Modeled after Newburyport, Massachusetts, Mistletoe Bay is a postcard-perfect harbor town where every December feels like stepping inside a snow globe. The population hovers around 6000 year-round residents, but triples during the summer tourist season and again for the annual Christmas Harbor Festival when Santa and Mrs. Claus famously arrive by boat for the town’s tree lighting ceremony, which takes place the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. 

Founded in the late 1700s by shipbuilders and fisherman, Mistletoe Bay has retained its old-world charm. Cobblestone streets, cedar-shingled homes, a working harbor, and a Main Street lined with family-owned shops and restaurants strung with twinkling lights and evergreen garlands.