1. Festive pool decor transforms your pool area into a winter wonderland with creative decorations. Adorn the poolside with twinkling string lights, garlands, and ornaments to infuse the space with holiday cheer. Consider placing floating candles or LED lights in the pool for a magical ambiance. Embrace the Christmas theme with inflatable snowmen, reindeer, or even a tropical twist with palm tree-shaped decorations. Create a cozy seating area with outdoor blankets, cushions, and a fire pit for guests to gather around.

2. Seasonal cocktails and refreshments - No holiday celebration is complete without delightful refreshments! Serve festive cocktails such as peppermint mojitos, cranberry mimosas, or a signature "Santa's Little Helper" punch. For non-alcoholic options, offer refreshing fruit-infused water, iced teas, and mocktails. Consider setting up a hot cocoa bar with various toppings and a selection of seasonal cookies and treats to indulge in.

3. Poolside entertainment keeps the festive spirit alive with poolside entertainment. Prepare a holiday playlist featuring classic Christmas tunes and upbeat tracks to keep the atmosphere lively. Set up a DIY photo booth with holiday-themed props for guests to capture joyful memories. For a touch of magic, consider hiring a live acoustic musician or a caroling group to serenade your guests.

4. Swimwear clothing ideas - when it comes to swimwear attire for a poolside Christmas celebration, aim for a balance between comfort, style, and festive flair. Embrace the holiday spirit with swimsuits featuring classic Christmas patterns such as candy cane stripes, holly leaves, or snowflakes. Opt for vibrant red or green swimwear to capture the traditional colors of the season or choose white ensembles for a chic and elegant look.

For men, consider festive swim trunks in cheerful prints such as Santa Claus motifs, snowmen, or winter scenes. Women can explore one-piece swimsuits or bikinis with playful holiday-themed designs, accessorized with Santa hats, statement sunglasses, and bold jewelry to add a touch of sparkle.

Ultimately, the key to selecting the perfect swimwear for a poolside Christmas celebration is to embrace the joyful and carefree nature of the occasion while incorporating elements of traditional holiday fashion.

Hosting a Christmas celebration around the pool offers a unique and enchanting way to celebrate the holiday season. By incorporating festive decor, delicious refreshments, poolside entertainment, and creative swimwear attire, you can create an unforgettable experience for your guests. So, this holiday season, consider embracing the warmth of the sun, the coolness of the water, and the joy of the festive season by bringing your Christmas celebration to the poolside.

Cheers to a Merry "Splashmas" and a Happy New Year!

Cool Off at Blue Spring State Park

What Is It: Covering more than 2,600 acres, Blue Spring State Park is the largest spring on the St. John’s River.

Why Do It: Here you’ll find 72-degree temperatures that are ideal for summer activities. A quarter-mile of perfection, swim in its pale blue waters as you are surrounded by the lush, forested banks.

Good To Know: With more than 700 natural freshwater springs in Florida, more than anywhere on earth, nature enthusiasts are spoiled for choice with places to go kayaking, paddling, and kayaking in crystal clear waters.

Explore Bok Tower Gardens

What Is It: Set amongst the rolling hills of citrus trees in Lake Wales, this 250-acre National Historic Landmark boasts an ever-changing palette of over 150 varieties of camellias, azaleas, orchids, irises, and other blooming displays of color.

Why Do It: Florida’s combination of sunshine and rainfall means it is home to a variety of stunning landscapes, including a variety of lush, subtropical gardens scattered around the state, but one of the most stunning is Bok Tower Gardens.

Good To Know: Bok Tower is famous for its 205-foot singing bell tower and majestic 60-bell carillon, and is one of the most beautiful gardens in Florida.

Swim in America's Public Freshwater Pool

What Is It: One of Florida’s most unique spots to take a dip, the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables is America’s largest freshwater swimming pool.

Why Do It: An excellent place to cool off, this tropical oasis also features waterfalls and cave-like grottos, where both kids and kids at heart can delight in its splendor.

Good To Know: The only pool listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Venetian Pool holds over 820,000 gallons of crystal clear freshwater that is pumped in from artesian wells daily.

Collect Unique Seashells on Sanibel Island

What Is It: If you’re looking for a unique souvenir or just like easy-going beach vibes, head to Sanibel Island for a day of enjoying one of Florida’s best beaches for shelling.

Why Do It: Known as the “Shelling Capital of the World,” people travel here to scour the beaches for coquinas, conch shells, tulip shells, and sand dollar shells that have washed up ashore every morning.

Good To Know: A fun activity even for the littlest beachgoer, the island’s small-town vibes are a perfect escape from the big city life.

Float on a Tube Down the Ichetucknee River

What Is It: Water-loving families will delight in the endless outdoor activities at Ichetucknee Springs State Park in Fort White.

Why Do It: Spend your day swimming in the crystal clear waters or floating leisurely on a tube along the six miles of Ichetucknee River. You’ll be rewarded with shade from the lush live oak trees and cypress trees.

Good To Know: You’ll see rock formations, wetland plants and spot plenty of wildlife at the head spring, from white-tailed deer to great blue herons.

Go Snorkeling at Dry Tortugas National Park

What Is It: Head just 70 miles west of Key West and you’ll find Dry Tortugas National Park, one of the state’s most alluring snorkeling spots.

Why Do It: Visit for the shallow and calm waters, which are perfect for a day of exploring underwater marine life. Lying on a carpet of white sand, you’ll find a vibrant array of tropical fish and living coral.

Good To Know: It’s an activity that both beginners and novice swimmers can enjoy, you only need a mask and fins to have an adventure of a lifetime.

Hang Ten at Sebastian Inlet

What Is It: A popular surfing spot in Florida, Sebastian Inlet offers East Coast surfing at its finest.

Why Do It: A great outdoor activity to beat the heat, this coastline offers plenty of opportunities to try your hand at surfing.

Good To Know:  Consistent swells and less intimidating waves provide the perfect combination for surf enthusiasts of all ages.

Indulge in a Sweet Treat at Jaxson's

What Is It: When you need a break from the outdoors, head inside for a sweet treat at the old-fashioned Jaxson’s Ice Cream parlor in Dania Beach.

Why Do It: In addition to its 1950s-style decor and 45 unique flavors, you can live out your childhood dreams with their huge portions of ice cream. It’s one of the best places for dessert in Florida.

Good To Know: Serving handmade scoops of ice cream daily for over 60 years, they are known for their sharing menu, where you can order a Monster Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae, Super Jumbo Banana Split, or a colossal Kitchen Sink filled to the brim with sugary toppings.

Enjoy the Thrills at Rapids Water Park

What Is It: Home to more water parks than anywhere else in the United States, Florida’s outdoor water parks offer refuge from the sunshine and a fun day out for the entire family. While there are bigger water parks available throughout the state, head to Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach to avoid the Disney-sized crowds.

Why Do It:  You’ll find 35 thrilling slides to get your heart-pumping, catering to kids of all ages.

Good To Know: Big Thunder is the park’s signature attraction, where you can have the feeling of weightlessness as you soar 20 miles per hour through a 45-degree tunnel in complete darkness.

Explore Florida's "Emerald Coast"

What Is It: Stretching over 100 miles through five counties, beachside cities like Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Okaloosa Island lure travelers in with their sugar-white beaches and emerald green waters.

Why Do It: If you want to get away from the summertime tourists crowds, head to Florida’s “Emerald Coast.”

Good To Know: Consistently referred to as one of Florida’s best-kept secrets, the Emerald Coast is the place to indulge in water sports, go on a dolphin cruise and dine in local seafood restaurants.

Credit to Trips to Discover website.

You get together with close friends and family over delicious dishes and express gratitude to all the things for which you are thankful.

If you are new to this concept, considering trying it out and start your own Thanksgiving tradition. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

Cozy Up

First things first: Hosting an autumn holiday dinner outdoors can get a bit chilly for your liking. There is also a possibility of rain. In such a case, plan for inclement weather beforehand and create a solid backup plan to move your party indoors.

Even if the weather cooperates, the outside is still colder than indoors. Make sure your guests come dressed for the weather and keep some warm lap blankets handy. You can also plug in some comfy space heaters to successfully entertain your guests for pool Thanksgiving. With a covered patio, it gets easy to make your outdoor living space a comfortable dinner spot by your pool. Put out some loungers, cushiony chairs, throws, pillows, and get the outdoor fire pit going all night.

Cooking

When you cook the food indoors and bring it out for dinner, the first few courses will be alright, but keeping the other dishes warm can get tricky. Especially when you lay out all the food on the outdoor dining table, they get cold within seconds. So, make arrangements to keep the food warm enough for the whole gathering.

You can also:

• Use Your Grill

Don’t think of grilling as a summer activity, limited only for hot dogs or burgers. Use it for Thanksgiving sides like stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, pies, and snacks. You can even cook the whole turkey on your grill. Deliciously grilled or smoked Thanksgiving turkey also has a distinct flavor to it.

• Try a New Recipe

Your pool Thanksgiving is an excellent opportunity to explore your culinary skills. If there is an intriguing recipe you have had your eye on, now you have the company to appreciate your cooking. Try a new recipe that may not be associated with the holiday. For instance, keep the jello salad and sweet potatoes, but mix it up with a bowl of soup in the first course or serve rice pudding as the dessert.

• Have Bite-Sized Fun

Enjoy delectable finger food by your pool in the crisp, fresh air. Hors d’oeuvres, tiny cakes or pies, graham crackers, and chocolate squares can be the pre-dinner snacks. Or, give the skewers to your guests and let them have fun toasting marshmallows over the outdoor fire.

• Create Unique Drinks

Another great idea for this perfect occasion is to make unique drinks with Thanksgiving party themes. In addition to having cranberries as a whole, you can make a refreshing cocktail with apple cider, oranges, cinnamon, and cloves. You can also try making something out of the ordinary, like – mock tea Sangria, spiced cabernet, and Thanksgiving punch.

Décor

Celebrating Thanksgiving by the pool calls for amazing decoration pieces that light up your night. Let nature dominate as you spruce up the table. Pumpkins, pinecones, fall leaves – all the things that scream Thanksgiving are right in your backyard. Decorate your whole outdoor area with unique before your guests arrive and surprise them!

• Floating Lights

No party is complete without the proper lighting. And the simplest way to brighten up your pool Thanksgiving dinner is to have floating pool lights. Get creative and use your imagination! You can cut up pool noodles, wrap them up and put the tea lights inside. Floating luminaries can be small pumpkins or pinecones: anything that is lightweight. Place these lights strategically around the pool and create a beautiful effect on that night.

• String Lanterns

When you try to accentuate the beauty of your pool, do not forget the rest of your backyard. Install cool-looking lights that complement your pool and gel well with the scenery. LED string lights are perfect for any occasion- Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, weddings, birthdays, or even casual parties.

DIY: Buying the accessories from a store seems a bit too practical for your taste, and you may want to make something yourself. Then go the DIY way – make stunning paper lanterns for the day. Include your kids in making the party decorations. They can easily churn them out with minimal supervision. All they need are:

• Glue
• String
• Poster paper
• Battery-operated candles

Assist them to cut up and glue the papers into Thanksgiving party themes, resembling a turkey.

• Thanksgiving Crafts

As long as you are doing things your way, you can also let the guests involved. Post dinner, gather them around and start making Thanksgiving crafts. Get to work with a glue gun and scissors and make brightly colored centerpieces, photo frames, or googly eyes. You need simple things like pine cones, papers, or felt to create these crafts, which you can also give away as party favors.

• Golden Pumpkins

Pumpkins are not just for Halloween anymore! What’s in fashion is stringing up tiny bright gold-painted pumpkins. Or, you could hollow the pumpkins out, tint them in vibrant colors, and use them as candy or snack bowls. Make a garland with itsy-bitsy fall leaves, to be hung over the pool or your fence.

Nostalgia

Holiday dinners are all about making wonderful memories. So, why not remind them of all the fun times you had in the past? There is always someone snapping photos at every occasion; call them up and collect all your best shots with the group. Arrange them as pretty centerpieces placed on the dinner table or put them up for display in your backyard.

If Thanksgiving by the pool is one thing no one in your circle has done before, then grab this chance and be the first one to make it click using the above tips. Not only do your dinner, activities, and decoration stand out, but everyone will also remember it for years to come.

Credit to mjplasteringca.com

Looking for things to do in June? Below are 30 activities to help inspire you to jump into summer!

Credit to Best Of This Life website.

But Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be traditional, especially in Florida, where November temperatures often spike above 80 degrees and that white powder underfoot is sand, not snow. So why not turn tradition on its head and host a tropical Thanksgiving on the beach with nary a turkey or mashed potato in sight?

Set up a pretty but sturdy folding table and chairs in the sand and topped the table with linens and dishware in vivid coastal colors. A coral tablecloth, turquoise accent pieces and colorful, mismatched plates established a bright, casual tone, and those sunny hues made everything, including the food pop, especially against the neutral backdrop of the sand. An easy-to-carry orchid basket, a ceramic pineapple and capiz-shell napkin rings added the finishing touches.

How about a tropical twist on a typical Thanksgiving menu?

It must be relatively simple to make and could be easily transported from home. A tradition juicy ham, but you you can add tropical flair with citrus-avocado salsa.

You can serve an assortment of colorful sides and salads, including jicama salad, root vegetable hash with sage brown butter and shredded hearts of palm, and an arugula salad packed with roasted beets, oranges, feta cheese, cranberries and a chile-coconut vinaigrette.

Top that with a Captain Morgan rum reduction and cherry garnish... And a fruit spritzer with show stopping floral ice cubes quenched everyone’s thirst. (A tip: Sangria would be lovely to serve, too).

And a pineapple-upside-down carrot cake rounded out the meal!

The Menu

Grilled, glazed ham with citrus-avocado salsa.

Jicama salad.

Arugula salad with roasted beets, mandarin orange segments, feta cheese, sun-dried cranberries and a chile-coconut vinaigrette, topped with toasted coconut.

Cornbread with a Captain Morgan rum reduction and cherry garnish.

Pineapple upside-down carrot cake.

Fruit spritzer with floral ice cubes.

Recipe: Carrot Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Makes 18 mini-cakes or 1 large cake

¼ cup unsalted butter

¼ cup corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 ½ cups white sugar

1 ½ cups canola oil

4 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups shredded fresh carrots

1 pineapple, peeled, cored

and sliced into thin rings

Maraschino cherries, for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Melt ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup corn syrup and 1 cup brown sugar together; portion 2 tablespoons of mixture into the bottoms of 18 greased and floured ramekins. Top with pineapple rings and place maraschino cherries in the center of each pineapple slice.

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, oil and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients in one bowl, then add shredded carrots and vanilla extract, stirring to combine. Portion cake mixture into ramekins and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each ramekin comes out clean. If you prefer to make one large cake, adjust baking time to 45-50 minutes, checking frequently until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Nice Ice

For a fancy, but fuss-free touch, make custom ice cubes.

Simply fill up an ice cube tray, drop in slices of fresh fruit, edible flower petals or herbs, and freeze. The result is a beautiful drink accessory that will also keep you cool and hydrated on the beach.

Shore Tips for Success

Check the weather forecast, as it tends to change by the hour in Florida. Have a back-up plan for rain, and be sure to pack some sweaters and cuddly throws in case the temperature drops or the wind picks up just as you hit the beach.

It’s worth walking a little farther from the parking area so you can set up where you’re not likely to get lots of people sitting near you or walking through your meal.

Try to balance traditional and tropical in your menu, so it still feels like Thanksgiving or Christmas or Hanukkah, if that’s what you choose to celebrate.

Have fun with your décor. Use colors and objects that reference the seaside setting, and leave your precious and breakable holiday china at home. You can find tropical-themed tableware and accessories in local shops; natural items, from starfish and shells to driftwood, add authenticity and warmth.

Whether you’re going full tilt or keeping it simple, the most important thing is to have fun and appreciate the time with your loved ones. That’s what Thanksgiving is all about, after all! And who wouldn’t be thankful for a sunset and sea view as you’re breaking bread around the Thanksgiving table?

Credit to Sarasota Magazine Website.