Celebrate Christmas Caribbean Style

Christmas is coming and with it come celebrations worldwide. Typically, the holiday conjures images of festive decorations, holiday parties and cups of hot cocoa shared with good friends and family. But it also comes with chilly temperatures, stress, and — depending on where you live — unpleasant chores like shoveling snow!

Wouldn’t it be nice to trade in those freezing temperatures and the endless snow shoveling for a holiday in paradise? Enter Grenada! The tropical Caribbean island offers beauty, fun and fantastic weather year-round, making it the perfect place to get away from the dreary weather that often accompanies the season. The island’s annual Christmas festivities also give you and your family plenty of opportunity to get in the holiday spirit Caribbean-style by experiencing the warm island hospitality and dancing to the rhythm of a local steel drum band.

Grenada offers a fun-filled holiday tradition called Carols by Candlelight, hosted annually by the Rotary Club of Grenada. This year’s 10th annual event is happening Dec. 2, and is jam-packed with fun holiday activities for the whole family. Entertainment is scheduled to include Christmas carols and a special Pops and Parang Christmas Concert (Parang is a style of folk-music popular in the Caribbean), featuring some of Grenada’s most talented entertainers.

Local Grenada spices © Oscar C. Williams | Dreamstime.com

Throughout the day’s activities there will be giveaways and plenty of local specialty foods to thrill your taste buds, fill your bellies and help get you in the Christmas spirit. Beverages will be plentiful for both adults and kids — adults can enjoy the full bar in the covered lounge while the little ones can enjoy the children’s lounge and kiddie bar.

Festivities start in the afternoon where the kids will have a ball visiting Santa’s Wonderland. He will take photos and hand out free toys to make sure vacationing families can still experience a visit from Santa. There will be plenty of Christmas shopping with a Caribbean flair at the holiday boutique and the evening festivities include a bonfire perfect for toasting up some s’mores to keep you warm once the sun has gone down. A Christmas fireworks show is the perfect way to round out the evening and send you on your way to enjoy the rest of your Caribbean vacation.

Adult tickets are $30 while children can join the festivities for only $10. The event is located in a prime location overlooking the sea below, making the most of the tropical paradise that is Grenada.