2025's Best Cities for Christmas

Dec 16, 2025

Adam McCann, WalletHub Financial Writer

Dec 16, 2025WalletHub Financial Writer

Best Cities for Christmas

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Christmas is just around the corner, and it's one of the most exciting times of the year. It can also be one of the most expensive holidays, with Americans expected to spend over $1 trillion from November 1 to December 31 this year.

To identify the most festive and affordable cities for Christmas celebrations, we compared the 100 biggest cities in the U.S. based on 28 key indicators such as traditions, shopping, and costs. So, if you want to make this Christmas a memorable one without breaking the bank, check out our list of the most Christmas-friendly cities in the U.S. below.

Top 5 Cities for Christmas in 2025

Atlanta
San Francisco
Seattle
Orlando
Las Vegas

“With inflation making Christmas celebrations, gifts, food and travel more expensive, certain cities are much better for your wallet than others during the holiday. In addition to being affordable, the best cities have a large number of people celebrating, plenty of places for Christians to worship, populations who give generously to charity, and plenty of fun activities to enjoy with family and friends.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Table of Contents

Main Findings

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Best Cities for Christmas

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Traditions & Fun Rank	Observance Rank	Generosity Rank	Shopping Rank	Costs Rank
1	Atlanta, GA	63.36	8	30	16	6	39
2	San Francisco, CA	61.37	3	68	2	7	94
3	Seattle, WA	61.28	10	84	1	13	68
4	Orlando, FL	61.19	6	12	72	2	77
5	Las Vegas, NV	61.02	5	44	45	1	52
6	St. Louis, MO	60.30	21	6	47	16	12
7	Miami, FL	59.94	4	29	85	4	41
8	Pittsburgh, PA	58.64	27	3	11	9	80
9	New Orleans, LA	57.07	14	4	56	28	72
10	Cincinnati, OH	56.96	22	15	54	17	31
11	Chicago, IL	56.84	2	95	18	14	60
12	Birmingham, AL	56.54	54	1	61	35	6
13	Honolulu, HI	55.36	16	24	12	8	99
14	New York, NY	55.12	1	98	4	3	100
15	Portland, OR	55.09	18	74	19	11	38
16	Los Angeles, CA	54.82	7	96	14	5	86
17	San Diego, CA	53.22	9	89	24	10	88
18	Denver, CO	52.95	11	75	33	21	83
19	Minneapolis, MN	52.50	24	21	29	44	58
20	Wichita, KS	52.29	75	7	73	61	1
21	Phoenix, AZ	52.15	13	88	20	12	82
22	Tampa, FL	52.10	25	16	31	26	90
23	Washington, DC	51.83	12	50	5	52	97
24	St. Paul, MN	51.74	47	8	32	39	50
25	Austin, TX	51.67	19	77	53	20	40
26	San Antonio, TX	50.44	15	78	83	19	44
27	Houston, TX	50.29	20	91	81	15	17
28	Dallas, TX	50.18	17	76	67	22	57
29	Scottsdale, AZ	49.94	44	69	6	18	69
30	Sacramento, CA	49.73	31	46	23	23	81
31	Buffalo, NY	49.65	38	2	87	38	91
32	Omaha, NE	49.63	42	33	69	33	23
32	Raleigh, NC	49.56	43	34	27	36	46
34	Virginia Beach, VA	49.40	33	55	22	47	28
35	Durham, NC	49.04	63	20	42	81	11
36	Charlotte, NC	48.80	35	52	34	34	30
37	Colorado Springs, CO	48.47	53	45	35	30	32
38	Oklahoma City, OK	48.38	48	40	49	41	21
39	Baltimore, MD	48.24	39	56	30	50	26
40	Indianapolis, IN	48.07	41	81	15	43	22
41	Reno, NV	48.04	62	59	26	37	13
42	Greensboro, NC	47.94	52	9	93	68	9
43	Norfolk, VA	47.81	49	14	43	84	42
44	Fort Wayne, IN	47.77	85	25	50	75	4
45	Nashville, TN	47.74	28	49	63	25	67
46	Boston, MA	47.66	26	82	3	45	96
47	Albuquerque, NM	47.31	72	28	91	27	10
48	Louisville, KY	47.11	46	48	48	29	48
49	Boise, ID	46.83	69	36	44	48	34
50	Tulsa, OK	46.75	66	22	60	32	65
51	Cleveland, OH	46.72	34	13	78	53	84
52	Memphis, TN	46.60	60	31	71	63	19
53	Tucson, AZ	46.54	36	47	86	24	51
54	Long Beach, CA	46.36	59	26	40	59	63
55	Irvine, CA	46.22	30	64	21	65	75
56	Kansas City, MO	46.21	57	42	68	51	25
57	Anaheim, CA	46.12	29	38	79	40	54
58	Santa Ana, CA	46.04	32	51	39	78	56
59	San Jose, CA	45.88	37	71	7	49	93
60	Baton Rouge, LA	45.70	70	27	94	58	7
61	Oakland, CA	45.57	64	37	10	73	89
62	Bakersfield, CA	45.46	68	19	92	77	14
63	Madison, WI	45.46	51	85	8	64	45
64	Newark, NJ	45.37	81	5	70	100	73
65	Winston-Salem, NC	45.03	89	10	76	90	33
66	Philadelphia, PA	44.27	23	83	65	31	95
67	Milwaukee, WI	44.09	45	35	80	76	61
68	Lexington-Fayette, KY	43.94	67	53	64	54	37
69	Lubbock, TX	43.90	82	39	88	55	16
70	El Paso, TX	43.88	73	17	96	62	43
71	Jacksonville, FL	43.85	55	66	59	42	49
72	Chesapeake, VA	43.78	58	41	28	93	71
73	Plano, TX	43.70	71	72	13	67	36
74	St. Petersburg, FL	43.63	56	32	84	56	62
75	Fresno, CA	43.22	77	43	89	69	8
76	Columbus, OH	43.08	40	86	38	46	76
77	Fort Worth, TX	42.50	61	60	46	70	66
78	Corpus Christi, TX	41.98	93	23	98	85	18
79	Lincoln, NE	41.70	86	73	57	80	15
80	Mesa, AZ	40.97	84	61	37	74	55
81	Riverside, CA	40.76	88	18	77	66	92
82	Jersey City, NJ	40.53	90	58	25	83	87
83	Glendale, AZ	40.45	78	80	62	60	24
84	Arlington, TX	40.37	83	63	52	79	59
85	Garland, TX	40.36	97	67	58	99	2
86	Irving, TX	39.56	92	79	41	98	20
87	Chandler, AZ	39.56	80	92	36	71	35
88	Toledo, OH	39.15	94	11	97	89	85
89	Fremont, CA	38.97	96	90	9	96	53
90	Detroit, MI	38.86	50	54	90	92	79
91	Aurora, CO	38.78	87	87	66	72	27
92	Gilbert, AZ	38.48	79	94	17	86	74
93	Anchorage, AK	38.09	65	70	51	57	98
94	Henderson, NV	37.42	91	97	55	87	3
95	Chula Vista, CA	35.55	74	93	75	95	47
96	Stockton, CA	34.58	95	57	99	91	78
97	San Bernardino, CA	34.41	100	62	95	94	64
98	Laredo, TX	33.78	99	65	100	82	29
99	North Las Vegas, NV	33.17	98	99	74	88	5
100	Hialeah, FL	32.34	76	100	82	97	70

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of each city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that category.

Christmas Tree Farms per Capita

Most

Most
T-1. Miami, FL
T-1. Portland, OR
T-1. New York, NY
T-1. Phoenix, AZ
T-1. Tucson, AZ

Fewest

Fewest
82. Kansas City, MO
83. Albuquerque, NM
84. Milwaukee, WI
85. Louisville, KY
86. El Paso, TX

Gift Shops per Capita

Most

Most
T-1. Orlando, FL
T-1. Las Vegas, NV
T-1. San Francisco, CA
T-1. Honolulu, HI
T-1. Seattle, WA

Fewest

Fewest
96. Irving, TX
97. Fremont, CA
98. Hialeah, FL
99. North Las Vegas, NV
100. Garland, TX

Toy Stores & Hobby Shops per Capita

Most

Most
T-1. New York, NY
T-1. Phoenix, AZ
T-1. Las Vegas, NV
T-1. St. Louis, MO
T-1. Orlando, FL

Fewest

Fewest
96. Chesapeake, VA
97. Irving, TX
98. North Las Vegas, NV
99. Detroit, MI
100. Newark, NJ

Online Giving per Capita

Highest

Highest
T-1. Boston, MA
T-1. New York, NY
T-1. San Francisco, CA
T-1. Washington, DC
T-1. Seattle, WA

Lowest

Lowest
96. Memphis, TN
97. North Las Vegas, NV
98. Hialeah, FL
99. Corpus Christi, TX
100. San Bernardino, CA

In-Depth Look at the Best Cities for Christmas

Atlanta, GA

Atlanta is the best city for Christmas celebrations this year, with plenty of stores to help you prepare for the holiday, including an extremely high number of bakeries, holiday decoration shops and card shops per capita. Atlanta is also one of the best cities when it comes to the prevalence of affordable restaurants rated at least 4.5 stars, if you want to eat out for the holiday (or want a break from cooking afterward). It has the 10th-most Christmas tree farms per capita, too.

In addition, Atlanta residents get very excited about Christmas, searching Google for terms relating to the holiday more frequently than people in most other cities. The giving spirit can also be felt by Atlanta residents and visitors alike, as the city has the ninth-highest percentage of people who donate clothing to charity, along with the 13th-most online donations per capita.

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco is the second-best place for celebrating Christmas in 2025, in part because it’s a great place for getting treats and presents. San Francisco is among the top cities when it comes to the number of candy stores and chocolatiers per capita, and it takes the top spot for affordable 4.5+ star restaurants. Plus, it has the most card shops, the third-most gift shops and the fourth-most shopping centers per capita.

In addition, San Francisco has the highest number of food banks per capita. It also has the fourth-most number of attractions, making it easy to find something to do during the holidays.

Finally, if you want a fun winter activity to do with the family, San Francisco has the 20th-most ice skating rinks per capita!

Seattle, WA

Seattle is the third-best city for Christmas celebrations, in large part because people in the city really embody the giving spirit of the holiday. Seattle has the fifth-most online donations per capita, along with an extremely large number of food banks. It also has the 11th-highest share of people who collect, make or distribute clothing for charity.

It’s easy to do your Christmas shopping in Seattle, as the city ranks among the top 10 cities in the country when it comes to the number of shopping centers and gift shops per capita. It also has a lot of Christmas tree farms and bakeries.

Staying in Seattle for Christmas isn’t too expensive, as the lowest price for a three-star hotel room on Christmas is just $77, the 17th-least expensive in the country. In addition, Seattle has a lot of affordable restaurants rated 4.5 stars or higher.

Ask the Experts

With the pressure to make the holidays special, many people will overspend on their Christmas festivities. To help consumers avoid ending the year with an empty wallet and stay safe during their travels, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

What tips do you have for celebrating Christmas on a budget?
What are some of the big money-wasters on Christmas?
What would you say are the top five indicators of the best cities for Christmas celebrations?
What money-saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for the Christmas holiday?

Ask the Experts

Wan Yang
Ph.D., Professor, James A. Collins Distinguished Professor, The Collins College of Hospitality Management - California State Polytechnic University Pomona
Read More

Andrew Burnstine
Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Business and Management - Lynn University
Read More

Jason Draper
Ph.D., CHE, Professor - University of Houston, Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership
Read More

Rosa Abreu-Runkel
Associate Professor, Department of Hospitality Management, City Tech, CUNY
Read More

Yoshimasa (Nancy) Kageyama
Ph.D., MS, CHE., Associate Professor, Hospitality Leadership - Missouri State University
Read More

Brian Margulis
Assistant Clinical Professor of Hospitality Management, Heller College of Business - Roosevelt University
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

In order to determine the best places to celebrate Christmas, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated cities across five key dimensions: 1) Traditions & Fun, 2) Observance, 3) Generosity, 4) Shopping and 5) Costs.

We evaluated those dimensions using 28 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for celebrating Christmas.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. In determining our sample, we considered only the city proper in each case, excluding cities in the surrounding metro area. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Traditions & Fun - Total Points: 20

Ranking on Top 25 Destinations for Christmas: Double Weight (~3.64 Points)
Note: This metric is based on advance hotel reservations made on priceline.com and measures the ranking of the city among the top 25 Christmas destinations.
Google Search Interest for ‘Christmas Celebration’: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
Note: This metric measures the real intent of the population to find information about the following search terms: “Christmas party”, “Christmas light show”, “Christmas market”, “Christmas concert”, “Christmas festival” and “Christmas dinner”. “Real intent” is measured using the average monthly search volumes for those specific terms.
Christmas Tree Farms per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
Note: “Christmas tree farms” refers to Christmas tree gardens, lots and selling points.
Bakeries per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
Restaurants per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
Diversity of Restaurants: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
Number of Attractions: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
Ice Skating Rinks per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
Nightlife Options per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
Music Venues per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
Note: Many cities host Christmas concerts during the holiday season.

Observance - Total Points: 30

Share of Christian Population: Full Weight (~15.00 Points)
Churches per Capita*: Full Weight (~15.00 Points)

Generosity - Total Points: 20

Food Banks per Capita*: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Share of Income Donated to Charity: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Share of Population Collecting/Distributing Food & Clothes for the Needy: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Online Giving per Capita: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Christmas Spirit: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Most Caring Cities” ranking.

Shopping - Total Points: 10

Gift Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
Shopping Centers & Outlets per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
Toy Stores & Hobby Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
Candy Stores & Chocolatiers per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
Cards & Stationery Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
Holiday Decorations Shops & Holiday Decorating Services per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)

Costs - Total Points: 20

Cost of Three-Star Hotel Room: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Restaurant Meal Costs: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Number of Affordable, High-Quality Restaurants: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Note: “High-Quality Restaurants” include those with ratings of 4.5 stars or higher.
Average Beverage Price: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Note: “Beverage” refers to beer and wine.
Average Price for Two Tickets to the Theater: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Note: Some cities offer a wide range of Christmas-themed performances which one can enjoy with friends or family.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of November 18, 2025 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Corporation for National and Community Service, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Council for Community and Economic Research, The U.S. Religion Census, Priceline, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Kayak, Numbeo, Google Ads, Expatistan, Internal Revenue Service and WalletHub research.

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