We might not have a Winter Wonderland, but Christmas in Florida can still be festive and lots of fun. Folks from other states might not understand it, but our unusual traditions don’t even seem weird to us! Here are a few of our favorite Floridian holiday traditions:
- Eating our Thanksgiving meal outdoors.
Flickr/dp metalworks One truly wonderful thing about Florida is the fact that the warm temperatures mean we can dine al fresco almost year-round. Floridians find the perfectly sunny yet cool days of late fall and winter irresistible. That means that we might even take our turkey outside, if the weather is nice enough. That’s something you definitely won’t see up north!
- Going to the beach on Christmas Day.
Flickr/Aaron Hawkins It’s probably pretty annoying to those who are stuck in freezing temperatures, but we promise we’re not gloating. Floridians just have a special connection to the beach. Plus, our visitors from out of town are always begging to go.
- Decking the palms.
Flickr/Joe Parks With all of the trees growing all around us, we don’t feel limited to decorating only traditional Christmas tree varieties. You’ll find twinkling lights wrapped around palm trees, oak trees, and whatever else we might have growing in the yard.
- …And decking the chairs.
deckthechairs.org Deck the Chairs is a very cool (and very Floridian) non-profit event in Jacksonville Beach where the iconic red lifeguard chairs are decked out in lights and Christmas decorations. What makes the event even better is that it raises money for local lifeguard organizations.
- Building a “sandman.”
Flickr/ClaraDon When you’re a kid growing up in Florida, you sometimes feel like you’re missing out on things like snowball fights and building snowmen. (Then you grow up and try shoveling a driveway.) We don’t plan on moving anytime soon, so we do the next best thing: build a snowman out of sand! You can also make sand angels, if you don’t mind getting really sandy.
- …and building gigantic sand trees.
downtownwpb.com Sandi Land is the perfect example of a Floridian Christmas celebration. The massive sand tree, affectionately named Sandi, towers over 30 feet in the air and weighs 600 tons. Visit downtown West Palm Beach to participate in this beloved local tradition.
- Celebrating “Cracker Christmas.”
Dave Stewart via Facebook/Fort Christmas Fort Christmas holds its annual celebration featuring demonstrations of pioneer life, crafts, barbecue, and more, the first weekend of December. While you’re in the town of Christmas, be sure to send your holiday cards so they will be stamped with the Christmas postmark.
- Putting up some pretty nontraditional displays.
Flickr/Valerie Everett It’s hard to imagine Christmas displays that feature flamingos being very popular in other parts of the country, but you can always find a few every year, at least in my town. Personally, I think they’re an adorable way to celebrate the season and your state pride at the same time.
- Two words: Surfing Santas.
Facebook/Surfing Santas of Cocoa Beach The home of the wackiest Floridian Christmas celebration might just be Cocoa Beach. On the morning of Christmas Eve, join thousands of other spectators to watch hundreds of Santas ride the waves. It doesn’t get much better than this.
What are your favorite Floridian holiday traditions? Weird or not, we want to know about it!
Flickr/dp metalworks
One truly wonderful thing about Florida is the fact that the warm temperatures mean we can dine al fresco almost year-round. Floridians find the perfectly sunny yet cool days of late fall and winter irresistible. That means that we might even take our turkey outside, if the weather is nice enough. That’s something you definitely won’t see up north!
Flickr/Aaron Hawkins
It’s probably pretty annoying to those who are stuck in freezing temperatures, but we promise we’re not gloating. Floridians just have a special connection to the beach. Plus, our visitors from out of town are always begging to go.
Flickr/Joe Parks
With all of the trees growing all around us, we don’t feel limited to decorating only traditional Christmas tree varieties. You’ll find twinkling lights wrapped around palm trees, oak trees, and whatever else we might have growing in the yard.
deckthechairs.org
Deck the Chairs is a very cool (and very Floridian) non-profit event in Jacksonville Beach where the iconic red lifeguard chairs are decked out in lights and Christmas decorations. What makes the event even better is that it raises money for local lifeguard organizations.
Flickr/ClaraDon
When you’re a kid growing up in Florida, you sometimes feel like you’re missing out on things like snowball fights and building snowmen. (Then you grow up and try shoveling a driveway.) We don’t plan on moving anytime soon, so we do the next best thing: build a snowman out of sand! You can also make sand angels, if you don’t mind getting really sandy.
downtownwpb.com
Sandi Land is the perfect example of a Floridian Christmas celebration. The massive sand tree, affectionately named Sandi, towers over 30 feet in the air and weighs 600 tons. Visit downtown West Palm Beach to participate in this beloved local tradition.
Dave Stewart via Facebook/Fort Christmas
Fort Christmas holds its annual celebration featuring demonstrations of pioneer life, crafts, barbecue, and more, the first weekend of December. While you’re in the town of Christmas, be sure to send your holiday cards so they will be stamped with the Christmas postmark.
Flickr/Valerie Everett
It’s hard to imagine Christmas displays that feature flamingos being very popular in other parts of the country, but you can always find a few every year, at least in my town. Personally, I think they’re an adorable way to celebrate the season and your state pride at the same time.
Facebook/Surfing Santas of Cocoa Beach
The home of the wackiest Floridian Christmas celebration might just be Cocoa Beach. On the morning of Christmas Eve, join thousands of other spectators to watch hundreds of Santas ride the waves. It doesn’t get much better than this.
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