9 Florida Christmas Traditions Out-of-Staters Find Strange

In Apalachicola, Santa has shown up for the holidays by shrimp boat.

If you grew up with snow, a Florida Christmas takes some getting used to.

Here are the Florida Christmas traditions out-of-staters find strange.

1. Surfing Santas

Cocoa Beach’s Surfing Santas ride waves on Christmas Eve in Santa, elf and reindeer costumes.

The tradition started as a small family outing in 2009.

By 2025, more than 12,000 people were watching from the sand.

Many people from colder states picture Christmas Eve at a fireplace, not on a surfboard.

The event has been free, and a 2022 report said it had raised more than $100,000 for local charities.

A 2025 report named the Florida Surf Museum among the charities it supports.

2. Sandi, the Sand Tree

West Palm Beach’s Sandi is a holiday tree made of sand at the city’s Holiday in Paradise celebration.

In 2025, Sandi stood 35 feet tall and weighed about 700 tons.

That year, Sandi stood on the Great Lawn at 100 N. Clematis Street.

Sandi is freshly sculpted each year with a unique theme, and the 2025 tree featured musical notes, instruments and marine life.

Sand deliveries began on Nov. 3 that year, and sculpting was set to start on Nov. 17.

The 2025 sand was 100 percent recycled from past Sandi trees.

The nightly light shows were scheduled to run through Dec. 31, with more lights and sounds planned for the final celebration.

3. Cards Postmarked Christmas

In Orange County, people mail holiday cards from a town named Christmas.

Cards mailed from there get a special postmark.

Many people from other states wouldn’t think of a town named Christmas as a place to mail cards.

ClickOrlando reported in 2018 that visitors made the trip for the town’s stamps, and the postmaster said business probably triples for the holiday season.

In 2023, Action News Jax called a visit to the post office a tradition in Christmas.

The post office also handles letters to and from Santa and has decorative stamps.

4. Santa by Shrimp Boat

At Apalachicola’s Downtown Christmas Celebration, Santa has arrived by shrimp boat.

In 2022, he stepped off the Miss Carolyn Ann shrimp boat at Riverfront Park.

Many out-of-staters picture Santa arriving by sleigh, not by shrimp boat.

The Forgotten Coast tourism site promoted the shrimp-boat arrival in 2018 and again in 2024.

The 2024 celebration was set for Friday, Nov. 29, the Friday after Thanksgiving.

The 2024 listing said kids could get free popcorn and hot dogs during their visit with Santa.

5. Lobster Trap Tree

Key West has a Christmas tree made of lobster traps.

No fir needed.

In 2020, Miami’s NBC station described a tree made from some 45 traps at the Key West Historic Seaport.

A Keys News preview listed the 2025 lighting for Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. at Margaret Street Plaza.

That night also kicked off Key West Holiday Fest, which was set to run through Dec. 31.

6. Nochebuena Roast Pig

Nochebuena, the Cuban American Christmas Eve feast, often features a roast pig at parties in South Florida.

A lot of people from other states grew up with turkey or ham at Christmas, and you might have too.

National Public Radio reported in 2015 that the preferred method for roasting that pig involves a China box.

The China box is made of plywood and lined with aluminum, and its lid is a metal tray that holds charcoal.

In December 2024, Miami-Dade County’s mayor pardoned two pigs outside a Miami cafe.

Miami public radio’s WLRN ran an Associated Press story calling it a seven-year South Florida riff on the White House turkey pardon.

The two pigs were headed to an animal sanctuary south of Miami.

7. Winterfest Boat Parade

Fort Lauderdale’s Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade calls itself the traditional kickoff to the South Florida holiday season. It follows a 12-mile route with more than a million viewers along the way.

Local station WSVN covered the 2016 parade as its 45th year.

The 2025 parade brought fireworks and Christmas lights, with a “Yacht Rock of Ages” theme. It was held on Saturday, Dec. 13, with a preshow at 5:30 p.m. and the parade at 6.

8. Nights of Lights

St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights is listed to run nightly from Nov. 21, 2026, through Jan. 18, 2027.

Many out-of-staters don’t expect a city’s holiday lights to run that long.

The visitor site calls this the 33rd annual Nights of Lights, with more than three million lights. National Geographic named the display one of the top 10 holiday lighting displays in the world in 2011 and 2012.

The original committee based the idea on an old Spanish practice of displaying a white candle in windows at Christmas. In the Plaza de la Constitución, white lights are draped over the trees, with a colorfully lit Christmas tree in the center.

9. Holiday Boat Parade of Lights

Sarasota's Holiday Boat Parade of Lights reached its 39th year in 2025.

The parade ran on Sarasota Bay on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m.

You could watch for free, and the city's listing named Bayfront Park and Marina Jack as the best viewing spots, with reservations required in advance at Marina Jack.

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