*Links updated 9/7/2026*
By Jeannine Bottorff
If you’re like me, you find the holidays crazy! With all the shopping, relatives, and in-your-face sales tactics, this season could cause anyone to want to flee! Why not take a trip for some R&R to one of three great cities and take in its beauty during the holidays?
New York City
I love New York City during Christmas. There is a magical feeling found nowhere else. While I’ve been to New York many times, the first time I brought my daughter was Christmastime. The lights were sparkling, trees were being sold on every corner, and the line for the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall was around the block! I was so filled with Christmas spirit, I felt my heart get bigger and bigger, just like the Grinch! To top off our trip, we woke to a snowy wonderland on the last day!
The musts on my NYC Christmas list are visiting FAO Schwarz Toy Store (no matter how old you are), taking in a performance of the Christmas Spectacular, and having dinner at One If By Land, Two If By Sea a romantic West Village restaurant with historic charm.
New Orleans
Another place to head to for the holidays is New Orleans. There won’t be a Mardi Gras Parade, but there will be tons of Christmas activities including shopping for antiques or unique (love spells?!?!) gifts in the French Quarter, enjoying the holiday decorations at the old world hotels, and, of course, dining on some of the finest food in the world!
Imagine Christmas Eve. Get up and head over to the famous Café Du Monde for hot beignets (it closes around 6pm on Christmas Eve and doesn’t open again until the morning of December 26). You can then shop, have those famous NOLA cocktails, or relax all day; you can also go to Christmas services at St. Louis Cathedral, then dine at one of their world famous restaurants. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Paris
We have friends who swear by Paris during the holidays. The crowds have dispersed (kind of), the Eiffel Tower twinkles with holiday lights, and there is nowhere as chic as Avenue des Champs-Élysées to buy holiday gifts…if you can afford them! If not, you can still treat yourself to the best chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) in Paris at Angelina or just stroll the avenues, or spend hours in the museums and absorb all the the je ne sais quoi that can only be found in Paris!
If you are stressed out by the holidays or don’t know what to get your significant other, keep this in mind. Material gifts are soon forgotten, but travel memories last forever. There is a saying that, “travel is the only thing that makes you richer.” I agree completely.
Jeannine Bottorff is an avid traveler and owner of Journeys by Jeannine