A Christmas in the Florida Keys means that the white in your Christmas is powder-soft sand instead of freezing cold snow! It means wondering whether you need a short or long sleeved shirt with your shorts and sandals rather than a long coat and lined boots. It means riding your bicycle or golf cart through the neighborhood to look at the Christmas lights and smelling the frangipani in the air.
Your traditional mulled wine, hot chocolate and warm gingerbread is replaced with a rum punch or a mango fizz and a key lime tart. And you will still hear your favorite Christmas tunes, but often with a creative tropical flair in the stanzas. Even the decorations for your home and your tree can have a unique, tropical theme. 
A Christmas tree in the Keys frequently takes the form of a brightly 
lit palm tree in a home or in the yard – and you’ll find santa wearing shorts or snorkel gear as you celebrate the holiday season. What a treat to be greeted Christmas morning by blue skies, aquamarine seas and swaying palms during the winter season.
The Keys are always abounding with fun filled events and adventures as well as great family attractions throughout the holiday season. There are several boat parades up and down the Keys, where every type of vessel boasts a beauty of lights that will make you full of Christmas cheer. Trolley light tours of Key West will take you all around the island where you can view homes – some of which are a century plus old – dressed up in their Christmas décor. There are holiday festivals and fishing tournaments, as well as musicals, parades and concerts. Here is a list of just a few of the fun events in our area this year:
- The Lower Keys Lighted Boat Parade – December 19th
- Holiday Arts & Craft Show – Out of the Blue – December 12th
- Boondocks Holiday Gala – December 10th
- Big Pine Key Volunteer Fire Department Caroling Run – to be announced
- Southernmost Christmas Tree Celebration – December 15th
- Big Pine & Lower Keys Island Art Festival – December 14th
- Dolphin Research Center Holiday Photos – now thru December 22nd
For more specific information on which hat to put on, where to go and how to get there, just visit 
The Florida Keys and Key West Calendar of Events.
You can surprise and delight your loved ones with Keys themed gifts, and there is a variety of specialty shops from Key Largo to Key West to accommodate you. You can purchase the most delicious Key Lime Pie, a lovely wreath inspired by gifts from the sea, a Florida Keys gift basket, and a multitude of other ideas. Just about any store you walk into during the holidays in Monroe County will offer you Keys inspired gifts. For a directory and more specific items, you can go to Shopping in the Florida Keys.
Of course Christmas isn’t complete without a feast, and there is always an inviting variety of places in which to dine out all through the Keys. Or consider the fact that you and your loved ones can all relax, sit back and enjoy your choice of impressive meals which can be delivered right to the comfort of your own home. Here is a list of just a few of the restaurants specializing in a fabulous Christmas meal:
- Boondocks Bar & Grill – Ramrod Key
- Little Palm Island – Little Torch Key Headquarters
- Square Grouper – Cudjoe Key
- Mangrove Mama’s – Sugarloaf Key
- Geiger Key Pub & Grill – Geiger Key
- Parrot Key Resort – Key West
- Rooftop Café – Key West
- Sun-Sun, Casa Marina – Key West
- Blue Heaven – Key West
- Sunset Key – Key West
To consider all of your choices of where to go and which island to visit for a wonderful Christmas meal, visit the Florida Keys Restaurant Guide or for more local information you can visit The Lower Keys Guide to Restaurants and Bars. You can dress in your loveliest holiday attire and dine in absolute tropical elegance, you can go informal and dine in a casual tropical setting, or anything in between!
However and wherever you decide to enjoy the winter sunshine, have a safe, joyous, Merry Christmas and ~ enjoy your breezy tropical winter in the fabulous Florida Keys!
