Although there's no place like home for the holidays, there are cities across the globe that just do the holidays really well. For the month of December, cities large and small decorate the streets to get their inhabitants and visitors into the holiday spirit. And in some cases, these decorations help people recapture the holiday magic abundant in their youths.

From food markets to oversized Christmas trees, these five cities know how to celebrate:

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague, any time of year, feels magical with its old town charm and castle, but add giant a Christmas tree and holiday market to the Old Town Square and you'll feel like a kid again.

Florence, Italy

The Italians love Christmas, and they know how to truly decorate for it. In the ancient city, every street and alley is filled with decorations, with giant snowflakes drapped across buildings and decorated hanging lamps on each corner. There's also a Christmas market right outside the Santa Croce, filling the piazza with red and white tents and the smell of mulled wine.

Next to the Duomo, in the old city center, is a large Christmas tree decorated with red fleur-de-lis (or giglio in Italian), the city's flower, and a simultaneously simple and grand nativity set, showing that they do not forget the true meaning of Christmas.

London, England

Unfortunately, my time to experience London was brief, but I immediately appreciated its celebration of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" near Piccadilly, with the lights overhead representing the gifts from the song. Further research shows though that the Christmas magic is all over London, with glowing gardens and bright, colorful lights.

Paris, France

Champs-Élysées had beautiful, and classy, decorations that were blue and light, mimicking the effect of snow. Our favorite Christmas celebration in Paris though was in Disneyland Paris. We stumbled upon the Christmas parade within minutes of entering the park and we immediately stopped, our eyes alight in childlike wonder while we bounced along to the holiday music.

New York, New York

It's a helluva town. From decorated windows that tell a Christmas story at Macy's to multiple outdoor ice skating rinks and markets, and of course, the tree at Rockefeller Plaza, Christmas-time in Manhattan is quite special. Everywhere you turn, there are decorative lights or small trees for sale (in proportion to the apartment sizes here). I can't even get mad at the tourists that slow down my commute, distracted by the celebrations (well, I can get mad, but I totally get it). For a city that's always rushing and known for its negativity, I think New York needs this cheer once a year.