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Here’s How To Track When Santa Will Arrive In Southwest Florida

Author Marija
(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

It’s hard to believe Christmas is less than 3 weeks away and here’s how to track when Santa will arrive in Southwest Florida.

Christmas Eve will be here before you know it. The kids have made their Christmas lists. They’ve written their letters to Santa. And now they’re sitting back on their best behavior eagerly awaiting Christmas morning. One of my favorite things when I was a kid, was driving back from Grandma & Grandpa’s house on Christmas Eve. I grew up in Chicago, so it was usually a snowy night. And when we went in, before cozying up in bed, we’d pull up the Santa tracker to find out exactly when Santa would arrive to place gifts under the tree. Now, while there’s no snow, I think here in Fort Myers, I may have to start that tradition once again.

Here’s How To Track When Santa Will Arrive In Southwest Florida

The NORAD Santa Tracker is an annual tradition that has captivated people around the world since 1955. You may not know, but it originally was a result of a misprinted phone number in a local newspaper ad. But the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) took on the responsibility of tracking Santa Claus’s journey on Christmas Eve.

You can follow and track Santa here and there’s also an app that you can download in the Google Play store or the Apple store.

But let it be known, kiddos, you can track Santa, BUT he will only deliver the presents when you’re asleep.

The Top 10 Christmas Movies For Southern States - Where It Doesn't Snow

While much of the country reaches for their winter coats and dreams of a White Christmas, those of us in the south can’t relate. According to the National Weather Service, the average December daily high temperature in Fort Myers, Florida is 77 degrees. Naples, Florida is a little cooler at 76 degrees, but still not cold enough to build a snowman. Even waaaaay up north in Atlanta, Georgia the average daily high is in the 50’s. Besides, Atlanta doesn’t get snow, Atlanta gets ice. It’s pretty terrifying. It does NOT put you in the Christmas spirit. So how does that change our outlook on our favorite top 10 Christmas movies?

We took to Ranker for the data. Over 500,000 votes were tallied for the best Christmas movies of all time. To see how this affects us in Florida and surrounding states, I limited the data to only people voting from southern states. Is it different? Absolutely. There’s a couple of movies in our top 10 that aren’t even close when you look at the national data. Maybe it’s a lot more fun for us to watch snow in a movie since we don’t have to deal with it in real life?

The Top 10 Christmas Movies For Southern States

So as the family gathers for the holidays, what movie should you put on? If you want a new movie, Candy Cane Lane is on Amazon. It’s a new movie with Eddie Murphy, and it’s pretty good, particularly the innuendo which you’ll get –  but the kids won’t understand. You’ll see. If you’re looking for a classic that everyone can agree on, this is the list. Let’s start off with the ice and snow of number 10. Like I said, it’s fun for us in the south to watch snow – on tv.

  • 10. The Polar Express

    This is one that’s unique to our “Southern Top 10.” On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express. It’s a great movie to put on in the background plus it’ll make your kids wonder why half of the characters in the movie sound like Woody from Toy Story.

     

  • 9. It's a Wonderful Life

    We all know this story. An angel is sent from Heaven to show George what life would have been like if he had never existed. It’s because of this movie that we know that every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings. 

  • 8. A Charlie Brown Christmas

    All you have to do is read that name and the song is in your head. It’s not really a movie, it’s a tv special. But it’d be a travesty to leave it off the list.

  • 7. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas

    Another top 10 entry that’s unique to the south. We like the Jim Carrey/Taylor Momsen version of the Seuss tale. Almost as much as the original.

  • 6. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

    Same movie? No – this one has an exclamation mark! Bonus on this classic, the movie is completely free to watch online.

  • 5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

    We do love our classics. Certainly a lot of staying power for a tv special that first aired back in 1964. Fun fact, Rudolf was voiced by a woman – Billie Mae Richards. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1u7lHSMoIU

  • 4. Home Alone

    Kevin! The tale of an 8 year old left home alone who has to defend his house from burglars. You guys give up, or are you thirsty for more?

  • 3. A Christmas Story

    Who hasn’t seen this movie a hundred times? I don’t remember what store I was in, but I saw that you can buy a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun. Got the compass in the stock, too. The way this story was narrated was just brilliant. Fuuuuuuuuuuudge. 

  • 2. Elf

    Proving how hard it is to make a classic, this is one of the newest movies on the list. And it’s 20 years old! (Polar Express is 19). I know exactly what is going to happen, but I still cry happy tears when they sing “Santa Claus is Coming To Town.” True story – we have a cat named Buddy and when I leave for work I tell him that I hope he finds his dad.

  • 1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

    Not just number one in the south, number one overall. This movie never gets old. You can walk in on this movie on any scene and know exactly what’s going to happen next. Will a better Christmas movie ever be made? I don’t know Margo.

  • Regional Differences

    Ranker allows us to break the results down, which is how we can see the top 10 for southern states. If you’re wondering where Die Hard was, that movie is number 3 on the international poll. On the West Coast, the number one movie is Scrooged. They have Christmas Vacation ranked all the way down at number 9. If you’re moving from California to Florida, you’re going to need to make an adjustment.

    In the Midwest, they chose Home Alone as their number one. The Santa Clause also made their top 10. In the Northeast, they have Four Christmasses as their number 6 movie. I forgot that movie existed. I guess when you’re buried in snow in Buffalo, your tastes change.

Marija is a morning show host on WXKB/B1039, midday host on WRXK/96KRock and night show host on WPBB/98.7 The Shark. She loves to write about food, travel, and things to do around the state of Florida.

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