Dotted across the globe there are houses, and in some cases entire towns and villages, that deliver big Christmas energy.
Some of these magical places are specifically dedicated to all things Yule, with year-round festive celebrations and activities, and others are suburban slices of real estate, in which homeowners have gone to extreme lengths to celebrate the festive season.
So, if you’re dreaming of a White Christmas, then look no further than these real-life homes and hotspots where the holiday spirit is truly alive and kicking.
Canberra, Australia
Though a White Christmas is unlikely in the Southern Hemisphere, one family in Australia’s capital city has repeatedly gone above and beyond to break festive records not just once, but twice.
The Richards family decked their family home in Canberra with more than more than 300,000 bulbs in 2011. Picture: Getty
In 2011, the Richards family in Canberra’s suburb of Forrest set a new Guinness World Record for the most holiday lights on a house, decking their suburban four walls with more than 300,000 bulbs.
The family retained their eye-popping title for more than a year until being usurped in 2012.
But not wanting to be outdone, the dedicated family returned in 2013 with an even bigger arsenal of twinkling bulbs — 502,165 to be precise.
Taking over a month to set up, the Australian family transformed their house and garden into a temporary tourist attraction that lured in tens of thousands of visitors.
In addition, they earned themselves a double Guinness World Record whammy with their ‘largest ever image made of LED lights’ — a 3D image of three Christmas gifts using more than 1.2 million lights.
LaGrangeville, New York, U.S.
While the Canberran family held the Guinness World Record in 2011 and 2013, in 2012 the baton was passed to a house stateside when the Gay family in New York nabbed the accolade.
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This New York family home held the record for the largest residential light display in the world in 2012. Picture: Getty
Based in LaGrangeville in New York’s Hudson Valley, the family created what was then the largest residential light display in the world.
And it’s a feat they’ve done again and again and again.
Old hats at the Christmas lights game — in fact, the family began stringing up hundreds of lights back in 1995 — the Gay clan have gone on to beat their record annually.
The streets come alive with Christmas markets in the Lower Saxony town of Braunschweig in Germany. Picture: Getty
Indeed, last year they trumped their previous record by an additional 100,000 lights to bring a total of more than 700,000, all of which is choreographed by computer to hundreds of seasonal songs.
As well as spreading holiday cheer, their annual light display also raises money for local charities.
Christmas, Florida, U.S.
Yes, you read correctly — in America there’s an actual town named after the annual holiday and its location is as un-Christmassy as you can get.
The Christmas markets in the town of Goslar, Lower Saxony in Germany are a popular destination for locals and tourists. Picture: Getty
While the balmy weather in Florida is hardly what you’d typically associate with the holiday season, the Sunshine State lays claim to the town of Christmas, a town that celebrates its namesake holiday year-round.
From its holiday-themed street names (think Comet Street and Blitzen Avenue), through to a perennial, fully decorated Christmas tree, this town honours December 25th daily.
Lower Saxony, Germany
From lights to baubles, the Jeramin family from the German state of Lower Saxony made headlines around the world for their suburban home’s Christmas decorations in December 2021.
The Jeramin family decorated 444 Christmas trees in their small unit in the German state of Lower Saxony. Picture: Getty
The Christmas-crazy couple set up 444 trees and a whopping 10,000-plus ornaments, all squeezed into not just a house, but a small unit.
Their efforts yielded a new world record for having the most decorated Christmas trees in one place.
Dortmund, Germany
Another German record-breaker lies in the small town of Dortmund. Here, in the country’s west, lies what is regarded as the granddaddy of Germany’s Christmas trees.
The world’s biggest Christmas tree in Dortmund is decorated with more than 48,000 lights. Picture: Getty
At around 46-metres high, the ‘world’s biggest Christmas tree’ weighs in at around 40,000-kilograms, takes four weeks to construct and is coated in more than 48,000 lights.
Appropriately, this record-breaking tree towers over what is officially the biggest Christmas market in Germany.
Comprising more than 300 stalls, the attraction draws thousands of tourists annually with traditional arts and crafts, culinary delights, and a convivial atmosphere where the air is filled with the pungent aroma of mulled wine.
Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
As the ‘official’ hometown of Santa Claus since 2010 and the capital of the Lapland region, Rovaniemi is a wonderland of snow-covered cottages and reindeer-peppered forests.
But aside from its natural festive hallmarks, Rovaniemi is also home to an amusement park dubbed Santa’s Village where visitors of all ages can pet reindeer, ride husky-and-horse-drawn sleighs, see elves, and, of course, meet the main man himself.
Visitors can pet reindeer in Rovaniemi, the ‘official’ hometown of Santa Claus. Picture: Getty
The city’s most famous resident can be visited year-round, but obviously it’s the arrival of the festive season that sees the bulk of its annual 500,000-plus tourist traffic arrive to the Lapland capital.
Graceland, Memphis, U.S.
Diehard Elvis fan? If you want a Christmas to remember, how about spending it within the confines of the larger-than-life rock ’n’ roll legend’s former home?
A mecca for fans since opening to the public in 1982, in more recent years Graceland has expanded its offering into the festive season with a holiday calendar of events.
Graceland has a range of festive events, including a holiday lighting ceremony. Picture: Getty
Visitors can enjoy the holiday lighting ceremony and special holiday tours of the king’s palatial pad.
One of the late-crooner’s favourite holidays, visitors will also be able to see his actual decorations on display, from the blue lights along the driveway to the life-size nativity scene.
Colmar, France
Given that the charm-infused French town of Colmar is reputed to be the inspiration for the village in the Disney film, Beauty and the Beast, it makes sense that its storybook streets have become one of the most popular locations in Europe during the festive season.
Colmar has become one of the most photographed Christmas markets in Europe. Picture: Getty
Located close to the French-German border in the Alsatian region of France, the picture-perfect town has become synonymous for both charm and Christmas markets.
Running for five weeks from the last week of November through to late December, each of the six Christmas Markets operate as separate mini villages.
They have become one of the most photographed of Europe’s annual Christmas markets thanks to a heady combination of medieval architecture, twinkling lights, ice skating rinks, carolers and other festive fare.
