Unique Holiday Celebrations Across the Country
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
It’s that time of the year again. The malls are insane. The traffic is unbearable. Time to scrape ice off the car windows, shovel driveways, prepare for holiday entertaining, spend endless hours searching for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, and so on and so forth. However, I also love to escape the hustle & bustle for a while and enjoy winter sports and attend festive holiday events.
All these dazzling light events and attractions really provide a much needed break to counterbalance the more hectic parts of the holiday season, enabling you to relax & recapture the magic of the holiday season.
I love the Christmas season, and especially traveling to new cities to explore their traditions. In addition to all the standard zoo lights, ice rinks, and tree lightnings, I love seeking out oddball attractions which are a bit outside the norm. No matter where I am living, I try to plan at least one roadtrip or daytrip this time of year. Basically, it’s a fun weekend where I can take a break from shopping and the drudgery of the season.
In my holiday guide, you can check out a few of the unique traditions I have had the opportunity to enjoy. Check back frequently as I add more festive fun to the lineup!
Tumbleweed Tree
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Uniqueness factor: It’s the only tumbleweed tree in the Southwest!
You may have seen tumbleweed blowing in the wind as you drive through the dusty desert, however, these pesky desert shrubs make for quite an attractive Christmas tree. Every year, the fast growing Phoenix suburb of Chandler constructs an eclectic tree composed entirely of tumbleweeds.
This Southwestern style tree is truly a unique sight that you will not find anywhere else in the country. And thus, definitely worthy of a look if you are spending time in Phoenix over the holidays. This oddball tradition started back in 1957 when a resident saw a cone-shaped chicken wire with pine boughs stuck in the holes in Indiana.
The city collects over 1000 tumbleweeds which are adorned to a 25 foot wire frame. The tumbleweeds are then spray painted and dusted with glitter. The tree is then lit with over 2500 lights, transforming from a dry, dusty SW tree by day into a beautiful illuminated display by night. A parade and tree lighting ceremony kick off the annual celebration. I really love Arizona this time of year. There are so many unique festivals you won’t find anywhere else – even a real ice rink surrounded by cacti at the Scottsdale Princess.
More of my favorite Arizona holiday traditions
Aluminum Christmas Tree exhibit at the Transylvania Heritage Museum
Location: Brevard, North Carolina
Uniqueness factor: The only museum dedicated to aluminum trees
The charming mountain community of Brevard, North Carolina is more well known for its’ close proximity to natural wonders. Transylvania County is nicknamed “the Land of Waterfalls,” as over 200 beautiful waterfalls can be explored in the area. I had a great time hiking to some of the best of these waterfalls nearly every weekend while living in Asheville and Greenville.
Around Christmas time, you will also want to make room for a stroll around the small, yet beautiful downtown. Recently, I found out that they had a museum dedicated to aluminum trees! I knew I had to check this place out. Even though I was born in the 80’s, I love these retro trees. The museum space is so colorful and I love the themed trees like the Beatles show in my pic above.
Anyone born in the 50’s and 60’s will remember when these “space age” trees were the must haves of the holiday season. Today, these vintage trees are making a comeback. In this small Western North Carolina community, you can enjoy the only museum dedicated to these colorful, eclectic trees. Best of all, admission is free!
Santa Hustle Race Series
Location: 10 cities across the US
Uniqueness factor: 1000’s of runners dressed as Santa race down the street enjoying candy & cookie stations & Christmas music along this festive 5k and half marathon course.
Looking for a fun way to burn off some of those extra holiday calories? Something a bit different than your standard gym membership? I recommend traveling for the Santa Hustle race. This festive race series, which takes place in various regions across the US, from The Windy City, to the Texas coast, to the Smoky Mountains, is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit, while also getting in a bit of exercise in the process. Thousands of runners race down the street dressed as Santa, complete with hat and beard!
A half marathon and 5k course distance are available, so both new and seasoned runners can enjoy the festivities. I ran the half in the Smoky Mountains and really enjoyed the scenery and high energy along the course, even though it was freezing.
In the ultimate of holiday cheer, cookie and candy stations and holiday tunes along the course motivate beginning runners to push through. In terms of festive 5k races, the Santa Hustle series definitely takes the cake. Even the medal is Christmas themed each year!
To make your trip more memorable, I recommend staying in a cozy mountain themed cabin. I really like Timber Tops. Nothing really beats relaxing in a cozy hot tub enjoying the mountain scenery after running 13 miles!
Christmastown USA drive-thru light display
Location: McAdenville, NC
Uniqueness factor: The small town has been nicknamed “Christmastown USA.”
This charming old-fashioned town near Charlotte, NC is considered to be one of the most Christmassy towns in the country. Along a 1.3 mile route (which you can walk or drive), you will see over 100 festively decorated homes, along with more than a half million lights and festive decorations. I took a daytrip here from Asheville as I had heard from a lot of people that this show was amazing. I was impressed, but the traffic was pretty crazy. Fortunately, there is a lot more to do in Charlotte including plenty of fantastic malls.
This tradition has been going strong for over 65 years with no end in sight! It was also recently featured in a Hallmark Christmas movie. Best of all, this event is completely free to attend. I didn’t like the insane traffic, but found the light show really beautiful. It was one of the more fun Christmas events I have enjoyed in the Charlotte area, with Carowinds being the most over-the-top festival in this region.
Macy’s LED show at Philly’s historic Wannamaker building
Location: Philadelphia
Uniqueness factor: 60+ year old show in historic Wannamaker department store accompanied by the largest pipe organ.
I really loved my time living in Philly. I would say that it is one of the country’s most underrated cities. Winter is my favorite season as you can enjoy both the wonderful historic district (Old City) plus tons of holiday festivities (check out my guide to the best).
The festive Christmas light show at the Macy’s Center City Philly has been going strong for over 60 years. Not only does the show feature more than 100,000 lights and LED characters, but also festive holiday tunes. I really loved this show and basically stopped by every weekend while doing other activities downtown. It’s colorful and fun and I loved the music too.
What sets this show apart from others is the beautiful setting inside the historic Wanamaker building (the country’s first department store) and the beautiful background music of the Wanamaker Organ, the largest working pipe organ in the world. On a side note, I always think of the 80’s movie Mannequin while walking around (it was filmed here).
Santaland at Macy’s Herald Square
Location: New York City
Uniqueness factor: 160+ year old tradition in one of the world’s oldest and most famous department stores
The iconic department store which takes up an entire city NYC block is a must visit around the holiday season. On my first holiday trip to the city, I knew I had to take a quick walk through this store. I had a lot on my agenda, but fortunately, it is walkable to most other attractions.
The store is so festive and beautiful this time of year. The decorations are gorgeous and they had a lot of photo opps like a holiday barbie display. Seeing Santa at Macy’s in NYC is a timeless tradition which dates back more than 160 years! Most notably, the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street was filmed at the store. On an interesting side note, Santa Claus from the movie actually played Santa in the 1946 Macy’s Thanksgiving parade!
Be sure to check out my New York City Christmas bucket list. There is so much to do in the city this time of the year. I loved seeing the grand tree at Rockefeller and skating where Kevin did in Home Alone 2.
