What is the point of living in Miami if you don’t have a little fun every once in awhile? Our Miami, the new Millennium Miami, has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting places in the world. This Miami has become the gateway to America, a new-world city that is part culture, part resort, and part nightlife.
While much of the country will be pretending to enjoy their winter wonderlands this month, some of them wise up and come here for December in Miami, during the peak of our tourist season. That’s because not only is the weather considerably better than most places right now, but there is some great stuff to do in Miami for the holidays.
Enjoy the Holidays, Miami-style
- The Santa Crawl- December 12th – The Santa Crawl is becoming a Miami tradition. It’s improved each year with better organization, attendance, and participation. If you want to fit in with this crowd, squeeze into your Christmas-themed attire and join a couple hundred other Santa’s, reindeer, and suspiciously human-looking elves, as you move from bar to bar. Participants are given wristbands and route cards and are led through one of multiple routes (so everyone is not hitting the same bar at the same time). What’s that? Why yes, I will have another!
- Miami SantaCon – December 19th – Christmas comes but once a year, so come and drink some beer and be merry! There’s absolutely no rule saying you can’t partake in more than one Christmas-themed pub crawl; and really, isn’t that the point of a pub crawl?! This round is free to participate in, but make sure you’re appropriately garbed if you want to receive the advertised drink specials.
- Santa’s Enchanted Forest -Through January 2nd – Looking for something the whole family can enjoy? Look no further than Santa’s Enchanted Forest. That’s right, we have our own Christmas theme park. One ticket grants you entrance to all of the rides, and you enter into a wonderland of holiday lights and decorations as you drown in mountains of chocolate-covered marshmallows.
- The Orange Bowl- December 31st – If candy canes and elves aren’t really your thing, then perhaps I can offer you the best football game of all time? The Super Bowl doesn’t count, and the Rose Bowl can eat it. Every year around this time, two of the country’s best teams face off in Miami. The stadium has been updated this year and it will be our first playoff semifinal in the new CFP system. Tickets might be hard to come by, but that is why they make large-screen TV’s.
- Bring in the New Year – Miami might be the party capital of the country, all year long, but that doesn’t mean we let it fizzle out toward the end. Nope, we go all out, at all levels. From luxury, million dollar velvet-rope events on a yacht that would never let me in, to party buses, and the famous orange drop! There is a lot to do.
Since Miami is the #1 party city in the country, I’ll just leave this little list here.
Seasonal Comfort Foods – Miami Style
On top of being a world-renowned vacation destination, Miami also offers some great seasonal comfort foods– albeit, with a little bit of Miami flair involved.
If you have a seasonal favorite, share it with us on our Facebook page!
Here’s are just a few of our favorites:
Coquito – A Miami Spin on Eggnog
Image Credit: Alejandra Ramos
If you’ve never tasted coquito, you don’t know what you’re missing. Coquito is a popular Miami favorite during the holidays! You can make your own, here.
Flan – A Traditional Style Custard
Though, not technically a “holiday” dessert, Flan is another favorite we look forward to during the holidays. Flan is found in recipes as far back as ancient Rome, according to this site, and was originally a savory dish that was not too sweet, but rather, aromatic and pleasing to the palate.
If you’re feeling up for the challenge, you can follow this recipe and give it a try!
Work Hard, Play Harder
We have a lot to be thankful for, and a lot to celebrate this month. While these lists are short, I didn’t even talk about the Hip Hop Nutcracker or the Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, but there just isn’t enough room to cover it all.
Just remember: before you go back to working hard, take a moment with those special in your life and enjoy all that Miami has to offer.
~J.C.
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