Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Christmas tree on red car
Christmas tree on red car
Kristina Paukshtite via Pexels
Life > Experiences

There’s No Snow, But It’s Still Christmas

Samantha Cavallo
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rollins chapter.

I grew up with a white Christmas which is not exactly what you get here in Orlando. While the mornings here have been chilly, it’s nothing like the winter weather back home. The holidays are pretty different without a big winter coat! Without having that seasonal transition, it feels weird getting ready for Christmas, like I’m celebrating in Summer. Here are some of the traditions I’ve made in the past few years that help me get into the holiday spirit even in sunny Florida. 

There’s nothing I love more than the holiday menu at Starbucks. The Chestnut Praline Latte… scrumptious. While I love a hot latte in the winter to warm me up from the brisk weather, I don’t often have to do that here. It feels so weird to order my holiday drinks iced, but I just can’t do a hot drink in this 80 degree weather.

Secondly, I think decorating your room is a huge part of it. If the sky’s not gonna make it feel like Christmas, someone has to. I have a mini tree that I’ll be setting up soon complete with mini ornaments, lights, and even a little star tree topper. I also just ordered a new Christmas coffee cup from the TikTok Shop because I can’t resist targeted advertising, and I’m so excited for it to arrive so I can make my coffee in it every morning. 

I love Park Ave., and it only gets even better around the holidays! Winter on the Avenue is on December 1st and there will be a tree lighting ceremony which is so fun to watch. They even have fake snow slides that are probably meant for kids but are really fun for me too. And of course, no Christmas celebration is complete without Santa Claus himself. 

Another fun activity in the area is the Christmas Tree Trail at Disney Springs. Each tree across the property is decorated for a certain Disney movie, show, or character. There is free admission, but you can also opt to purchase the map and find all the trees for a prize, which I find hard to resist. Last year, I got a beautiful plate of Christmas cookies from the Hangar Bar, too, and hope it will be offered again this season! Also, my favorite part- there’s fake snow! It’s soap but it’s almost as fun as the real thing!

So my holidays have been looking a little different in recent years, but that hasn’t made them any less special. This is my favorite time of year and I will celebrate it in any way, shape, or form that I can!

Samantha Cavallo is in her third year as a writer for Her Campus. She enjoys writing about anything and everything, though her pieces often focus on celebrities and pop culture or mental health and wellbeing. Sam is currently a junior at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology, and she is from Langhorne, Pennsylvania. After earning her Bachelor's degree, she plans to pursue a PhD in School Psychology. Beyond Her Campus, she is involved in many organizations on campus that focus on supporting the campus community, such as the Wellness Ambassadors, where she works in Health Promotions to promote the Nine Dimensions of Wellness, and the Student Support Foundation, operating the campus food pantry and providing emergency grants to students, faculty, and staff in need. In her free time, Sam enjoys reading, going to Barre class, finding new things to do in and around the Orlando area, especially if there is rumored to be good food, and Facetiming her dog Dexter. She is a major fan of both Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers (she even got it tattooed to prove it) and loves going to concerts, and of course dressing up for them.