Copyright The Boston Globe
Maybe this will even be the year you make your escape. In the interim, let the armchair holiday travel begin. Here are some kitschy and classy holiday escapes we think you’ll enjoy. Who needs those fancy European Christmas markets when we have the Winter Village at Bryant Park? OK, we still need them, but the Winter Village is an edgier alternative with 200 vendors and food options, plus ice skating. If you can’t find what you need in Bryant Park, there is the Union Square Holiday Market or the Columbus Square Holiday Market. After all that shopping, you’ll need to hydrate, and thankfully, the Queen of Christmas™ (ooops, trademark denied!), Mariah Carey, has a pop-up bar where you can sip cocktails, snap up exclusive merchandise, and take a million selfies in a Mariah-filled environment. Or, if you’re not a fan of Mariah, there’s always time for a drink at Rolf’s German Restaurant, the most festive eatery in New York. Mariah Carey’s Holiday Bar at Untitled Hotel, 3 Freeman Alley, New York. www.mariahsholidaybar.com; Rolf’s, 281 3rd Ave., New York, 212-473-8718, rolfsnyc.com With a 97 percent chance of experiencing a white Christmas, you’ve got a very good chance of catching some authentic Bing Crosby vibes in Quebéc City. Beyond the snow, there are multiple reasons to head north, beginning with the exchange rate. If you visit Quebéc City’s German Christmas market, your Loonies and Twoonies will go a long way in purchasing essential holiday tchotchkes. And you’ll still have enough left over to splurge on a cocktail at the gorgeous 1608 bar at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, where one of the house specialty cocktails will set you back between $25 to $30 (that’s $18 to $21 US). While the drinks are extraordinary at the Frontenac, I recommend you book your room at the more elegant Auberge Saint-Antoine (prices start at $650 depending on season and availability). Braver souls should get on the Quebéc City toboggan slide, where you can reach speeds of up to 43 MPH for less than $3 a ticket. It’s where the city’s daredevils have sought thrills since 1884. Auberge Saint-Antoine, 8 rue Saint-Antoine, Quebéc, 418-692-2211, www.saint-antoine.com I usually don’t get travel ideas from watching documentaries about Ponzi schemes, but there it was. In “Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam,” the town of Santa Claus in Indiana was mentioned. What could be more Christmas-y? I mean the town’s name, not Ponzi schemes. Santa Claus bills itself as “America’s Christmas Hometown,” which means that during the summer, you can visit an amusement park called Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, plus the Santa Claus Museum and a bigger-than-life Santa Claus Christmas Store. During the holiday season, there’s a mile-long display of lights, parades, and a reindeer exhibition. If you don’t find the Christmas spirit here, your first name is probably Ebenezer. Just watch out for Ponzi schemes. santaclausind.org There is nothing particularly Christmasy happening on the Caribbean island of Anguilla, but Bostonians have an excuse to visit this paradise for the holidays. On Dec. 17, BermudAir is introducing a nonstop flight from Boston to Anguilla. It’s the first of its kind, and it means the island can now be visited without taking the ferry from St. Maarten. When I traveled here four years ago, I was struck by how it was devoid of the usual throngs of tourists that crowd the nearby islands. It has 30 (!) gorgeous beaches, a sleepy vibe, excellent restaurants, and residents who are incredibly proud of their island. You’d better believe I’m using the introduction of the BermudAir flight (dubbed AnguillAir for this route) to head back to the island for a pre-Christmas respite. www.flyanguillair.com While Santa Claus, Ind., claims to be “America’s Christmas Hometown,” Grapevine claims to be the “Christmas Capital of Texas.” It boasts 1,400 events over 40 days, and if that isn’t to your liking, you can skip the festivities and get blitzed along the urban wine trail. Grapevine has a skating rink (do not skate after the wine trail), a workshop for making an ornament out of hot molten glass (also not for post-wine-trail amusement), a North Pole Express train, Christmas Village, and classic Christmas movies and holiday performances at the Palace Theatre. Check out the full schedule at grapevinetexasusa.com. If you enjoy the twinkle of Christmas lights 19 hours a day and hearing stories about a giant cat that eats poor children as a holiday snack, then Iceland is your ideal holiday destination. Kidding aside, Iceland is fantastic at Christmas. Not only are there the standard holiday lights, but there are also Northern Lights (if you’re lucky), and amazing piparkökur (ginger cookies). The Christmas markets are small (honestly, do not come for Christmas markets alone), but there’s ice skating in the center of the city and walking tours where you can hear all about the country’s unique holiday traditions. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear Erna Gunnarsdóttir’s Icelandic cover of Wham’s “Last Christmas” as you’re looking through Rammagerðin gift shop’s unique products. Lava whiskey stones? Yes please. There are lots of lodging options, but only Hotel Borg has a view of the light display in trees in Austurvöllur Park (rates start at $225 depending on season and demand). Hotel Borg, Pósthússtræti 11, 101 Reykjavík, +354-551-1440. borg-by-keahotels-reykjavik.hotelsone.com New England has so many Christmas-ready towns that it’s tricky to choose one, but because HGTV called Kennebunkport the No. 2 Christmas Town in America in 2023, I’ll go with that (sorry, Woodstock). Santa arrives by lobster boat on Dec. 7, meaning his reindeer finally get a spa day. The town has a Christmas Prelude, which is two weeks of events to put visitors in the holiday mood. After the traditional tree lighting on Dock Square, Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m., there’s the lobster trap tree lighting on Cape Porpoise at 7 p.m. There’s caroling, more appearances by Santa, pin the tail on Rudolph (ouch), and a pooch parade (no word on a cat parade). If you’re looking for a cozy place to stay and want to splurge, I recommend the posh Hidden Pond, where rooms hover around $600 a night (depending on season and availability). And if you’re pinching pennies, head down the road to the Seaside Inn and spend $125 a night. christmasprelude.com The holidays should be about peace on Earth and goodwill toward men, and I can think of no entertainer in these divided times who embodies that spirit more than Dolly Parton. Also, she sparkles brighter than the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Her theme park, Dollywood, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, is as over-the-top as you’d imagine. The country diva was never known for her subtlety, and she doesn’t skimp on the holiday lights. Beginning Nov. 1, her Smoky Mountain Christmas features dozens of trees and 6 million (!) twinkling lights. There are fireworks every weekend, and country-themed shows at the park’s Palace Theater include “Christmas in the Smokies” and “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” as well as outdoor shows such as “Appalachian Christmas” and “O Holy Night.” Did I mention there’s cinnamon bread? 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd., Pigeon Forge, 800-365-5996. www.dollywood.com This list only scratches the tip of the tree. There are so many festive events taking place over the next couple of months that compiling them would create a list longer than “Anna Karenina.” But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that there’s an “immersive holiday decor experience” curated by Martha Stewart in the Grand Pequot Tower lobby of Foxwoods Resort Casino beginning Nov. 15. I’m not sure what this means, but it sounds like a delicious culture clash. If you crave more over-the-top holiday towns, head to McAdenville, N.C., which claims to be “Christmas Town USA.” There are more than 100 carefully decorated homes and a pond filled with floating, illuminated Christmas trees. Just avoid going on the weekends when traffic is akin to the Bourne Bridge in August. While I skimmed over European Christmas markets, I highly recommend the Salzburg Christmas Market. Dating back to the 15th century, it features vendors set up outside the Cathedral of Salzburg. The city, which already resembles a Bavarian Christmas card in November and December, has several holiday markets to choose from, and they’re less crowded than those in Vienna. This year is the 60th anniversary of “The Sound of Music,” so there’s no better place to stroll in the snow and sing “Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles.”
