Caribbean vacation: Celebrate Christmas the island way

By Lena Katz

Stockings, snow and holly are all very jolly, but who am I kidding, after a year like this, a perfect 80-degree morning on a white-sand beach is a better gift than anything Santa could pull out hisgift bag. A Caribbean vacation delivers an endless number of holiday celebrations, ranging from Christmas with an island twist to Latin spice with a Bacardi float. Here are three  of my favorite places to celebrate:

Barbados

After dropping a few notches on the luxury hotlist under tough competition from St. Barths and Anguilla, Barbados has lately enjoyed a return to the top. Perhaps this is because of the many new and revamped Barbados hotels to debut recently.

Perhaps it’s because, unlike neighboring luxury Caribbean vacation destinations St. Barths and Nevis, Barbados has reasonably priced family-friendly lodgings like White Sands Barbados and kitchen-equipped all-suites like the Bougainvillea Beach Resort, aswell as five-star villas for the jetset crowd (great deals currently available at Almond Casuarina Beach Resort All Inclusive and Tamarind Cove Hotel). And maybe it’s because there’s a thriving culture outside the resorts — one that combines live music, pro sports and international influences to create that distinctive “Bajan” vibe.

The December calendar is a capsule example of island eclectic: December 3-7, 2009, brings the Barbados International Film Festival, an annual celebration of Caribbean, Latin American and indie film  from the United States and United Kingdom. In the middle of December, Barbados gets twinkly during the annual Christmas Parade, when trucks bedecked in festive lights and heaped high with seasonal flowers drive through the center of town spreading traditional holiday cheer. The day after Christmas, the island pays homage to its British roots by taking a national holiday off to observe Boxing Day.

St. Kitts

Though you can experience Christmas festivities on many islands during your Caribbean vacation, St. Kitts goes far beyond the mistletoe-and-rum norm with its annual Carnival. Starting in December and running through the beginning of January, the St. Kitts & Nevis National Carnival starts with a “Pandemonium” (organized hubbub to kick off the festivities) and includes various fetes, concerts and shows. The big events are the National Carnival Queen Pageant and, a few days later, the Grand New Year’s Parade.

St. Kitts is not a place where the party culture relies on Carnival, however. In the well-trafficked watering holes along the Frigate Bay Strip and the classic beach bars like The Beach House and Mr. X Shiggidy Shack, students mingle with East Coasters and international travelers in a rum-buzzed free-for-all that combines karaoke with firedancing with dancing ’til the morning hours. St. Kitts hotels are among the most affordable in the Caribbean, with basic bargains to be found at Bird Rock Beach, centralized convenience at Frigate Bay Resort, and affordable luxury at Marriott St. Kitts Royal Beach Resort and Spa or the Royal St. Kitts Hotel and Casino.

Bahamas

Though not technically part of the Caribbean, the Bahamas often get lumped in due to proximity and similarities in the weather. Bahamians celebrate Christmas, Boxing Day and New Years, but they have a national holiday that encompasses and outshines all three. Called Junkanoo, it’s a raucous be-costumed parade/street party based in West African traditions.

Two major Junkanoo parades take place in downtown Nassau during the holiday season — one on December 26 (Boxing Day) and one on January 1. The visual element of Junkanoo is defined by the costumes, elaborate and crazy-colorful wearable art pieces made of aluminum frames, cardboard, Styrofoam and hundreds of strips of crepe paper. Drums, horns, brass and cowbell come together in a frenzy of sound. And the dance element, which used to be spontaneous and simple, has evolved into choreographed group displays that are professionally choreographed and practiced for months.

Nassau and Paradise Island house some of the most popular beach resorts for Caribbean vacations, including the Atlantis, the ever-evolving Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort, and the brand-new RIU Palace Paradise Island All Inclusive.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Caribbean vacation
• Barbados hotels
• St. Kitts hotels
• Bahamas hotels

Lena Katz is the author of SUN: California and SIP: California, part of the Travel Temptations series published by Globe Pequot Press.

Tagged: Caribbean, Family time