5 Unique Ways Christmas in Florida is Better

It’s snowing where you live, and you think, “Ahhh…wouldn’t Christmas in Florida be lovely?” Well, yes, of course! I happen to think Christmas in Florida is better than anywhere else. As a native Floridian, I think the best part of cold(er) weather is that it’s not too hot to eat soup. (I love making soup! And eating it!) And, of course, there are all those wacky holiday traditions here.

Let me just start with the obvious – Christmas in Florida is different than in much of the rest of the country. For obvious reasons. We don’t have the wet, white stuff on the ground. Or bone-numbing cold. Or people wrapped in so many layers of clothing you can’t recognize them. If there are water puddles by our front (or back) doors, it’s not melting snow.

I hear a lot of transplants lament, “It just doesn’t feel like Christmas here!”

No. It just doesn’t feel like Northern Christmas. For us native Floridians, we love the quirkiness of Christmas in Florida. It’s unique, fun, and with our year-round warm(er) weather, we have a ton of events to celebrate the holiday season. If you’re a transplant, or spending the holidays in the Sunshine State, here are a few ways to get into the Christmas spirit, Florida Style.

Lighted Boat Parades are a Thing

And golf cart parades. And bike rides. You guys, I’m not kidding. We’ll throw Christmas lights on anything that moves and go have a parade. Nearly every waterfront town now has a boat parade sometime in December. Boat owners dress their craft with lights, animated figures, blow-up Santas, play Christmas music, and have friends aboard dressed in theme. Then they motor by thousands lining the waterfront to see the lit up boats. Some parades, like the Seminole Hard Rock parade in Fort Lauderdale, even have a Grand Marshal. Some give away prizes while others are just for fun. And in some towns, like Dunedin, the parade closes with Santa and the Mrs. roaring ashore on a police boat, complete with lights and sirens blaring. The kids love it! As do the adults. Lighted boat parades are probably the biggest way Christmas in Florida is better than elsewhere.

Decorated Palm Trees

Nothing says Christmas in Florida quite like lit-up palm trees. Yes, we do have other trees more suited to a light display. And lots of shrubbery. But lit up palm trees just look so awesome! Most times you only see the lights wrapped around the trunk because, let’s face it, it’s hard to put lights on a palm frond 40′ off the ground, but some intrepid people go that extra mile, and put lights on the fronds, and those are my favorite! Don’t have a palm tree? No worries! These 7′ tall beauties will light up your decorations. And the best part? Keep them by the pool or patio year-round to add a little tropical flair to your leisure space.

White Christmas in Florida

Missing that white Christmas? No worries. You can have a white Christmas in Florida, too. Okay, so ours are just sand rather than snow. Seriously, it’s great to head out to the beach on Christmas Day and build a sandman, complete with carrot nose and top hat. Or run into the local Santa kicked back in a beach chair, a fishing rod nestled in the sand ar his elbow. The beach is the place to be on Christmas, especially if Santa brings you a brand new rod or kayak or Go Pro.

What Christmas Tree?

We don’t have tree farms here. Okay, we do, but they grow palms or citrus or something else more suited to our weather. If your tradition is to have a family day cutting down a tree at a local tree farm, you may want to try a new tradition. Like the one we have. Every year I buy a new tree for the yard, and that’s our Christmas tree. Last year it was a bird of paradise tree. We taped lights and ornaments to it, threw the tree skirt over the pot, and stacked the presents around it. If that’s not your thing, you can find a tree tent on nearly every street corner, filled with pre-cut trees shipped down from those Northern tree farms.

Sea Shell Ornaments

These make really pretty trees. Sand dollars and starfish and angel wings, oh my! You can find ready-made shell ornaments in most local shops. Or you can make your own! One year I gave handmade shell ornaments to Nick’s teachers for Christmas. They’re really easy to make with a few shells you find at yourself at the beach, glitter or paint, and twine or ribbon to hang with.

What Do You Think of Christmas in Florida?

There you have it. Feeling like “it’s not Christmas”? Try Christmas in Florida, Florida-style, and see if you don’t love it. I won’t say it’s gonna be like your cold, snow-filled Christmas, but it will be bright, fun, and totally unique!