Beyond that, the mall is also hosting a Holiday Music Festival; and its multi-floor shopping selection, complete with an amusement park and larger-than-life Lego installations, dwarfs any other shopping experience as an indoor travel option.

Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi, Finland

Last on the list is a wonderland across the globe, "the official home of Santa Claus," at Rovaniemi in Finland.

It's not just a title: one of the town's main attractions is the Santa Claus Village. At the heart of the village is the Santa Claus Chamber, where Santa lives, ready to greet visitors.

One of the village's biggest draws is the Santa Claus Main Post Office, said Sanna Kortelainen, managing director for Rovaniemi Tourism & Marketing.

"The Santa Claus Main Post Office is a real post office, which operates 365 days in the year," she said. "That is the place where all the letters to Santa are sent. The letters are opened by post elves and read through."

After that, guests can ride a sleigh or visit the reindeer farm or even explore the Arctic Circle, which begins at the edge of Rovaniemi.

The Christmas season is also the best time of year to visit, Kortelainen said. The season begins with a declaration from Santa on Nov. 24 and goes into January, ending when the sun again begins to rise above the horizon.