The Christmas season is celebrated with so much fanfare across the nation and around the world. However, there are some places that give a whole new meaning to Christmas festival. These places present the most luxurious celebrations and the most magical stages that everyone, young and old, gets wide-eyed with wonder.

If you’re planning to spend Christmas away from home, consider these amazing holiday destinations:

• New York City – The Big Apple has always been a must-visit place, but it’s exceptionally beautiful during Christmas. Everything is bigger, brighter, and better. The holidays are usually punctuated with parades, holiday concerts and markets, and extravagant lighting displays and decorations in every corner. The famed Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center holds a lavish lighting ceremony graced by some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Window shopping is even more exciting with the fantastic holiday decor adorning the department stores, such as Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Saks.

• Chicago –The Windy City marks the beginning of the season with the famous “Magnificent Mile Lights Festival.” At least one million lights illuminate the whole stretch of North Michigan Avenue, from Oak Street to Wacker Drive. Another famous attraction is the “Christkindlmarket” in Daly Plaza. This is a German holiday market where locals and tourists experience and savor German fare, trinkets, and entertainment.

• Colorado—The Centennial State provides a white Christmas with its snowy mountains and slopes. The ski resorts are packed with families eager to go on snow-ventures. Twenty minutes from Denver is a place called Evergreen, where ice skaters glide on a frozen 40-acre lake. Every little girl’s delight is the “Nutcracker” Ballet, shown every year in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

• Las Vegas—On Christmas, the City of Lights is even more magnificent. The Bellagio Fountains creates a dazzling mix of water, lights, and holiday music that never fails to enthrall locals and tourists. Shop till you drop at the stores in Caesar Palace, The Venetian, or The Boulevard Mall, and be amazed with their extravagant holiday décor.

Tradition calls for being home for the holidays, but many people opt to spend the season travelling and exploring. As long as the time is spent with loved ones, Christmas will always be special wherever you may be.