Culture
The United States of Festive Towns
From Snowflake, Arizona, to Santa Claus, Indiana, these are places where it’s Christmas 365 days a year.
Dusted with snow, Santa’s Candy Castle looks like a massive gingerbread house sprinkled with powdered sugar. The brick turrets are lined with red trim, like piped icing. The confectionary shop is one of many outposts in Santa Claus, Indiana, that dials up Christmas cheer all year long.
The town—originally Santa Fe, or maybe Santa Fee—changed its name in the 1850s after losing out on its bid for a post office. (Turns out, the name had already been claimed.) The Indy Star newspaper notes that the town eventually decided to go all in to capitalize on its new name. In 1935, it debuted a 40-ton Santa statue. Then, over the years, it rolled out the Lake Rudolph Campground, Christmas Lake Golf Course, and a restaurant named Frosty’s.