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.
Flickr/formulanone
They wait in lines that wrap around the building just to have their Christmas cards postmarked with the word “Christmas.”
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
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.
Flickr/Florida Memory
While it isn’t a winter wonderland, the town does perpetually keep some Christmas decorations up year-round.
Flickr/Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos
These include a large, beautifully decorated Christmas tree and a nativity scene.
Flickr/Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos
The town is named after Fort Christmas, which was built on December 25, 1837, during the Second Seminole War, but never saw any fighting.
Flickr/Todd Van Hoosear
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.
Flickr/Todd Van Hoosear
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.
TripAdvisor/business owner
For more information on visiting Fort Christmas, visit orangecountyfl.net. To learn more about the Jungle Adventures animal park, visit jungleadventures.com.
Flickr/formulanone
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Flickr/Florida Memory
Flickr/Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos
Flickr/Todd Van Hoosear
TripAdvisor/business owner
Have you ever visited Christmas, Florida? What’s your favorite place to celebrate Christmas in the Sunshine State?
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