12 Christmas Traditions Only Southerners Will Understand

I grew up in Davie, Florida, a town about 20 minutes west of Ft. Lauderdale and about an hour north of bustling Miami. While most people today wouldn't typically consider Broward County part of the traditional "South," my town was very much a down-home, Southern values kind of place.

Davie is famous for its wide open spaces, beautiful horse farms, and lush orange groves. Every year, the town puts on the Orange Blossom Festival, Parade and Rodeo championship. People ride their horses up and down Davie Road, where you can check out the old Davie school house or drop by Grif's tack shop. Local residents dance the night away at The Roundup while tourists check out the wildlife at Flamingo Gardens. Oh, and if you want the best BBQ in South Florida, you know where to go: Shorty's BBQ.

Now that I've proven myself a true Southerner, let's talk about something only true Southerners can relate to: celebrating Christmas in the warmest regions of the South. Below are 12 things you'll understand if you grew up spending the holiday season in Florida:

1. Buying a Christmas tree with palm trees in the background. You thought Fraser firs were so exotic.
2. Lighting a fire the second it hit 60 degrees.
3. Wearing shorts and a T-shirt for your picture with Santa at the mall instead of a coat and hat.
4. You didn't own a coat or hat.
5. Playing in 20 tons of snow "shipped down from the North Pole." Or, you know, made from an artificial snow machine. Same difference.
6. Praying every night for snow even though you knew it would never happen.
7. Going ice skating just so you could feel closer to that exotic land called "up north."
8. Deep frying your Christmas turkey.
9. Getting a bunch of oranges in your stocking on Christmas morning. Totally normal present from Santa, right?
10. Going to the Waffle House on Christmas Day and running into literally everyone you knew because it's the only place that was open.
11. Going to the beach on Christmas Day and forgetting to grab your sweatshirt because a cold front was coming through. Brr.
12. Complaining for years that your parents deprived you of a real Christmas, but looking back realizing how lucky you were you never had to shovel snow. Thanks, mom and dad!