It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As the holiday season is upon us, it’s a great time to get into the festive spirit by visiting your local Christmas light displays.

Christmas light displays pop up all over the country during the holidays. Some can be residential houses who decide to go all-out over the holiday season, and some Christmas light displays are in cities, parks, or in other public places. If you want to visit a Christmas light display in your neighborhood, check out our interactive map below:

Christmas Light Displays

Christmas Light Display Contest

Do you have a favorite Christmas light display not featured on this map?

Is there a local community hero who always goes all-out for the holidays?

Nominate your favorite Christmas light display for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card!

To enter:

Leave a reply featuring the name and address of your favorite Christmas light display in the comment section below, which will be added to the Christmas light display map Send a photograph of your entry to social@truthfinder.com along with your name, age, location, and email address Share this page on social media with the hashtag #SeeMyChristmasLights

The winner with the best entry will be selected on January 1st, 2019. Please read the terms and conditions prior to entry.

A Brief History of Christmas Light Displays

The tradition of using Christmas lights displays to celebrate the holidays began in early modern Germany, where lights were used to decorate fir trees. The lights represented Jesus being the “light of the world.” The British monarch, Queen Victoria, popularized many of the Christmas traditions that we enjoy today — including Christmas trees and Christmas light displays!

Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, is said to have decorated Christmas trees in the palace by himself, using wax candles and sugar plums. By the 1860s, Christmas trees were sold by the thousands in London, and the trend quickly spread to America.

By the early 20th century, Christmas trees were decorated with electric lights and displayed publically. In the mid-20th century, lights had become independent of the Christmas tree, and many people decorated their homes with electric lights around the holidays.

In the ’50s, Americans began to decorate their private homes with Christmas light displays, and by the late 20th century countries that didn’t traditionally celebrate Christmas — like Japan and Hong Kong — began to participate in Christmas light displays as well.

Despite Queen Victoria popularizing the illuminated Christmas tree, the first outdoor Christmas light display is believed to have been in America. In 1920, Frederick Nash and the Pasadena Chamber of Congress organized a Christmas light display in Altadena, California, and named it ‘Christmas Tree Lane.’

This annual display of Christmas lights has continued ever since, except one year during World War II. In 1990, Christmas Tree Lane was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and is currently listed as the 990th California Historical Landmark.

Holiday Decorating Safety Tips

If you’ve seen National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, you remember the scene where Chevy Chase nearly falls off the roof while stapling Christmas lights to the exterior of his house! While the movie was hilarious, the reality is not.

The most common time to get a Christmas-related injury is when putting up or taking down decorations. Falling from a height can result in serious injury, so always take the proper precautions when decorating for the holidays!

Make sure the ladder extends three feet above the roof

Always grip the ladder from the rungs and never hold onto the sides

Make sure that you have three points of contact with the ladder at all times; two hands and a foot

Be sure to check the ladders weight limit and inspect your ladder for damage before using it

Always have someone supporting the base of the ladder while you decorate

Don’t plug in your decorations until you’re finished and back on the ground

Inspect your Christmas lights for any signs of damage or wear-and-tear

Avoid using nails and tacks and opt for insulated staples instead

Turn off Christmas lights before you go to bed and when you leave the house

The Top 20 Christmas Light Displays In America

Are you wondering what the best Christmas light displays in America are? We created a list of our top 20 choices! Think you can do better? Did we miss somewhere epic? Enter our contest or leave your entry in the comment section below. We’ll add it to our map!

Bellingrath Gardens, Alabama

Bellingrath Home and Gardens transforms itself into a winter wonderland at Christmas, with a magnificent Christmas light display that features over 3 million lights, 15 different scenes, and over 1,100 set decorations.

River of Lights, New Mexico

The River of Lights is a dazzling display of holiday cheer, hosted at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Christmas Town, Virginia

Busch Gardens celebrates the holidays with its very own Christmas Town. Christmas Town features over 10 million lights, several festive shows, and an immersive Christmas experience. It’s well worth a visit if you live in Virginia.

Blossoms of Light, Colorado

Colorado is the leader of the pack when it comes to celebrating Christmas and the Denver Botanic Garden doesn’t disappoint. Blossoms of Light is an annual holiday festival at the Gardens, where guests can walk among an interactive light display.

Dyker Heights, New York

Dyker Heights, located in Brooklyn, New York, goes all out for Christmas. Residents decorate their houses with tens-of-thousands of Christmas lights, elaborate sets, and Christmas carols on blast. It’s one of the most popular festive attractions in New York.

Glittering Lights, Nevada

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway displays over 3 million lights over the holiday season. Glittering Lights is one of the largest drive-thru Christmas light shows in the nation.

The Legendary Lights of Clifton Mill, Ohio

Clifton Mill has been celebrating Christmas with a light display for 31 years. With over 4 million lights and a dazzling 100 ft waterfall made of lights, it’s no wonder that Clifton Mill has routinely made its way onto various ‘Best of Christmas’ lists.

The Lights of Christmas, Washington

The Lights of Christmas is the largest Christmas light display in the Pacific-Northwest. With over a million lights and 15 acres of festive celebrations, The Lights of Christmas is one of the best holiday light displays in the nation.

Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, California

While other states might celebrate Christmas with a crackling fire and hot cocoa, California stays true to its roots in Newport, where Christmas is celebrated by the beach. Newport Beach has an annual parade of lights, only with a twist; the lights are all on boats!

Nights of Lights, Florida

St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights is an award-winning holiday light display that’s well worth a visit if you’re in Florida over the Christmas season. The historic downtown area is decorated with millions of twinkling lights, and the display is open all the way until February 3rd.

Miracle on 34th Street, Maryland

Miracle on 34th Street is one of Maryland’s best Christmas light displays. Private residents go all out for the holidays, with inflatable snow globes, life-size Disney characters, musical trains — and of course, thousands of lights.

The Riverside Festival of Lights, California

The Riverside Festival of Lights features horse-drawn carriage rides that look straight out of a fairytale, along with musical performers, a Ferris wheel — and of course, millions of beautiful lights.

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland, Tennessee

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland features pony rides, the opportunity to visit Santa’s Workshop, and thousands of lights that perform simultaneously with Christmas songs.

Austin Trail of Lights, Texas

The Austin Trail of Lights is the second largest event to take place in Austin, Texas and is the city’s largest holiday tradition. The event features music, food...and millions of Christmas lights!

Silver Dollar City, Missouri

This theme park pulls out all the stops for Christmas, featuring 6.5 million Christmas lights, a nightly Christmas parade, and a five-story Christmas tree!

Night of a Thousand Candles, South Carolina

Night of a Thousand Candles is one of South Carolina’s most popular holiday events. Millions of breathtaking lights adorn the surroundings of Brookgreen Gardens. However there aren’t 1,000 hand-lit candles — there are more than 4,500!

Cincinnati Zoo Festival of Lights, Ohio

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden transform into a winter wonderland come December and has been named the best Zoo holiday light display in the country. In addition to a beautiful display of Christmas lights, the Zoo also has encounters with Santa, a festive Fairyland, and a light show on Swan Lake.

Rockefeller Center, New York

The Rockefeller Christmas tree is an iconic festive landmark that people travel from all around the world to visit. The Rockefeller Christmas tree is traditionally a Norway spruce and has been put on display annually since 1931. The Rockefeller Center has been featured in several Christmas movies, like Home Alone 2: Lost In New York and Elf starring Will Ferrell.

Universal Studios, Los Angeles

While every Christmas light display is enchanting, what could be more magical than spending the holiday in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? The streets of Hogsmeade are decorated for Christmas — and it snows every night! Fake snow, of course — it’s still located in Southern California.

Walt Disney World, Florida

When it comes to the most spectacular Christmas light display in the land, nothing beats Walt Disney World in Florida. The landmark Disney castle is adorned in millions of lights, there are shows, parades, decorations-on-decorations, and by night the park reopens for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.

Most Festive States In America

We looked at some of the most festive places to spend the holiday season, and found that these states had the most Christmas cheer! If you’re thinking about taking a Christmas vacation, why not visit one of these states?

5. California

You might not associate sand and palm trees with Christmas, but after experiencing an arctic freeze in other parts of the country, you might appreciate a break from the blizzards!

California is a great state for Christmas. With a vast assortment of amusement parks, including Disneyland, Legoland, Universal Studios, and Six Flags, you can find endless seasonal entertainment.

Los Angeles hosts the annual Hollywood Christmas Parade, complete with entertainers, balloons, and of course — celebrity hosts. If you’re looking for something a bit more low-key, you can either hit the slopes in Mammoth or enjoy Christmas on the water with a boat parade in Newport Beach or San Diego.

Solvang is a small village in the Santa Ynez Valley. It’s full of Dutch-inspired architecture and wineries. When Christmas rolls around, the town celebrates with hundreds of Christmas lights and an annual Julefest parade.

Best Christmas Town in California: Solvang

4. Vermont

Many towns in Vermont look like they should be on a Christmas postcard. Vermont has everything that you’d expect from a Christmas paradise, including snow, sleigh rides, charming architecture and thousands of twinkling Christmas light displays.

The town of Woodstock is well-known for being a great destination for the holidays. The annual Wassail Weekend is packed full of seasonal events, including a Christmas parade.

Best Christmas Town in Vermont: Chester

3. Michigan

Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is the world’s largest Christmas superstore and is open all year round! Bronner’s is the size of approximately 5.5 football fields, and is packed with every type of Christmas display you could imagine!

Bronner’s is located in the picturesque town of Frankenmuth, which has been routinely voted one of the best Christmas towns in America.

Aside from this winter wonderland, Michigan has great Christmas scenery with evergreen trees, snow, and even a town named Christmas!

Best Christmas Town in Michigan: Frankenmuth

2. New York

New York City is a dream destination for the Christmas obsessed. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is the unofficial Christmas kick-off, and the humungous Rockefeller Center Tree is an iconic holiday landmark. Upstate New York has all the scenery of a holiday movie, complete with snow and fir trees!

Best Christmas Town in New York: New York City

1. Colorado

Colorado is as close as you can get to a perfect winter wonderland! If you want a guaranteed white Christmas, the town of Snowmass in Colorado is your go-to holiday destination. Meanwhile, in the town of Durango, a Polar Express steam train can take you on a festive adventure with Santa Claus. From sleigh rides to dog sledding, Colorado has it all.

Best Christmas Town in Colorado: Durango