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Christmas in Florida has never looked like the postcards. No snow. No sleigh tracks. And absolutely no reindeer on rooftops.
Instead, Florida’s holiday history is filled withrecord-breaking trees hauled across the country, NASA keeping the space shuttlerunway lit for Santa, Victorian-era Floridians firing guns to demand whiskey,bootleg liquor washing ashore like a Christmas miracle, and Santas who tradedsleighs for surfboards, shrimp boats, and scuba gear.
In this special holiday episode of Greetings from Floweirda,we gather by the fireplace — the very Florida kind — and unwrap a collection oftrue, strange, and surprisingly heartwarming Christmas stories that could onlyhappen here.
You’ll hear about:
• The Guinness World Record Christmas tree that stoppedtraffic for nearly two decades
• The year Florida beaches delivered thousands of bottles of“The Real McCoy” just in time for Christmas
• How Florida helped turn the humble orange into a holidaytradition
• NASA’s long-running tradition of keeping a runway open…just in case Santa needs it
• And how Florida re-imagined Santa himself — from shrimpboats to surfboards to scuba gear
These aren’t ghost stories. They’re not urban legends.They’re real moments from Florida’s past — equal parts absurd, inventive, and perfectly on-brand.
So pour yourself a drink, pull up a chair, and settle in.
This is Christmas… Florida-style.
🎙 Hosted, written & produced by Joe Turino
🎵 Original theme music by Modern Mimes — www.modernmimes.com
📸 Photos, show links & merch: floweirda.com
📲 Follow the show on Instagram: @floweirdapod
And as always… stay weird, Florida! 🎄💀⚡️
By Joe TurinoChristmas in Florida has never looked like the postcards. No snow. No sleigh tracks. And absolutely no reindeer on rooftops.
Instead, Florida’s holiday history is filled withrecord-breaking trees hauled across the country, NASA keeping the space shuttlerunway lit for Santa, Victorian-era Floridians firing guns to demand whiskey,bootleg liquor washing ashore like a Christmas miracle, and Santas who tradedsleighs for surfboards, shrimp boats, and scuba gear.
In this special holiday episode of Greetings from Floweirda,we gather by the fireplace — the very Florida kind — and unwrap a collection oftrue, strange, and surprisingly heartwarming Christmas stories that could onlyhappen here.
You’ll hear about:
• The Guinness World Record Christmas tree that stoppedtraffic for nearly two decades
• The year Florida beaches delivered thousands of bottles of“The Real McCoy” just in time for Christmas
• How Florida helped turn the humble orange into a holidaytradition
• NASA’s long-running tradition of keeping a runway open…just in case Santa needs it
• And how Florida re-imagined Santa himself — from shrimpboats to surfboards to scuba gear
These aren’t ghost stories. They’re not urban legends.They’re real moments from Florida’s past — equal parts absurd, inventive, and perfectly on-brand.
So pour yourself a drink, pull up a chair, and settle in.
This is Christmas… Florida-style.
🎙 Hosted, written & produced by Joe Turino
🎵 Original theme music by Modern Mimes — www.modernmimes.com
📸 Photos, show links & merch: floweirda.com
📲 Follow the show on Instagram: @floweirdapod
And as always… stay weird, Florida! 🎄💀⚡️