Clink your glasses together and toast to the holidays. Why December in Miami is not just like the one you used to know—it’s better.
Miami City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.
Between miracles happening on 34th Street and Bing Crosby dreaming of a white Christmas, movies have distorted the world’s view of winter. But picture this scene for a second: a leading man driving across the Julia Tuttle Causeway with the top down, sweat dripping off his brow as he braves the 80-degree weather (well, to be totally accurate, Miami hit a high of 78 on Christmas Day 2013), and heading into the bright blue yonder beyond the white sands of South Beach. Now that’s an Oscar worthy December. Sure, you won’t be dashing through the snow or walking in a winter wonderland, but in Miami you can throw on a pair of flip-flops, sip a martini at the Raleigh pool, and be laughing all the way, while your blizzard-ridden relatives up north realize winter isn’t as glamorous as in the movies.
Miami has its own version of Hollywood glitz and glamour, though. Whether it was The Supremes performing at the Eden Roc over the holidays in 1965 or Liza Minnelli putting on a show at the classic Miami Beach hotel on the day after Christmas in 1972, the holidays have a time-honored tradition of being star-studded. These days, you might bump into a vacationing Adam Sandler at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, Hayden Panettiere in Hollywood Beach, Michael J. Fox and his family dining at Prime 112, or Lenny Kravitz at Soho Beach House, as many stars now call Miami home for the holidays.
Over the decades, Miami’s holiday season has attracted top entertainers of the day, such as The Supremes. FROM LEFT Diana Ross, Cindy Birdsong, and Mary Wilson, pictured in 1968.
But nobody brings the holiday spirit like Englandborn actress and filmmaker Gabrielle Anwar and her fiancé, Shareef Malnik, owner of The Forge Restaurant. “It begins at 6 am with all of us donning red matching onesies,” says Malnik of Christmas morning with Anwar and her kids, Paisley, Hugo, and Willow. “After the log fire is built, we move on to raiding the stuffed stockings hanging on the fireplace. Then we have Gabrielle’s famous Yule Tide breakfast, which consists of Britishstyle omelets and pancakes, scones, and her homemade GG’s Granola made with macadamia nut butter.”
Other royal Miami families, like the Estefans, couldn’t think of anything better than to spend the holidays right here in paradise. They’ll do the typical Latin-family celebration on Nochebuena, and on Christmas Day the family will open presents with 2-year-old grandson Sasha. “It’s always fun to share Christmas through a young child’s eyes,” says Gloria (thus the inspiration behind Estefan’s holiday tune, “Christmas Through Your Eyes”).
While many stars are relaxing, some are still performing in Miami as they did years ago. The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts is ringing in the holidays this year with The Colors of Christmas, featuring performances by Peabo Bryson, Taylor Dayne, Jennifer Holliday, and Ruben Studdard. “Miami is known for drawing some of the best celebrity talent and entertainment over the holidays,” says Scott Shiller, executive vice president of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “This season, the Arsht Center is carrying on that tradition with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and classics such as Miami City Ballet’s The Nutcracker.”
Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder driving to the basket against then-Miami Heat player Joel Anthony (now with the Detroit Pistons) during a Christmas Day game at AmericanAirlines Arena in 2012.
Of course, if you’re looking for bright lights, there’s no bigger stage on Christmas Day than AmericanAirlines Arena for the return of LeBron James. The entire country will have its eyes on Miami, as James and the Cleveland Cavaliers roll into town to take on our Miami Heat. From the celebrities sitting courtside to the A-list crowd partying inside Hyde, the arena will host an unmatched holiday celebration regardless of the final score. But let’s hope Santa brings us a victory. “There’s no question that the American- Airlines Arena will be the best place to be on Christmas Day,” says DJ Irie, the Heat’s official DJ. “Hyde will be going off. Everybody will be at the game, so the social scene that day will be super strong as well.”
But there’s more to this city than fame and fortune. One of the beauties of Miami being a melting pot is that the residents bring traditions from all over the world. Chef Michael Mina continues his late mother-in-law’s holiday tradition by preparing a hearty cioppino—a seafood stew popular in San Francisco—for Christmas Eve dinner. At his restaurants, Michael Mina 74 and Stripsteak at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, he’ll mix traditional dishes with local flavors, just like he does at home. “We decorate the house and pull fresh flowers and greenery from our garden to accent the dining table,” he says. “And we always have my wife’s amazing Bloody Marys. They’re a crowd favorite.”
Chef Michelle Bernstein of Seagrape at Thompson Miami Beach comes from a Latin-Jewish household. “We had classic Nochebuena dinners, or as typical Jewish families often do, we went out for Chinese on Christmas night,” she recalls. But when she met her husband and business partner, David Martinez, she spent the holiday with his family in Oaxaca, Mexico, and the tradition changed. “That was my first taste of true authentic Mexican food, and ever since, our Christmas feast is filled with flavors and recipes of Oaxaca, my own mother’s Jewish/Latin specialties, and some things I’ve picked up along the way,” she says. “It has evolved into a beautiful, eclectic, international food-centric holiday.”
Festive dining at The Forge.
Miami is packed with flavor over the holidays. There are giant Italian feasts planned at restaurants like Cavalli and Cecconi’s, and a holiday brunch at Tongue & Cheek, where last year they offered gingerbread pancakes with apple butter and peppermint, and the eatery’s famous eggnog cocktail. But every culture has its special holiday dining hot spots. “If you want to turn it up a notch for an even more traditional Spanish dining experience, La Dorada in Coral Gables is an excellent choice,” says Alejandro Muguerza, president of catering and event design company Le Basque. “Their wide selection of ancestral dishes includes the most customary, sea bream, which is commonly used for Christmas in the Basque Country in Spain.”
And leave it to body-obsessed Miami to let you order your healthy holiday meals right to your door. DeliverLean, a popular healthy food delivery service, adds items like Paleo pumpkin muffins, maple-roasted butternut squash, and cranberry turkey meatloaf to the menu for holiday time. DeliverLean CEO Scott Harris eats clean over the holidays, but he also relaxes. “Ever since I moved to South Florida, I head down to Islamorada in the Keys for some downtime in December,” he says. “I love going out on the boat with friends, fishing, and cooking fresh meals during my visit. The laid-back vibe of the Keys helps me relax and reflect on the past year and the year to come.”
Pulse: Late Night at the New World Symphony, at Miami’s New World Center.
Rest and relaxation are always in the cards in South Florida with some of the best spas, pools, and pampering services in the world. But you can also get out and feel the holiday spirit at venues around town. The flourishing Russian population of Miami- Dade can experience a taste of home with Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker at the Fillmore Miami Beach, while the New World Symphony’s Sights and Sounds of the Season will feature music from a variety of heritages. You can hear Christmas carols in the Drawing Room at Soho Beach House, or have your jingle bells rocked on Saturdays in December at Little Havana’s Ball & Chain, which is adding a pig roast and holiday sounds to the high-energy Cuban music at its La Pachanga party. Or you can throw on your most hideously festive pullover and party with scenesters at the Broken Shaker’s annual Ugly Sweater party. Then there’s the 28th annual Matzoball, held at LIV this year, where you can toast your way through a Jewish Christmas Eve, and maybe even find a spouse. Oy vey, it’s a miracle! “The Matzoball is one of my favorite nights of the year,” says Jimmy Vargas, director of marketing at LIV Nightclub. “The dance floor is packed, there’s great energy in the room, and the drinks don’t stop until well into Christmas Day.”
But ultimately the best part of the holiday season in Miami is that you’re in Miami—the same Miami that exists year round, the Miami where you can relax on a beach chair at the Delano, where we don’t just have presents under a tree (although shade is certainly a gift), we have them all around us. There’s no snow to shovel from driveways or ice to scrape off windshields. It’s sun and fun and smiles for everyone. It truly is the season to be jolly.