ORLANDO, Fla. – The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner and if you’re looking for a place to spend Christmas, Orlando proves to be one of the best options.
Finance website Wallethub released its report on the best places for Christmas celebrations and Orlando ranks second, following Atlanta.
Wallethub’s data cites Christmas is America’s most popular holiday. Beyond the gifts, food, and travel, a successful holiday also depends on a location’s Christmas-friendliness. Turns out, the more lights, the better.
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The report ranked cities based on Christmas activities like shopping or church services and the number of holiday events hosted around town. Metrics also included traditions and costs to have a good holiday.
After comparing the 100 biggest U.S. cities based on 33 key indicators of a festive and affordable Christmas, Orlando got the No. 2 spot no doubt because of its traditions and fun ranking as well as its shopping opportunities.
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Orlando is also ranked as the 13th most affordable city to spend Christmas. Wallethub also crunched the numbers and learned that The City Beautiful has the most gift shops per capita. Orlando also follows Las Vegas for the most toy stores and hobby shops per capita. That means you don’t have to panic -- it’s easy to find a place to snag a last-minute gift in Orlando. Apparently, gift-giving and shopping is a large part of the holiday stress, according to Wallethub. Some of that stress is taken away with all of Orlando’s options.
From family-friendly events, theme parks and available Christmas parties for the more adult crowd, Orlando has something for everyone and a good portion of those events are offered for free or at a low-cost. This makes the price to spend Christmas more affordable and worth every dollar.