Puerto Rico has one of the longest Christmas seasons in the world, it starts right after Thanksgiving and runs well past New Year’s, through Three Kings Day and the Octavitas beyond it. And it is, hands down, my favorite thing in the world. I have spent Christmas in the Dominican Republic and in Miami, and there is a feeling here I would not trade for anything, my husband, who is Dominican, agrees. If you time one trip to the island, make it this one.
A parranda is our version of caroling, except your friends show up at your door, instruments in hand, to surprise you, and you are expected to join and move the party to the next house. We do at least one every year. It is loud, it is joyful, and it does not really end until the sun is thinking about coming up.
Once a year we do a chinchorreo, hopping from one roadside spot to the next, usually up to Guavate, La Ruta del Lechón, the mountain road lined with lechoneras roasting whole pigs over open fire. It is also when all my friends who live abroad come home, so it doubles as the reunion of the year.
You cannot do a Puerto Rican Christmas without lechón, pasteles, and arroz con gandules, and coquito, our coconut-and-rum eggnog, which I make myself every year. Come hungry.
Three Kings Day, January 6th, is one of my favorites, the season does not stop at Christmas here. I usually go see the Three Kings of Juana Díaz, one of the island’s most beloved celebrations.
And to close the season, SanSe, the San Sebastián Street Festival in Old San Juan in mid-January. I went every single year from the time I turned fifteen until I graduated college, music, food, artisans, and the whole island in the streets.
Because the season is long and beloved, the best hotels and flights around Christmas, Three Kings Day, and SanSe book up early. Tell me which part of the season you want to be here for and I will build the trip around it, the right neighborhood, the traditions worth planning around, and the reservations that are hard to get. As your travel advisor I plan every step in English or Español.
New here? Start with my Puerto Rico travel guide.