Proof we’re all living in a small-town rom-com: Newsweek just declared Healdsburg to be the No. 3 top “Christmas town” in the U.S., as “selected by our featured panelists and contributors and voted on by readers.”
The No. 1 spot went to Grapevine, Texas, for its “magical rides aboard the North Pole Express” and “life-size village that you can walk through.” And No. 2 is the small Danish town of Solving, California, which hosts “Danish Christmas traditions like hunting for gnomes, taking candlelight tours of the city and shopping at a European-style market” — plus a dramatic and ceremonious Christmas tree burn at the end of the season.
What makes Healdsburg worthy of bronze? Newsweek explains:
From tree lightings and night markets to complimentary carriage rides and photos with Santa, Healdsburg is the perfect place for a Sonoma wine country Christmas. Make your way downtown for the tree lighting ceremony, and then join a holiday wine and restaurant tour that takes you through some of the most festive — and tasty — parts of the city.
For what it’s worth, a travel blog called The Travel also just named us the “coziest California town in winter.” And Condé Nast says we’re the eighth best small city in the U.S., just like in general.
We’ll take it. Here are some of the award-worthy holiday events coming up:
- The city’s big annual “Merry Healdsburg” tree-lighting ceremony in the plaza from 5-9pm on Friday, Dec. 6 — featuring, like Newsweek mentioned, a night market and magical sleigh rides
- “Noche de Paz” at the Community Center from 5-8pm on Dec. 14, where Corazón Healdsburg and friends will hand out presents to the kiddies, serve a giant “pozole” stew and host a classic car show with “impressively decorated lowriders, trucks and more”
- The yearly “Holiday Tea” tradition at Hotel Healdsburg, where you can dress up all fancy, sip seasonal teas and eat “house-made pastries, dainty finger sandwiches and other holiday fare” from 1-2:30pm on Saturdays and Sundays in December
Turns out we’re a pretty great Halloween town, too. Another travel blogger over at Livability recently declared Healdsburg the “perfect Halloween destination” — a veritable “Halloweentown in Wine Country,” even. See the “Pics of the Day” section in my most recent newsletter for a whoooole bunch of evidence.
And because we wouldn’t wanna leave out that great in-betweener holiday of gratitude and gluttony, mark your calendars now for Healdsburg’s famous Turkey Trot on the morning of Thanksgiving. Register here.
