I always yearn for Christmas the most during the summer. Not just because of the heat, but also because summer is a long, tiresome stretch of the year with hardly any opportunities for sipping cocoa, wrapping presents, or singing in large groups. It’s also nearly impossible to find pumpkin spice or mint chocolate flavored anything. Unfortunately, I can’t promise you’ll find any of that in this small town in Florida, but at least it’s Christmas every single day of the year (literally).
Christmas is a teeny town hidden in Central Florida. It has a population of fewer than 1,200 people, but every year around Christmastime folks flock to the town post office.
This tradition goes way back, as you can tell from this photo from the state archives, taken in 1947. The woman in the photo is Juanita S. Tucker, who served as the postmistress for Christmas for 42 years, from 1932 to 1974.
Today, you can visit a full-size replica of the fort and several surrounding cracker-style homes at the Fort Christmas Historical Park. There are several events and even art classes held at the park throughout the year.
The town is also home to an odd resident: Swampy, the world's largest alligator (or alligator-shaped building, at least). Swampy sits at the entrance to Jungle Adventures and measures a little over 200 feet long.
For more information on visiting Fort Christmas, visit orangecountyfl.net. To learn more about the Jungle Adventures animal park, visit jungleadventures.com.
Have you ever visited Christmas, Florida? What’s your favorite place to celebrate Christmas in the Sunshine State?
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