Here are some of my favorite Northern California Christmas towns

 Hi everyone, since the Christmas season is underway, I thought it would be good to write a list of what the best Christmas towns are in my local area. 

5. Sutter Creek

Sutter Creek is a small country Gold Rush town in Amador County with a historic quaint main street, lined and graced with Christmas decorations. Instead of hosting Black Friday, the town celebrates Plaid Friday where people celebrate the shopping day in plaid clothing. They also hold the Parade of Lights with floats and marching bands passing through the main street.

4. Truckee

This town is a treat, being in the mountains that receive 405 inches of snow and the town receiving 107 inches of snow and nestled in the pine forests of the Sierra Nevada, it feels like walking in a winter wonderland. Even though the town in my opinion has a small amount of Christmas décor, there are many things in this town that make it a Christmas town. It has the railroad and the trains running through town and stopping at the depot in town. It has snow. It has the small-town main street with shops and restaurants. It has ski resorts and their villages up the hill. Many of the ingredients to be a quality candidate for a Hallmark Christmas movie.

    3. Placerville

 This town celebrates Christmas with the annual Christmas Festival of Lights (now Hometown Holidays) on Black Friday where the town gathers for the annual tree lighting in town square and even a Christmas tree trail along the highway. This helps promote the Christmas tree farm business up the hill which is benefited by the abundance of ponderosa pines and the favorable climate for Christmas trees. And another thing, many of these Christmas tree farms are near Apple Hill, which is a huge destination especially during the fall. Placerville also hosts the Hangtown Christmas parade a couple weeks after the event with floats and marching bands passing through the main street. And the late Thomas Kinkade who was known to paint many Christmas scenes resided in Placerville in his lifetime.      

   2. Grass Valley

My favorite things about this town are its historical main street with many small businesses and even an operating downtown movie theater. Even better, the town recently converted their street to a pedestrian mall. And they have decorated it beautifully for Christmas with a large Christmas tree, ornaments, and nutcrackers gracing the entrance to the town.

1. Nevada City

This town is where the movie Christmas Card took place. The preserved historical buildings and the surrounding pine trees make the town the ideal picturesque Christmas town. Which is no surprise that the town hosts the annual Victorian Christmas every December, when the streets are lined with street vendors and people dressed up in Victorian Christmas attire. It is only up the hill from Grass Valley.

Runner ups:

Folsom:

Folsom’s main street Sutter Street has a surprisingly strong display of Christmas décor with beautiful Christmas lights, a seasonal ice rink, and even a year round Christmas store in town, Dorothea’s Shoppe. The town also has the Palladio at Broadstone which has a beautiful Christmas tree anchoring the center for the season, and there are neighborhoods in town that go all out with Christmas lights and displays, such as the Ledgemont Court near Folsom Lake College.

Town Center El Dorado Hills:

Town Center El Dorado Hills, despite being in suburban El Dorado Hills, is a fun main street to walk around. The shopping center is going all out for Christmas by their Elf on the Boulevard, which is a fun scavenger hunt. I participated in this activity a couple weeks ago and it was fun searching around all the local businesses in the center looking for the elves lurking in the corners. I hope you can come check it out this season.

I hope you enjoyed reading this list on Christmas towns and maybe you are inspired to make a trip of your own. Also, please check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@haydenlepore3924/videos. Please like and subscribe to that channel if you enjoyed watching my videos. Thank you for reading. 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6