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We love checking out the most impressive holiday decorations, and the fact that searches for “best Christmas lights” spike more than 350% this time of year proves it. But if you’re willing to travel beyond your city limits, and you really want to be wowed by displays of holiday cheer, you’ll need to head to Clarkston, Michigan. It was just named the most festive holiday town in the country.
- A new ranking from SIXT analyzes search interest, nominations, Instagram hashtags and listings on Christmas light finder sites to find the places with the most holiday magic.
- You may have never heard of the small Midwestern town, but Clarkston residents have been decking their halls and going all out for more than two decades.
- Since 2001, the town has hosted a Holiday Lights Parade, filled with floats, marching bands and a complete downtown glow-up.
- Clarkston is also home to Magic of the Lights, where visitors can drive through a 1.5-mile route of tunnels and huge twinkling displays.
- While big cities may have bigger budgets for their holiday decorations, SIXT’s research finds smaller towns have an outsized holiday spirit and when neighborhoods all participate, the effect is dazzling.
- Clifton, Ohio comes in second, followed by McAdenville, North Carolina, which has been transforming into “Christmas Town USA,” during the holidays since 1956.
The Top 10 U.S. Towns With The Most Holiday Cheer
- Clarkston, Michigan
- Clifton, Ohio
- McAdenville, North Carolina
- Bernville, Pennsylvania
- Middleburg, Virginia
- Boothbay, Maine
- Helen, Georgia
- Lyons, Indiana
- Calhoun, Louisiana
- Woodstock, Vermont
Source: Sixt