22 Reasons To Love Christmas In Miami

It's like no place else.

1. First off, you can't deny that there's something special about seeing palm trees decorated with Christmas lights.

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Who needs snow to have a beautiful winter?

2. ... And boats!

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Nautical Christmas themes work surprisingly well, and Miami has it down pat.

3. Santa's Enchanted Forest is the #1 best place to people watch around Christmastime.

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It's like... if a carnival and a fire hazard and everyone who was mean to you in high school all mingled together to a dubstep soundtrack. Also, there's corn dogs.

4. It's probably the easiest American city to find a caja china for your roast Christmas pork.

A caja china is a device that lets you roast pork for a traditional Christmas Eve dinner. The result is both delicious and a little frightening.

5. In Miami, sitting back and watching your friends in other cities complain about the cold is always a fun Christmastime treat.

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Sure, maybe "smug and delighted" isn't the most Christmasy of emotions, but. Still fun.

6. Our snow men are pretty unique.

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7. You can revel in those post-Basel vibes.

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Everyone is kind of hungover and wondering why they spent $27.52 on a açai mojito at Art Basel, which means their bodies are craving wholesome holiday fun, like laughing at Instagram friends who are snowed in.

8. The mosquitoes chill for like half a second in December.

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May the ominous droning of mosquitoes be replaced with the sounds of caroling, if only for one night.

9. The giant Christmas tree on Miracle Mile will make your heart soar.

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Miracle Mile is a shopping district that goes all out around Christmas, including lighting a giant Christmas tree right beside Coral Gables' City Hall.

10. And The Christmas Castle features beautiful lights for a good cause.

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When you visit this giant light display, make sure to donate to the Dan Marino Autism Foundation.

11. Farm Stores' eggnog is manufactured in heaven by nog-loving angels.

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All hail la vaquita!

12. And, chances are, you know someone who knows someone who makes the best coquito in all of Miami.

It's like eggnog, only made with coconut and rum. And then more rum.

13. Even if you're not Latin@ or even celebrate Christmas, you're likely aware of amazing Spanish-language Christmas songs. Like "Mi Burrito Sabanero."

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...Which will be stuck in your head until the 4th of July.

14. And don't forget its various remixes.

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15. And when I say "various," I mean it.

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♥ ♥ ♥

16. ... Of course, every good Miamian knows the most important remix is our hometown boy DJ Laz's.

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Don't even play like it isn't.

17. People go unnecessarily overboard with their winter clothes here, because well. It's our only chance!

Go ahead and wear three sweaters, that Old Navy fleece you got eight Christmases ago and never had an opportunity to wear, two scarves, a hat, and a puffer vest at the same time even though it's 75 degrees out. It's Christmas!

18. ... Or don shorts and miniskirts. Because why not?

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All that coquito is going to warm you up, after all.

19. We have a lot of prime Christmas light-watching neighborhoods.

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From the McMansions of Pinecrest to the fancy homes in the Gables, the decked-out houses of Westchester to the Art Deco apartments of South Beach, the greater Miami does not kid around when it comes to decorations. (Remember the Clot Family House?)

20. Miami Santas tend to be a little more laid-back than in other places.

21. And he doesn't need a sleigh.

And the most important reason Christmas in Miami beats anyplace else?

22. ... It's home, of course.

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And home is where the heart* is.

*Farm Stores eggnog