2020's Best US Cities to Celebrate Christmas

Spending Christmas away from home will be more challenging in 2020 with COVID-19-related travel restrictions varying from place to place. Nonetheless, there are a handful of cities determined to make the most of the holiday season this winter. WalletHub recently compared the 100 biggest U.S. cities based on 15 key indicators of a safe and affordable Christmas, including the average COVID-19 cases in the past week per capita, restaurant meal costs and Christmas spirit, among others. Here's how the top 20 shakes out for 2020.

Just south of Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia rounds out the top 20 best U.S. cities to celebrate Christmas this year, ranking 13th for safety, which takes into account the average number of COVID-19 deaths in the past week per capita and the average number of COVID-19 cases in the past week per capita.

In the Midwest, Madison ranks second out of the 100 cities WalletHub analyzed in terms of generosity. The category considers a variety of factors, including things like Christmas spirit, online giving per capita and share of income donated to charity.

Austin ranks ninth in the nation when it comes to Christmas traditions and food, a category that looks at Google search interest for "Christmas celebration," Christmas tree farms and bakeries per capita, availability of highly-rated takeout or delivery food, restaurant meal costs and average beverage price. Still, the Live Music Capital of the World is down five spots from 13th in 2019.

Only three cities fare better than Cleveland for observance this Christmas season. This category considers the share of Christian population and the number of churches per capita. WalletHub points out that many churches are offering virtual services in 2020 in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Two-hundred-and-fifty miles southwest of Cleveland, Cincinnati ranks 10th for observance but edges out its Ohio rival by placing 19th in terms of Christmas traditions and food in 2020. The city is trending up having climbed up three spots from 19th in 2019.

In sunny Southern California, San Diego ranks inside the top 10 nationwide for safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. America's Finest City still has ways to go when it comes to generosity, however, as it ranks just 83rd out of the 100 cities WalletHub examined.

Kansas City ranks eighth nationwide for safety related to the coronavirus pandemic, and that's a big reason it checks in at 14th on WalletHub's list, as it doesn't rank better than 29th in any of the remaining three categories.

Atlanta, which ranked first overall in 2019, performs well for both generosity (fourth) and observance (14th) this year and is tied for first with Seattle, Las Vegas and Tampa in terms of the most food banks per capita. However, the city is one of the most expensive in the nation when it comes to the average wine price.

Safety (seventh) and generosity (17th) push Virginia Beach up to number 12 on the list of the best U.S. cities to celebrate Christmas in 2020. The Mid-Atlantic destination is the strongest-performing city on the East Coast when it comes to its handling of the COVID-19 crisis, edging out nearby Chesapeake and Norfolk, Virginia in terms of safety.

One of five California cities to make the top 20 this year, Sacramento doesn't rank worse than 41st in any of the four categories WalletHub analyzed this winter and checks in at 15th for safety, enough to give it a slight edge over Virginia Beach.

Seattle ranks number one for generosity, a category that takes into account metrics such as Christmas spirit, the share of population collecting/distributing food and clothes for the needy and food banks per capita. The Emerald City boasts the most food banks (per square root of population) at 0.024190, which is 20.2 times more than Boston, the city with the fewest at 0.001200.

Located about 30 minutes north of Dallas-which fell out of the top 20 this year-Plano ranks 16th or better in three of the four categories related to an awesome Christmas celebration in 2020, including safety, traditions and foods and generosity.

Portland jumped up two spots from 10th last year on the strength of its scores for safety (fourth) and generosity (15th). The City of Roses also offers no shortage of toy stores and gift shops this holiday season.

Up one spot from 2019, San Francisco was propelled into the top 10 again by its safety and generosity this Christmas season. The city ranks second when it comes to the fewest COVID-19 cases in the past week per capita and tied for first for the highest online giving per capita in 2020.

Despite scoring poorly for Christmas traditions and food (86th)-Pittsburgh has the 11th-highest average wine price among the 100 cities that WalletHub examined-the Steel City, which ranked fourth last year, trails only Cleveland among cities in the top 20 in terms of observance and also ranked inside the top 10 for generosity.

The capital of North Carolina boasts the fifth-most Christmas tree farms per capita in America in 2020 and ranks 11th for holiday traditions and food overall. Raleigh is also the seventh-best city for generosity this time of year, WalletHub found.

Although Oakland has lots of ground to make up when it comes to Christmas traditions and food (71st), the West Coast city is one of the safest amid the coronavirus pandemic (fifth) and the most generous (ninth) around the holiday season.

The Hawaiian capital, which is up 17 spots from last year, ranks number one for safety this Christmas with the fewest COVID-19 cases in the past week per capita. For perspective, Honolulu's mark of 1,591.53 is more than seven times fewer than Lubbock, Texas, the city with the most at 11,275.64.

San Jose ranks third nationwide in terms of safety as it pertains to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and sixth among the 100 cities WalletHub analyzed when it comes to generosity around the Christmas holiday. That was enough for it to overcome its middle-of-the-pack standing for traditions and food (46th) and observance (62nd).

According to WalletHub's research, Durham, North Carolina is the best city in America to celebrate Christmas in 2020, ranking fifth for both traditions and food and generosity. What's more, the North Carolina city is tied for first nationwide in terms of the most Christmas tree farms per capita, matching Miami and New York City.