When your dreams of a white Christmas turn into ones of a white sand Christmas, your holiday journey may be bringing you to the Space Coast town of Cocoa Beach, and if that is the case, Happy Palm Stays will be the holiday hideaway that brings you joy and comfort. Offering warm temperatures, sunny skies, and all the traditional trimmings of the most beloved holiday of all, your sugar plum dreams will be happy ones as you keep up with the old traditions while beginning a few new ones. This guide to where to see Christmas lights in Cocoa Beach will paint a Christmas card perfect picture of all the Florida adventures you will experience when December rolls around; these lights may be located in many of the towns that make up the Space Coast.
Holiday Kickoff Weekend at the Brevard Zoo, November 30 – December 1, 8225 N Wickham Road in Melbourne
Thanksgiving falls a little later than normal this year, but that’s ok, it just means Christmas will come all that much faster and the Holiday Kickoff Weekend at the Brevard Zoo welcomes you to the merriest season of all! Offering the first glimpse of their holiday decorations, the lights will be lit, the food will be sweet and delicious, and the hot cocoa will be plentiful on this first exciting holiday event of the season. Offering live Christmas themed performances, and a fun pop up shop that will help you get a jump start on your Christmas gift list and the gifts you purchase there will also be wrapped for free. Rumor has it you will experience a white Christmas as the weather forecast calls for magical snow flurries.
Holiday Movie and Tree Lighting, December 13, Riverfront Park in Cocoa Village
In our homes Christmas officially begins when we put up the Christmas tree and most towns across the nation, maybe even the world, are the same way, and although the day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the opening day of the season, until the Holiday Movie and Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place mid-December, it doesn’t really feel festive to us. (But maybe we are spoiled!) In any case, on December 13, Riverfront Park becomes the southernmost North Pole, offering a showing of a Christmas movie on a big screen after the ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree. Offering bounce houses, face painting, food trucks, and a visit from the BMOC (Big Man of Christmas) this annual Christmas event is something that we start looking forward to as soon as the lights go dark in January! The celebration takes up just the one afternoon, but you can see the tree any night in December after it is lit.
5th Annual Holiday Boat Parade, December 13, Riverfront Park in Cocoa Village
December 13 is a very important date this year, offering not just the Holiday Movie and Tree Lighting but a beautiful and serene Holiday Boat Parade as well! We truly love a parade at any time of the year but this wonderful parade is the largest charitable parade on the Space Coast making it extra special. Not to mention that a procession of boats dressed in colorful lights is just really, really cool, it doesn’t cost anything to watch, they get their money from the boats that are registered in the parade, which in our minds makes it even cooler. Santa makes an appearance in the procession as well, taking up the anchor position, just as on land, manning a boat that is decked out to look like Santa’s sleigh, much to the delight of everyone who gets to see the display!
Jolly Days at the Brevard Zoo, December 21- 23, 8225 N Wickham Road in Melbourne
Rounding out the light spectaculars, Jolly Days at the Brevard Zoo brings the excitement to a fevered pitch, offering more Christmas activities, music, and the opportunity to watch the animals unwrap their own Christmas presents. The lights, the decorations, the roars of the lion brothers (Chobe, Karoo, and Ruaha) add to the ambience of this super special last-minute holiday celebration and when the good times end, no one will be sad because Christmas Eve and all the wonders associated with that night will be just 24 hours away!
Book Your Ho-Ho-Home for the Holidays
All lighted roads lead back to your Happy Palm Stays holiday hideaways and as you celebrate your favorite holiday, the traditions you participate in at your own homes can be enjoyed here as well. Watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve, wrapping presents after midnight when you are sure the kiddos have gone to sleep, then dragging yourselves out of bed at the crack of dawn when their excitement can’t be contained another minute. Reserve your favorite holiday hideaway today!
