These Small Towns Have the Most Holiday Cheer in America

• [I’m Guessing Your Holidays Aren’t as Lit as Branson, Missouri](#toc_item_0) • [🎄](#toc_item_1) • [Kora, the Viral Bakery in Queens, Has the Pandan Madeleine for What Ails You](#toc_item_2) • [Yes, please](#toc_item_3) • [A Midwestern Bomb Cyclone Means Flight Waivers](#toc_item_4) • [Onward!](#toc_item_5) • [And the Award for Best Cookie Inspired by a Soup Goes To…](#toc_item_6) • [Smart cookie](#toc_item_7) • [Sign Up for Salt to Taste](#toc_item_8) • [Your Inbox, Now with More Flavor](#toc_item_9) *Header 728x90 [] When does the Ghost of Christmas Presents show up and is he even any fun or is he just going to moralize at me? I don’t have time for any seasonal visitations from beyond the pale. I don’t even have a tree, but I would really love to have the smell of fresh dying tannenbaum in my apartment. I need to bring my scissors out with me and start clipping branches from various Christmas tree huts on street corners. I wish there was a better way, but there just isn’t. Everyone’s so busy gossiping about that article about nepotism babies from this past weekend to even notice, so the coast is pretty much clear for me to “accidentally” put some greenery in my bag. Either that or I’ll put on my snowshoes and a Dr. Zhivago fur hat and brave the elements in a snowless Central Park looking for evergreen trees. That’s probably not allowed either. What’s a Scrooge to do? If you’re looking for stories about the small towns with the most holiday cheer, or a pandan madeleine recipe, or flight waivers due to winter storms, or a cookie inspired by a Cantonese dessert soup, or our favorite CBD and THC cocktails to really put you in a festive mood, you’ve come to the right place. Must finish my letter to Santa begging him for mercy for my various lazinesses and wrongs this year, if you’ll excuse me. [-Ned Riseley, Senior Copywriter]( [ [( travel [] [I’m Guessing Your Holidays Aren’t as Lit as Branson, Missouri]( Here are all the towns in America that ride hard for Noel. Whether it’s the 6.5 million lights that are lit up for two months at the theme park in Branson, Missouri, or a town that’s literally called Santa Claus, Indiana (just incredible, this country we live in), here are all the small American towns that put my sad Christmas bush that I purchased to get over a credit card minimum to shame. Perhaps it’s time for a road trip to one of these jingle jolly hamlets for some vicarious Christmas cheer. [] [🎄]( [( [( Food & drink [] [Kora, the Viral Bakery in Queens, Has the Pandan Madeleine for What Ails You]( Kimberly Camara, the chef and cofounder of Kora, a bakery sensation that started as a word-of-mouth donut pop-up in 2020, knows how to innovate in the oven. She talked to us about the evolution of her business, her interest in incorporating Filipino-inspired traditions into her dishes, and a recipe for pandan madeleine “cookie-cake” that will change your life forever. Seriously, this looks so gooey and good, I can barely contain myself. [] [Yes, please]( [( *Sponsored Ads List [( travel [] [A Midwestern Bomb Cyclone Means Flight Waivers]( Just in time for holiday travel, Mother Nature is sending one of her infamous “bomb cyclones” to the Midwest. Snow is absolutely fantastic for Christmas cheer, but not so good for travel. Learn all about how you can get ahead of this without getting messed up by the elements. I would recommend traveling by sleigh whenever possible. Wouldn’t that be romantic? I can just see you now in your balaclava, soaring through the snowdrift towards Iowa. [] [Onward!]( [//groupninemedia.createsend.com/campaigns/content/edit/DE0CA41E849921082540EF23F30FEDED?origin=CampaignCreationChecklist#]( *720x300 Ad Banner [( food & drink [] [And the Award for Best Cookie Inspired by a Soup Goes To…]( Now introducing… the cookie formerly known as soup. A dessert soup, to be exact. Baker extraordinaire Kat Lieu has whipped up a recipe for Thick Black Sesame Miso Crinkle Cookies, which are inspired by a black sesame sweet soup that was one of her childhood favorites. It’s an avalanche of flavors that blends American and Asian flavors seamlessly and will likely become a new holiday favorite. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles, I feel. [] [Smart cookie]( [( [ [] [Sign Up for Salt to Taste]( [] [Food and drink]( food & drink food & drink [Your Inbox, Now with More Flavor]( [Ding Dong Merrily I’m High: CBD and THC Cocktails]( *Footer 728x90 Thrillist Editorial - Favorable reviews cannot be bought. Read our [Terms & Conditions](, [Privacy Policy]( Delivered by Thrillist.com, 568 Broadway, Suite 507, New York, NY 10012 [212.966.2263]( Sent to {EMAIL}. Add themove@newsletter.thrillist.com to your safe-sender list so our emails get to your inbox. [View On The Web]( [Content Settings]( [Unsubscribe](