Holiday In The Sun
When you think of Florida, visions of Santa and snow don't dance in your head. Non-the-less, the holiday spirit rings out all year long around the state. Most notably is the town of Christmas. It is a small community plopped down in the middle of a swamp on the "Space Coast". Christmas decks their halls 365 days a year. The road signs are strung with garland, the mobile homes are accented with light up snowman and a permanent tree stands on the corner at the beginning of town. The tree shares a park under some pines with a scary looking Christmas museum and smaller holiday displays. Everything is much faded from the blazing Florida sun. Life in Christmas is quiet. That is until actual Christmas rolls around. At such time their post office is swamped with not so jolly faces waiting in line to get their greeting cards canceled by the official town stamp.
On the opposite coast, in the hick town of Brooksville, is Rogers' Christmas House. It is a favorite tour bus stop with the seniors. Rogers is a series of themed houses strung together as one ornate gift shop. Year round shopping is made merry by animated dioramas of fairy tales, a giant Santa and an upside down Christmas tree spinning on the ceiling. In the center of the buildings sits a small garden where gnomes become a jungle gym for Florida's lizard population.
In January 2001, a man drove his car through the front of the store. In a beautiful bit of irony it turned out the person behind the wheel was a resident of Holiday, Florida. Strange, but that's just the miracle of Christmas in the sunshine state. Update 11/01: Jack James has played Santa in Christmas for 33 years. This year, with the fear of anthrax, he has traded in his white gloves for rubber ones. He expects to be answering more than 6-thousand letters. Many have no return address and are lumpy with children's treats.
Highway 50 Orange County, FL
Rogers' Christmas House
Robert's Christmas Wonderland  What is this button? |
