Holiday getaways: twinkling lights, festive foods, yuletide crafts, and local customs await tourists in delightful December destinations

Tis the season to be jolly--and around the country communities large and small welcome visitors to their Christmas celebrations.

For starters, there's Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland (800-ALL-YEAR, www.bronners.com) in Frankenmuth, Michigan. At Bronner's, it's Christmas all year long, but even more so at the holiday season. In addition to the huge Christmas store, there are more than 500 different Nativity scenes and 27 acres of grounds decorated with 100,000 Christmas lights. Special events include signings by artists, ornament collector open houses, visits by Santa, and caroling. The Silent Night Memorial Chapel is a replica of the original chapel in Oberndorf, Austria.

While you're in Frankenmuth (989-652-6106, www.frankenmuth.org), be sure to sample one of the famous chicken dinners served at Zehnder's and the Bavarian Inn. Together they serve more than 700 tons of flied chicken each year.

Another place that celebrates Christmas all year round is Santa Claus, Indiana (888-444-9252, www.LegendaryPlaces. org), where a 22-foot granite statue of Santa has greeted visitors since 1935. The annual Christmas in Santa Claus festival, Dec. 11-12, includes musical performances, a craft show, and parade, topped off by the 20th annual Festival of Lights driving tour through Christmas Lake Village. Throughout the month, the Santa Claus Post Office--the only one in the world--is busy stamping mail with a unique picture postmark and answering thousands of letters to Santa.

For Southwestern holiday flavor, visit Taos, New Mexico, where the warm glow of farolitos (or luminarias) illuminates the adobe buildings and lights the way for tours during Yuletide in Taos, Nov. 25 to Dec. 31 (800-732-TAOS, www.taoscham ber.com). The Arts and Crafts Fair Nov. 26-28, is one of many events during the season. The Procession of the Virgin Mary, Dec. 24, and the Deer or Matachina Dance, Dec. 25, at Taos Pueblo (www.taospueblo.com) will create lasting memories. Taos Ski Valley (www.taosski valley.com) is the site of a torchlight parade and fireworks Dec. 31.

The holiday season in Carlsbad, New Mexico, is heralded by the annual Christmas on the Pecos River (505-887-6516, www.ChristmasonthePecos.com) boat tours, Nov. 25 to Jan. 1. Three pontoon boats depart hourly from the Pecos River Village, a turn-of-the-century park, and float past more than 100 private homes decorated for the season.

San Antonio, Texas (800-447-3372, www.sanantoniovisit.com) offers perhaps the most diverse holiday celebrations in the country, reflecting the city's ethnic and heritage groups, in particular Hispanic, German, and cowboy. The River Walk is the centerpiece of many events, ranging from parades and lighting ceremonies to river barge caroling and the luminaria fiesta. Market Square is the setting for Fiestas Navidenas (holiday weekend cerebrations) and the mariachi festival. The Kristkindlmarkt, a traditional outdoor market, is Dec. 4, and the 100th annual Weihnachtsfeier, a Christmas candlelight celebration in German, is Dec. 12. There are several posadas (processions representing Mary and Joseph as they search for an inn), with the Gran Posada Dec. 19 on Market Square. Shoppers can go crazy at the Hecho A Mano (Made By Hand) Axis and Crafts Sale Dec. 2-5 at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, the River Walk Arts and Crafts Fair Dec. 10, and the Bazar Sabado (Saturday bazaar), an outstanding collection of Mexican folk art, Dec. 11 at the Museum of Art.

The Celebration in the Oaks, Nov. 25 to Jan. 2 in New Orleans, is the city's premier holiday lighting extravaganza (504-483-9415, www.neworleanscvb.com). The City Park's ancient oak trees become massive Christmas trees, aglow with more than one million lights. This year's event will feature a recreation of "Cajun Night Before Christmas" by James Rice. Gumbo, jambalaya, beignets, and cafe au lait are a few of the Louisiana treats awaiting hungry guests.

At Bellingrath Gardens, 20 minutes south of Mobile, Alabama, the gardens are transformed into a winter wonderland for the Magic Christmas in Lights celebration, Nov. 26 to Dec. 31 (800-247-8420, www.bellingrath.org). Theme areas include Fantasy Land, Cajun Christmas, the Nutcracker garden, Santa's workshop, a life-size Fontanini Nativity scene, and more. The Bellingrath Museum Home is decorated in its holiday finest and open for evening tours.

Near Arkadelphia, Arkansas, the 7th annual Iron Mountain Christmas light display at the Iron Mountain Lodge and Marina (870-246-4310, www.iron-mountain.com) on DeGrey Lake will run Nov. 28 to Jan. 1. The drive-through display with more than one million lights has free admission, but donations may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the donation box at the exit. Last year, the event raised more than $25,000 for Make-A-Wish. Docks, boats, and buildings are decked out in tights, and on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6 a lighted flotilla sets sail on the lake.

In Branson, Missouri, the Ozark Mountain Christmas festivities begin in early November and continue into early January. Towns in the Branson tri-lake area deck themselves in miles and miles of lights for the Festival of Lights (800-214-3661, www.explorebranson.com). At Silver Dollar City theme park (800-831-4FUN, www.silverdollarcity.com), Old Time Christmas festivities run from Nov. 6 to Dec. 30 and include a five-story special effects Christmas tree, a 17-foot talking tree that interacts with children, a musical production of A Dickens' Christmas Carol, a Living Nativity, and more than four million lights. The Traditional Country Christmas activities at the Shepherd of the Hills (417-334-4191, www.theshepherdofthehills.com) include a drive-through Trail of Lights, Nov. 3 to Jan. 5, as well as more than 18,000 lights on the 230-foot Inspiration Tower. The top of the tower is a great place for a bird's eye view of Branson decked out in its holiday finery.