Atlanta ranked best Christmas destination in the U.S., survey finds

This North Georgia town has been named the state's best spot for Christmas With its 1800s storefronts and great restaurants, Dahlonega is beautiful any time of the year but really sparkles during the Holiday Season. Bedecked in thousands of twinkling lights, a show-stopping two-story Christmas tree on the square and the annual Festival of Trees with brightly decorated Christmas trees on display outside in Hancock Park, the town looks and feels like a holiday wonderland. (Michelle Kraft Deblois)

By Miles Montgomery

ATLANTA — Atlanta influences everything, as the popular saying goes. Even Christmas.

According to a new study by WalletHub, Atlanta was ranked as the best destination for Christmas in the United States.

Officials compared the 100 biggest cities in the U.S. based on 28 key indicators such as traditions, shopping, and costs.

Atlanta scored 63.65 as a total score, and ranked No. 7 in traditions and fun, No. 28 in observance, No. 14 in generosity, No. 6 in shopping and No. 60 in costs rank.

“With inflation making Christmas celebrations, gifts, food and travel more expensive, certain cities are much better for your wallet than others during the holiday,” according to Wallet Hub analyst Chip Lupo.

Atlanta also has the ninth-highest percentage of people who donate clothing to charity, along with the 13th-most online donations per capita.

“In addition to being affordable, the best cities have a large number of people celebrating, plenty of places for Christians to worship, populations who give generously to charity, and plenty of fun activities to enjoy with family and friends,” Lupo said.