The holidays can be a whirlwind of emotions. From the love you feel when surrounded by friends and family to the stress of traveling home for the holidays – but when you look upon the twinkling lights, bows and trees that define the season, a sense of peace, tenderness and gratitude sets in.
All around the world, cities put up elaborate Christmas trees, fanciful lights, and decorate buildings and public spaces in the name of the holiday spirit. From the iconic Christmas tree display at Rockefeller Center in New York to the holiday decorations at Disney World in Orlando and the Christmas villages of Germany, locales worldwide love to celebrate the season.
Get into the spirit with these iconic images of holiday decorations in major U.S. cities and other destinations around the world.
Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y., United States (Image: Anthony Quintano)
Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y., United States (Image: Anthony Quintano)
The National Christmas Tree at the White House, Washington, D.C., United States (Image: Glyn Lowe Photoworks.)
The Christmas Tree at the Supreme Court, Washington, D.C., United States (Image: Glyn Lowe Photoworks.)
Christmas decorations at Union Station, Washington, D.C., United States (Image: Elvert Barnes used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
Christmas decorations in Tokyo, Japan (Image: Yoshikazu TAKADA)
Christmas decorations at The Grove, Los Angeles, Calif., United States (Image: numberstumper used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
Christmas decorations in front of Cinderella’s castle at Disney World, Orlando, Fla., United States (Image: RobBixbyPhotography)
Christmas decorations in Germany (Image: onnola used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
Christmas decorations in Germany (Image: onnola used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
A Christmas tree stands in Leadenhall Market in London, England (Image: Torcello Trio used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
Christmas decorations hang at Covent Garden in London, England (Image: ahisgett)
A traditional Christmas Market lights up Vienna, Austria (Image: zlakfoto used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
Christkindlmarkt glows at night in Vienna, Austria (Image: c_pichler used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
A Christmas tree stands against the Custom House Tower at Quincy Market, Boston, Mass., United States (Image: Eric Kilby used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
A Christmas tree brings season’s greetings to the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, Australia (Image: Sarah_Ackerman)
The Old Town Square hosts a Christmas Market in Prague, Czech Republic (Image: Boris Tylevich)
A Christmas tree in the Old Town Square of Prague, Czech Republic (Image: huangjiahui used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
(Main image: nicholasjones)
