A brief history and traditions of Christmas in Florida

With all the unique Christmas traditions throughout Florida, who needs ice and snow for the holidays?

  • By Randy Jaye
  • | 12:00 p.m. December 25, 2023
Christmas Wishes from Florida (Santa Claus aboard a fishing boat) — ca. 1990s. (Randy Jaye collection).
Christmas Wishes from Florida (Santa Claus aboard a fishing boat) — ca. 1990s. (Randy Jaye collection).
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Editor's note: The following article was first published in Ormond Beach Historical Society's newsletter, and reposted here with permission from the author, local historian Randy Jaye.

The first observance of Christmas in what is now the United States occurred in Florida in 1539. The Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and his expedition of 600 people including soldiers, slaves, craftsmen and 12 Catholic priests celebrated the Christmas holiday while encamped at the Apalachee town of Anhaica (present-day Tallahassee). This Christmas celebration lacked the present-day traditions of gift exchanges, eggnog and holiday songs. However, it included a traditional Catholic mass and a large feast (courtesy of the Apalachee food reserves that included maize and beans that were left behind when de Soto’s expedition forced these native people out of their settlement).

This first observance of Christmas was most likely not a very happy affair for de Soto’s expedition, as they were frequently attacked by the displaced native Apalachee people. The de Soto expedition reported that the Apalachee people even attempted to burn down their own town with flaming torches and arrows to chase the Spanish expedition away from their rightful lands.

 

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