A Florida "White Christmas" at Moontide!

Christmas in Florida

... Nothing like digging your toes in the sand instead of the snow!

When Bing sang about a White Christmas... we know he really had New Smyrna Beach in mind.

The sand is white, the ocean is blue, the breeze is refreshing and the sun is WARM.  What more could you want?  Plop a Christmas Tree in the sand and sit in it's shade while you unwrap presents.

New Smyrna Beach is the closest beach to Orlando, so if you want a beach holiday that still gives you great access to the theme parks, you can't go wrong.

There's a lot of reasons to pick Florida, and specifically Moontide, on New Smyrna, as your destination for the holidays this year... but we'll let you hear directly from some happy "snowbirds" ...

"We went for Christmas last year and it was so good we have booked again. The atmosphere is great and we were lucky with the weather last year so hope it as good this year. I shopped for our Christmas meal on Xmas eve and this took 15 mins, sure beats queuing in Tescos! We went to Epcot Christmas Eve for the fireworks, this was excellent and Downtown Disney is a great place to be on Christmas night. Not sure about restaurants for Xmas dinner though as we ate in our apartment. Yes, the parks do get busy and you need to get there early, but it's worth it."

"We went on 16th last year for two weeks, first week was great and hardly any crowds at the theme parks, 2nd week was very busy, so just try to do alot of parks at the beginning of your holiday if you want to avoid the crowds!"

One of the great things about a "vacation apartment" at Moontide is that you have a FULL kitchen ... saving you lots of money eating out, but also allowing you to have a traditional Holiday meal "at home" while still on vacation.  Picture dining as you overlook the ocean!

New Smyrna Beach, and Moontide, are just a short drive from Orlando, and other great Florida destinations.  If you arrive early enough... drive down to Christmas, Florida and mail your cards from there!  Also... Fort Christmas has a "Cracker Christmas" with pioneer demonstrations, homemade crafts, exhibits and barbeque.  It's usually the first week in December.

You can get great rates at Moontide ... with only a 4 day minimum stay, but also avail by the week or month.  Use promo code "connections" to check on any deals or specials that might be avail, though closer to the holidays you're just going to be happy to get your reservation in early enough!

Other great things to put on your agenda while on your Florida holiday get-away are the "ICE" show at the Gaylord Palms and the "Polar Express Experience" at SeaWorld.

Epcot's Candlelight Processional is one of the more popular holiday traditions at Disney. It's also one of the most beautiful and spiritual celebrations. With a choir and orchestra, and a retelling of the traditional Christmas story, you'll find it full of tradition. Dinner package tickets go on sale this month - July.

Don't miss out on the "Nights of Lights" just North of Moontide in America's oldest city...  St. Augustine.  From Nov 17th to Jan 31st, St. Augustine glows with holiday magic - from the ground to the rooftops. One by one, tiny white lights make the oldest city twinkle in the night. Find their calendar of events here.

Right IN New Smyrna Beach you have the "Christmas on Canal Street" Marching bands, decorated floats, dancers and even troupes of horses will travel the Canal Street Historic District to bring the “Lights and Sounds of Christmas” to this seaside town. Visit the New Smyrna Beach Visitors Bureau web site for thing to put on your calendar!

Are you a SPACE buff?  NASA is located at Cape Canaveral, just south of New Smyrna Beach and this year, in 2013, you could be in for a treat as the newly discovered comet "C/2012 S1 ISON" is expected to pass close to earth in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  It might be as exciting as the Christmas of 1965 (when two astronauts on their way back to orbit spotted something in space they couldn't identify. Frantic, they radioed Mission Control. After several minutes of tense silence, engineers at Cape Canaveral began hearing the faint jingle of sleigh bells followed by a harmonica rendition of "Jingle Bells" ... played by none other than the two "frantic" astronauts).

Learn more about happening at NASA here, and about the 2013 comet here.

Mount Dora is a great place to visit during the Christmas season.  In fact, Mount Dora, and the Lakeside Inn, are so charming during the season that word has it Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton made a special effort to bring the family for the holidays year after year.  If you want to feel like you are back on the set of "It's a Wonderful Life" - plan to spend an evening in Mount Dora and make reservations at the Lakeside for dinner.  

All of these destinations are just a short drive from the beach and Moontide.  Whether you are planning to stay a few days, or a month or more, start by checking availability... NOW is a great time to start planning your holiday season!

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