4 Publix Holiday Traditions Floridians Look Forward to Every Year
Publix’s Eggnog and Peppermint Stick ice creams are back for the 2026 holiday season.
For a lot of Floridians, that’s how you know the holidays have arrived.
Here are the Publix holiday traditions Floridians look forward to every year.
1. Holiday TV Commercials
Publix began producing holiday commercials nearly 30 years before 2018, and FOX 13 called them a holiday TV tradition for many Floridians.
The series started with a spot called “The Last Train Home,” a jazz instrumental that played over images of families returning home for the holidays.
A Publix spokesman said then that people get very emotional about the ads, and that the company does too.
If one of them gets you, you’re in good company.
Local 10 greeted the 2023 spot with a warning to get your tissues ready.
2. Limited-Edition Holiday Ice Cream
Publix brought back Eggnog and Peppermint Stick ice cream in its 2026 limited-edition release, the same two flavors FOX 13 listed in its 2024 holiday lineup.
Limited-edition flavors are only here once a year.
The 2026 lineup has Eggnog and Peppermint Stick in half-gallons and a Bourbon Eggnog pint.
Peppermint Stick is vanilla ice cream with festive bits of peppermint candy.
Santa’s White Christmas joins them in the half-gallon lineup.
Publix’s 2025 half-gallon lineup had Eggnog, Peppermint Stick, Santa’s White Christmas, Deep Dish Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Marshmallow, Candy Cane & Cookie Blast.
The 2024 list had all six too.
That list also had Snickerdoodle, a brown butter ice cream with cinnamon graham crumb swirls and graham cookie pieces.
The 2025 pints included Banana Nut Bread, a banana bread flavored ice cream with walnut pieces and swirls of banana sauce.
So if you have a favorite on that list, you may find it waiting again.
Check your store this fall while supplies last, so you may want to look early.
3. Deli Turkey and Mojo Pork Dinners
In a December 2021 post, Publix said its Deli dinners were back with a variety of options to free your time.
The Complete Turkey Dinner on Publix’s Thanksgiving ordering page serves 8 and arrives fully cooked.
Just heat and serve it.
Your oven stays free for the pies and rolls.
Publix’s Christmas ordering page lists a Deli Turkey Dinner too.
The Thanksgiving page also lists a Mojo Pork Dinner that serves 8 and centers on a 5-pound mojo pork roast.
Its Christmas page has a Deli Mojo Pork Dinner as well.
The 2021 post listed that dinner under an international flair, available at select stores.
Contact your store to see which options it offers, so check with yours before you plan around the pork.
Inside Publix’s Complete Turkey Dinner
Publix’s Complete Turkey Dinner includes a fully cooked turkey of 9.5 to 12.5 pounds.
The sides are 2.5 pounds of old-fashioned cornbread dressing and 2.5 pounds of homestyle Yukon Gold mashed potatoes.
It has 16 ounces of cranberry orange relish, 26 ounces of marshmallow delight and 32 ounces of homestyle gravy.
4. Closing for Thanksgiving and Christmas
Publix closes its stores on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.
Its corporate site says it has stayed closed on those holidays since its founding, so associates can spend the day with family and friends.
WLRN’s Thanksgiving 2024 list for South Florida named all Publix stores and pharmacies as closed.
A 2025 Thanksgiving list put Publix on the closed side too.
Christmas works the same way, and NBC Miami reported in 2020 that all Publix stores and pharmacies would be closed on Christmas Day.
In 2024, ClickOrlando listed Publix closing at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve and staying closed on Christmas Day.
That puts your Thanksgiving shopping on or before Wednesday and your Christmas shopping on or before Dec. 24.
Stores also post their holiday hours on signs, so check the one at your Publix.
Merry Birthday Cake for Christmas Birthdays
Publix’s Merry Birthday cake debuted in November 2025 for people whose birthday lands on Christmas.
Publix launched its Merry Birthday campaign that month, with an ad about a girl named Izzy whose birthday falls on Christmas.
Publix said more than 23,000 Club Publix members have Christmas birthdays.
If your birthday is Dec. 25, register as a Club Publix member at least 10 days before it for a free birthday treat.
You can order the cake as a two-tier special order, and Publix requires 24 hours’ notice.
Publix also made a mini version.
The cake debuted in 2025, so it’s too new to call a tradition.
Psst! How much do you know about Publix and the holiday season? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Publix Holiday Know-How
Answer these questions on Publix holiday food and ads. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
Which jazz musician wrote the instrumental that gave Publix’s early holiday commercial its title, The Last Train Home?
Gingerbread Store Kit
Publix sold a limited-edition Gingerbread Store kit in 2021, according to The Shelby Report.
It came with prebaked, notched gingerbread pieces, icing and a peppermint candy tree.
A Publix post in December 2022 said the kit was in the bakery while supplies last.
Check whether your bakery still sells the kit before you plan around it.
Decorate the walls first and give the finished store 3 to 4 hours to dry.
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