Do you find yourself yearning for Christmas during the summer? Not just because of the heat, but also because summer in Florida is a long stretch of the year with hardly any opportunity 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, we 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 in Christmas, Florida (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.
They wait in lines that wrap around the building just to have their Christmas cards postmarked with the word "Christmas."
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.
While it isn't a winter wonderland, the town does perpetually keep some Christmas decorations up year-round.
These include a large, beautifully decorated Christmas tree and a nativity scene.
The town is named after Fort Christmas, which was built on December 25, 1837, during the Second Seminole War, but never saw any fighting.
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.
Take a Holly Jolly adventure by traveling to Christmas, Florida in this video from World of Micah:
What do you think about this charming Christmas town in Florida? Were you even aware there was a town called Christmas, Florida?
If you have a favorite place to visit in Florida during the holidays, please share a story or two with us in the comments. Or, you can check out some of our favorite places to spend the holidays in Florida.
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