Welcome to Christmas Town, USA

By American standards, the holiday season starts early in Europe… Halloween isn’t traditionally celebrated here, and Thanksgiving doesn’t exist, so Europeans start thinking ahead to December in mid-October.

Nothing says “happy holidays” like an extravagant Christmas display. Hoteliers know this. That’s why every winter hotels across the country get dressed in their holiday best, with twinkly lights and holly wreaths and maybe a reindeer lawn ornament or two. But only a handful of hotels truly go all out. From stories-high Christmas trees to beachfront ice skating rinks, these nine US holiday hotels take seasonal cheer to a whole new level.

The past year has seen a flurry of cabins crop up near the shores of Broken Bow Lake in southeast Oklahoma. Cloaked in pine and pawpaw trees, this rural region likely has a higher permanent population of black bears and bald eagles than people. Fishing, hiking, and boating have maintained steady tourism but the recent boom in new chalets has put the teensy hamlet of Hochatown on the map, literally. Airbnb is credited with creating this vacation bubble in the aftermath of the pandemic as travelers in OK and TX seek countryside getaways closer to home.

The Ptown party doesn't have to stop just because it's winter.

Christmas pudding may be Britain’s best-known festive dessert, but in France, the bûche de Noël — or yule log — reigns supreme, with skilled pâtissiers and home bakers creating an array of different versions, from the classic to the outré.

USA TODAY’s 10Best announces Silver Dollar City’s An Old Time Christmas as America’s “Best Theme Park Holiday Event,” a sixth win for the internationally-awarded theme park. The announcement follows a four-week voting competition. Located in the heart of Missouri’s Ozark Mountains, Silver Dollar City collected the most votes of all 20 nominees, including Disney and Universal, along with SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Legoland parks. Nominees are chosen by a panel of experts, including USA TODAY editors and theme park experts.

Europe, especially Germany, is rightly famed for its Christmas markets that bring a fairy tale sense of wonder to the season. But you don’t have to journey abroad for holiday magic—these fairs in the United States showcase European-style festivities while celebrating their cities’ cultural heritage.

Streets in Madrid could be shut down due to overcrowding in the city centre.

This story about Koreatowns is part of Home, Made, a collection of stories honoring Asian diasporas creating vibrant communities by weaving their heritages with their American hometowns. Read more here.

We all have them. Those holiday ornaments that we put up every year thinking, “Maybe it’s really time to retire this cracked pickle ornament?” But nonetheless, every year, they go up, like a bowhead whale that just won’t die. After a few years, the cracked pickle has become a beloved holiday tradition. It’s how a lot of the most unusual ornaments and decorations turn into holiday mainstays.

A few years ago, at a reception at the Polish embassy in Bern, Switzerland, an elderly Jewish man pulled the ambassador aside and relayed an unbelievable story. They were standing on holy ground, the man said, a place where near-secret acts of heroism played out during World War II. Intrigued, the ambassador, Jakob Kumoch, tasked his staff with looking into the man’s claims. Soon, an incredible history emerged.

Cities around the world manage every year to turn the end-of-year festive mood spotlight on one of the holiday’s most revered symbols, the Christmas tree.