Best Caribbean Christmas

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Airfares are going up. If you are hoping to travel to the Caribbean for the Christmas season the time to book your flights is NOW! This year is unlike any we’ve experienced before. Bargain rates for flights over the holidays may no longer exist but the airline situation may create some unexpected bargain prices for you on the islands if you know where to look. Or you may want to consider revising your plans to take a trip before the holidays. There are a number of things to keep in mind.

With the high price of fuel, travel to certain locations will be harder to come by as airlines cut back on the availability of seats for unprofitable routes. For the moment there seem to be an abundance of empty seats available to such places as Europe, Florida, and the Caribbean during September. However this will not last long. U.S. carriers are expected to retire many aircraft. By the holiday season prices will be much higher especially when you include the additional fees for checked bags, pets and pillows or blankets on flights.

Travel for Thanksgiving and Christmas have traditionally been two of the busiest travel times of the year. For now there are still seats for the holiday season but that won’t last long. Some airlines are adding flights to the most popular destinations in the Caribbean. Virgin Atlantic Airlines, with flights from London, just recently added five flights to Jamaica. JetBlue is offering more flights to the top spots in the Caribbean from the United States.

However, even the islands that traditionally have had the most flights, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, are looking at a reduction in service overall. With fewer flights available, some of the islands may offer incentives to sway your choice of destination. It seems that Puerto Rico is actively pursuing this angle.

Unless you have a particular reason for needing to book your flight over the holidays and cost is not an issue, you can realize significant savings by traveling before the holidays or postponing your trip till after the high season ends in mid-April. If you have any flexibility, the month of September would be an excellent time to snap up the kind of bargain rate tickets for flights to the Caribbean that we may not see again for a long time, if ever.

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Jamaica offers plenty of choices for relaxing, romantic, and/or fun getaways. From hiking mountain trails, to bird watching, biking, snorkeling, and soaking up the sun on white sand beaches there are lots possibilities. In addition, at Christmas time you have a chance to experience unique local traditions and culture.

Here are 5 reasons to choose Jamaica for Christmas:

1. Jamaicans are generally warm and friendly. You can easily interact with the local people on your own or through a special program. For example, you might visit a Jamaican marketplace, attend a concert or participate in an organized Christmas celebration for the public. However, if you would like a little help in making arrangements for meeting locals there are two possible choices. One is the program Meet the People and the other is through a local business named Countrystyle.

2. In Jamaica there are a number of local Christmas celebrations. The two most well known celebrations are Grand Market and Jonkonnu.

For the Grand Market celebration, you will find markets in various places around the island where vendors sell sweets of all kinds including cakes and peppermint sticks along with balloons, small toys, and firecrackers. In addition to the sale of food and other items, these markets are community events with street dancing, crafts, and music.

Jonkonnu is a colorful Jamaican celebration with musicians and dancers dressed in masquerade who parade through the streets. These bands typically include a mixture of traditional and modern characters. Celebrations used to be common across the country but are now more often found in the rural areas.

3. Music is a big part of Christmas in Jamaica and Christmas caroling is still popular. You will hear traditional carols such as Oh Holy Night, Silent Night, and many more sung throughout the region. However, Christmas carols in Jamaica are often sung to a reggae beat!

4. Concerts with big-name Jamaican musicians are common at Christmas. Popular artists choose to stay home and provide music stage shows because of the high number of tourists and native Jamaicans who return to the island for the holidays. Some of the many singers you might encounter at Christmas include Shabba Ranks, Black Uhuru, Robby Shakespeare, Shaggy, Melody Makers, and Sly Dunbar.

5. Christmas is celebrated both religiously with church services and with parties much like those in the United States. However, some of the traditions we might be accustomed to have been modified to fit the local circumstances. Small children believe in Santa Claus but very few Jamaican homes have chimneys. So the Jamaican Santa shrinks in size to fit through the keyhole of the front door to a home! Also, if pine trees are unavailable, Jamaicans will often place their Christmas gifts under a willow tree.

Jamaica offers a lot to see and do at any time of the year. However, if you are willing to explore and you are open to colorful and festive traditions different from those at home, there are even more possibilities at Christmas. Enjoy!

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