Christmas in Christmas, A Frontier Holiday

Here’s a GREAT REASON to plan your holiday visit to Titusville on Florida’s Space Coast.  It’s a short trip from Titusville to 1800s Florida when you visit Fort Christmas, a full scale replica pioneer village located between Kennedy Space Center and Orlando Theme Parks. During the first weekend in December, Fort Christmas will be alive with broom making, blacksmiths, wood carving and more. Some of these folks are re-creating the lifestyle from the 1800s that authentic Florida Crackers enjoyed.

Reconstructed Fort Christmas – State Archives of Florida

Crackers, crafts and cow hunters

The British have Christmas Crackers, but that’s an entirely different thing (Google it, if you don’t believe us).  But back in the day, rough-and-ready qualities proved an asset on the Florida frontier, where people had to make do in a subtropical wilderness without indoor plumbing, electricity, window screens, bug spray, motorized vehicles, or even towns. But some did have cattle, and many were attracted to the lifestyle of the cow hunter (in Florida history, it’s never “cowboy”).

Unidentified cowboy: Kissimmee, Florida – State Archives of Florida

Historian Dana Ste. Claire literally wrote the book on the subject: Cracker: The Cracker Culture in Florida History (University of Florida Press, 2006).

To this day, many folks think Crackers got their name because of one of the techniques cow hunters used to herd cattle: “cracking” long, braided, rawhide whips in the air. “Cracker cowmen developed cattle-raising into Florida’s first industry,” Ste. Claire writes. Some did very well at it. As time passed, you could sure still be a Cracker and have money in the bank.

By the early 20th century, “Cracker” had become a regionally affectionate term, and the contributions of the folks called Crackers have been increasingly celebrated in Florida as a distinct and valuable heritage.

Marion Stockton is Santa’s little helper – Christmas, Florida, 1947 State Archives of Florida

The author defines a Cracker as “a self-reliant, independent, and tenacious settler,” often of Celtic stock, who “valued independence and a restraint-free life over material prosperity.”  Sound like our kind of people.

Here’s a bit of fun. Get your holiday cards stamped at the Christmas Post Office and send a smile along with your holiday greetings.   It’s a nice way to pass along the joy of the holidays.

Visit during the first weekend of December and mingle with folks who are keeping this tradition alive. Remember, even Santa sometimes snaps the whip to get the reindeer’s attention.  So, you might say he was the original cracker.

TIP: When you arrive in Titusville, make your first stop the Welcome Center in historic downtown. Get maps and ideas for planning your trip or even rent a cycle and hit the trails.  Want to do some planning before you come? Go to Titusville.org/MAPS.   Great adventures #LaunchFromHere.