa Claus" and visitors to the charming Santa Claus Village can meet St. Nick himself, visit the post office, go to elf school at SantaPark and more.
Vienna, Austria
The Austrian capital boasts one of the largest Christmas markets on the planet; a 'Christmas World' that features over 100 high-quality stalls and submerges visitors in wall-to-wall festivities.
1510 – The first written record of a decorated Christmas Tree comes from Riga, Latvia. Men of the local merchants' guild decorated a tree with artificial roses, danced around it in the marketplace and then set fire to it. The rose was used for many year and is considered to be a symbol for the Virgin Mary.
Great Britain consumes about 8 million trees annually, while in the United States between 35 and 40 million trees are sold during the Christmas season. Artificial Christmas trees are mostly produced in the Pearl River delta area of China.
Berlin, Germany
It's official – Berlin takes first prize as the most festive city to celebrate the holidays in Europe. This city is no stranger to Christmas markets, with the city's first Christmas market dating back to 1530.
Rovaniemi is one of the best Christmas destinations Europe has, because it's home to so many popular Christmas traditions. The Santa Claus Village a few miles from the city is a great place to start. It's next to the main Santa Claus Post Office, which is where your letters requesting presents end up.
Thus, since 1937, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania has been known throughout the world as the Christmas City. To learn more about the city of Bethlehem, visit bethlehem-pa.gov.
“The friendliest city in Australia awards goes to Perth, thanks to its lively locals, engaging social scene and ease of access for first-time visitors. Perth is a wonderfully vibrant and social place to be. Expect to make new friends in every bar you go to.”
The Gold Coast was also voted the 10th most welcoming city in the world, after destinations like Mexico City and Polignano a Mare in Italy. The Gold Coast truly deserves its reputation as the most welcoming city in Australia. With so much to offer, it's the perfect place to visit or call home.
Australian Christmas traditions
As well as exchanging gifts, families tend to enjoy big lunches with all the trimmings. Since it's summer, barbecues and outdoor games such as cricket are popular. You will also find many Aussies around pools or at the beach.
Countries in which Christmas is not a formal public holiday include Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (excepting Hong Kong and Macau), the Comoros, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, the Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, the Sahrawi ...
Seiffen: the German town where it is always Christmas.
Austria. Vienna with its many Christmas markets, spread all over one of the most romantic cities in Europe, is the perfect destination for Christmas lovers. What we like in Vienna is the elegance of its Christmas decorations.