Best Small Towns for Christmas: Holiday Lights, Markets & Charm
Experience magical Christmas celebrations in small towns with stunning light displays, festive markets, and old-fashioned holiday charm.
Published: 10/27/2025
Towns Featured in This Guide
Woodstock
Classic New England village with four covered bridges and spectacular fall foliage. Historic architecture meets farm-to-table dining in Vermont's most charming town.
Stowe
Vermont's premier ski town beneath Mount Mansfield's 4,395-foot summit. The Von Trapp family chose these mountains to call home.
Newport
Gilded Age opulence meets Atlantic waves along the legendary 3.5-mile Cliff Walk. Vanderbilt mansions and Jazz Festival by the sea.
Jim Thorpe
Victorian mountain town once called the 'Switzerland of America.' White water rafting and a haunted jail with a mysterious handprint.
Helen
Georgia mountains meet Bavaria in this completely transformed Alpine village. Tube the Chattahoochee River through year-round Oktoberfest charm.
Natchitoches
Louisiana's oldest town where Steel Magnolias was filmed along Cane River. 300,000 Christmas lights and famous meat pies since 1714.
Leavenworth
Cascade Mountains transformed into Bavaria with 500,000 Christmas lights. Authentic German beer gardens and 7,000 nutcrackers year-round.