Embrace the Festive Season with These Gorgeous Winter Getaways

If the holiday season has you filled with festive spirit you will love these sumptuous U.S. towns that ooze snowy, Santa-filled charm. From grandparents to even the littlest Christmas elf, these American towns offer something for everyone in the family. Even your grumpy relative will feel less Scrooge-like after a long weekend spent sipping hot chocolate at one of these gorgeous winter getaways.

Each holiday season this historic New Hampshire town comes to life with its “Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth” celebrations. Visitors can immerse themselves in old world holiday traditions such as ice-skating on Puddle Dock Pond, viewing the annual Gingerbread House competition, taking in a family musical at the historic Music Hall, and enjoying a holiday magic trolley tour. The festivities kick off with the Portsmouth Christmas Tree Lighting and Illuminated Holiday Parade and Food Drive. Every weekend residents and tourists can participate in a candlelight stroll among decorated historic homes complete with costumed role players and musical performances. No trip is complete without some shopping and the quaint stores at Market Square are full of gorgeous holiday displays.

This quaint Bavarian town becomes a “Village of Lights” starting Thanksgiving weekend. Over a half a million lights adorn this winter wonderland, with the first three weekends of December full of festivities – carols, roasted chestnuts, hot spiced wine and cider, and of course the jolly old man himself – Santa Claus. Children will enjoy the village’s “Cookie Crawl.” What winter wonderland would be complete without skiing. Leavenworth offers alpine skiing, snowboarding, nordic skiing, tubing and even dogsled rides!

For the winter sports enthusiast Jackson, Wyoming is truly a memorable experience. The town square gets wrapped in in strings of lights, Santa frequently stops by to enjoy the scenery and there’s cookies, eggnog and hot chocolate to boot. If you’re really lucky you may see Jolly Old St. Nick skiing down the slopes! Sitting at the base of the Grand Teton Mountains, Jackson Hole receives on average 400 inches of snow a year. From snowboarding, to skiing, to dog sledding, a day on the slopes can be capped off each night with some fabulous dining at one of Jackson’s top-notch restaurants.

America’s Christmas Hometown celebrates everything Christmas all year long, but when December rolls around the town really kicks into high gear. For the first three weekends in December the Santa Claus Christmas Celebration takes place with lots of family friendly events. Visitors can visit with Santa, test toys at Santa’s workshop, roast chestnuts on an open fire, watch the Christmas parade and enjoy a festival of lights. Every year thousands of letters from children end up in Santa Claus, Indiana, where they are answered by a team of volunteer elves. The town even has its own Santa Claus postmark!

This beautiful town, known for its excellent skiing, embraces the festive season with its “12 Days of Aspen” celebration, which kicks off December 20th and runs through New Year’s Eve. From elf meet-and-greets, to carolers strolling through the snowy streets, s’mores and ice-skating, this quaint town also offers some of the best seasonal dining in the US. Shoppers will be delighted with Aspen’s variety of stores – from high design to consignment stores, there’s something for everyone on your holiday list.