Orlando voted No. 1 for Christmas celebrations, Treetopia says

OK, so your favorite-ever Christmas was spent at your grandma's house, walking in a winter wonderland in snow-blown Buffalo.

But in 2017, where's the No. 1 place for celebrating Christmas in these United States?

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According to artificial tree company Treetopia, and those scouring the internet, it's ... Little Drummer Boy, roll it, please ... Orlando, News 6 partner Florida Today reported.

So while some Floridians might yearn for a family Christmas slogging through snow mounds, New York Grandma might just be Googling "Christmas in Orlando" — especially since, according to Accuweather.com, Buffalo averages more than 27 inches of snow in December.

But Orlando? No. 1 for yuletide merriment?

"It's clear, based on Google Trends, that many Americans dream of heading to the sunny city during the most wonderful time of the year," said Carrie Chen, Treetopia brand manager.

California-based Treetopia compiled the data of several popular destinations in the U.S. for celebrating Christmas, Chen said. As far as data points in Google Trends, they found the interest in Google searches around the following terms from December 2016 to December 2017: Christmas Orlando; Christmas Branson (Missouri); Christmas Asheville (North Carolina); Christmas Jackson (Tennessee); and Christmas Williamsburg (Virginia), according to Florida Today.

While December of 2016 showed close results between Jackson and Orlando, Orlando is surpassing the other cities in 2017.

Even with all those who claim they're dreaming of that Christmas just like the ones they used to know? In those places, they were bundled up like Randy in "A Christmas Story" and wearing shorts in the snow on Christmas Eve was just a goof for a photo?

Bingo, say the folks at Treetopia, which makes traditional and funky-fun trees for every holiday.

"Orlando is magic at this time of year; a sunny spot transformed into a winter wonderland, where families can experience the magic of Christmas,"  Chen said.

"The various theme parks in the area make Orlando an exciting destination for festive fun."

And it's not all just about the theme parks. You'll find plenty of seasonal-centered ways to celebrate here, too, from the Central Florida Ballet's "Pyrotechnic Nutcracker" to First Baptist Orlando's "Singing Trees," according to visitorlando.com.

What if you're dead-set on a little true time on the ice, and not that kind on a sidewalk — but you're in the Sunshine State?

Then you'll feel the burn surrounded by 2 million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures, at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center's "ICE! Featuring Christmas Around the World." Or take a slide down the two-story ice slide. The show runs through Jan. 7 and it's a chllled-out masterpiece.

Just don't hope for massively cold weather in Florida for Christmas: It's happened before, and it wasn't pretty. Between Dec. 22 and Dec. 26, 1989, ice, sleet, snow and hard freezes were part of one of the state's most massive cold waves, leading to several deaths. Even Orlando had wet snow in some parts of the city that year, according to the publication.

Naysayers are sure to scoff and warn that the theme parks are too crowded with families on vacation during winter breaks. That fake snow, which flutters all around Orlando during the holidays, is a slap in the wind-whipped face of real snow everywhere.

But Carolyn Perrine of Melbourne, who spent her growing-up years in Orlando, thinks Treetopia's got a poinsettia-dotted point.

She and her daughter Sydney, who's 17, have been going to the Walt Disney World parks since Sydney was 2. 

What's her favorite holiday park pleasure?

"Magic Kingdom, of course," Perrine said. "I’ve never even been to their Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party but Magic Kingdom does it up right during Christmas. The decorations are gorgeous, I’ve seen carolers strolling. I swear it feels a little more like Christmas whenever I go there, even if it is 85 degrees out."

For the record, in case Grandma's still Googling: It was 20 degrees in Orlando on Dec. 26, 1983. This year's forecast, according to Accuweather.com: 69 for a high, 52 for a low, clouds and a thunderstorm possible.


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