For spectacular holiday light shows, go here

Claudine Zap
·Claudine Zap

'Tis the season to light the tree, the house ... heck, the whole town, if possible. Americans go crazy for light shows, and the holidays are a great time to catch some of the best. Here are seven of the most spectacular winter lighting displays from around the country.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
The New York tradition began in the early 1930s and remains as popular as ever. Even if a visit to Rockefeller Center isn't possible, you can still catch the lighting ceremony on TV on Dec. 4. The 76-foot Norway spruce has already arrived from Connecticut and is getting ready for its close-up. The lights will stay on through Jan. 7.

Disneyland Park It's a Small World
Visitors who make Disneyland their destination will find It's a Small World decorated with 300,000 lights. In addition, the children will be dressed in special holiday attire. New this year is a 3D projected show that will reveal some holiday surprises, including the mechanism behind the smiling clock.

Natchitoches 87th Annual Festival of Lights
The North Central Louisiana lights display is set on the bank of picturesque Cane River Lake. Starting Nov. 23, over 300,000 Christmas lights and 100 riverbank set pieces will be visible at dusk, through Jan. 6. Fireworks and a laser light show are scheduled for the evening of Saturday, Dec. 7.

Oglebay Resort Winter Festival of Lights
The resort in Wheeling, W.Va., resort puts on a massive show that covers 300 acres over a six-mile drive. The festival, which has switched mainly to more energy-efficient LED lights, boasts 80 glowing displays made of colored lights, including a 60-foot-high, 50-foot-wide "Poinsettia Wreath and Candle" display." New this year: a Christmas tree farm all in lights.

Mission Inn Festival of Lights
The Riverside, Calif., hotel is known for its Hollywood connections — Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart were both guests. But the historic landmark is also a stunning spectacle for the holidays, boasting some of the most elaborate lighting decorations in the country. The 3.5 million lights switch on starting Nov. 29. The 21st annual festival runs through Jan. 4.

Leavenworth, Wash., Christmas Lighting Festival
Pray for snow. The white stuff will only add to the picturesque Bavarian-style town that offers sleigh rides and sledding during its Christmas lighting festival on Saturday and Sunday nights during the weekends of Dec. 6, 13, and 20. Some 250,000 lights decorate the downtown, which was redone in the 1960s to replicate an Alpine village. Lederhosen abound, carolers sing, and the downtown glows for a very Bavarian Christmas.

National Christmas Tree Lighting in D.C.
President Calvin Coolidge started the tree lighting ceremony tradition in 1923. That year, 2,500 red, white and green electric lights covered the 48-foot-tall fir tree on the Ellipse near the White House. The National Christmas tree showcased this year is a living, 31-foot Colorado spruce in President's Park, and even has its own Twitter feed, @TheNationalTree. This year's design and decoration won't be revealed until the lighting ceremony, which will be televised and live-streamed on Dec. 6.