Best Winter Break Destinations?

My friend and I want to travel during our winter break (late December- mid January) preferably in January but we are not completely sure where to go. We are new travelers, but we wanted to have a great experience either way, I just know January is a rough month for a lot of places. Countries we probably can not do is Asian countries since we are on the east coast, the tickets are very expensive and the flight is long considering the time we would be staying there (1-2 weeks). I am definitely down to go somewhere in the U.S even if it is worth it, anywhere but florida though (free jersey people from florida). Thank you guys for any advice!!

Author: Extreme_Ad_5242