The search for America’s merriest town is getting serious!
Earlier this summer, Hallmark asked communities across the country to make the case for why their hometown deserved a little Christmas-movie magic. The nominations poured in—and Hallmark has now narrowed the list down to 25 finalists in its Merriest Christmas Towns Contest. One of them will eventually be named Hallmark’s Merriest Christmas Town and get the opportunity to serve as a filming location for a future Hallmark movie.
In other words, somewhere on this list could be a future home to twinkle lights, fake snow, a charming Main Street, and two people who absolutely did not expect to fall in love before Christmas. 😂
The 25 finalists are:
- Ashland, Oregon
- Bemidji, Minnesota
- Berlin, Maryland
- Boerne, Texas
- Cape May, New Jersey
- Carlinville, Illinois
- Carolina Beach, North Carolina
- Chatham, Massachusetts
- Collierville, Tennessee
- Conway, South Carolina
- Corning, New York
- Cullman, Alabama
- Eureka Springs, Arkansas
- Hanover, Pennsylvania
- Leavenworth, Washington
- Lewisburg, West Virginia
- Marlborough, Connecticut
- Neenah, Wisconsin
- North Conway, New Hampshire
- Papillion, Nebraska
- Parkville, Missouri
- Placerville, California
- Portsmouth, Ohio
- Versailles, Kentucky
- Winter Garden, Florida
Honestly, how is Hallmark supposed to choose just one?! Cape May, for example, goes full Victorian Christmas with gaslights, carriage rides, trolley tours, and decorated historic homes, while Ashland has been celebrating its Festival of Light for more than 40 years. Boerne brings out carolers, decorated storefronts, and its old-fashioned Dickens celebration. This is serious Christmas-town business!
How Do You Vote for Hallmark’s Merriest Christmas Town?
Voting is open now through 11:59 p.m. ET on September 4, 2026. Anyone 18 or older who meets Hallmark’s residency requirements can head to the contest site, enter a valid email address, choose a finalist, and confirm the selection through email. You can vote once per calendar day, and yes, you can keep coming back to support the same town every day if your Christmas loyalty runs deep.
But the public vote is only part of the decision. After voting closes, Hallmark’s judges will also weigh things like community spirit, holiday traditions, neighborhood charm, and goodwill. All 25 finalists have already earned the designation of Official Hallmark Christmas Town, but only one gets the grand prize!
The winner is expected to be announced around October 31, which gives us Halloween with a side of Christmas cheer all over again.
So if your town—or a place you love spending the holidays—made the list, now’s the time to rally behind it. You can see all 25 finalists and cast your vote on Hallmark’s contest site. And come Christmastime, we may be looking at one of these Main Streets and thinking, “Hey, I voted for that place!”
