Christmas Traditions in Southshore

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Featured Story

What Are Your Christmas Family Traditions?

Today, we’re talking Christmas traditions. What movies do you watch? When do you open presents? What do you cook for dinner? Is Santa Claus still a significant figure in your life? We want to know all about it.

Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned living in Southshore, it’s that no two families celebrate Christmas the same way. Some of you are “Christmas Eve present openers,” others refuse to touch a bow until sunrise the next morning. Some of you watch A Christmas Story on loop, others swear that if Elf isn’t playing at least once a week in December, it’s not really Christmas. And let’s not even get started on the “Die Hard is a Christmas movie” argument. (If you read yesterday’s Circle, you already know the correct answer.)

Traditions are funny that way. They can be big and loud, matching pajamas, deep-fried turkeys, cookies that magically vanish by morning. Or they can be small and quiet, a specific ornament that always goes on the tree first, a dinner that only your family knows how to make, the yearly chaos of remembering where you hid the gifts and wondering why you thought the linen closet was a good idea.

But here’s the real question: Are we still doing these traditions?
In the hustle of life, it feels like some of the old Christmas magic has gotten swapped for Amazon Prime boxes and last-minute grocery runs. So this year, we want to take a little trip down nostalgia lane and see what still sticks.

Do you still leave cookies out for Santa?
Do you still pile in the car to drive around and look at Christmas lights?
Do you still hide that creepy Elf on the Shelf even though he looks like he’s plotting something?
Does Grandma still make the one dish nobody really eats but everyone insists on keeping for “tradition”?

We want to hear all of it.

Send us your traditions, the funny ones, the sentimental ones, the ones your family refuses to let die, and the ones you started recently because they just felt right. Maybe you make a giant pot of hot chocolate and watch the boats on the water. Maybe you wake up at 4 am because your kids think sleep is optional. Maybe your family reenacts the Nativity using household pets. We’re not judging.

We’ll be sharing some of your submissions in our upcoming issues because Christmas isn’t just about gifts, it’s about the weird, wonderful thread of traditions that stitch a community together.

So hit reply or shoot us an email to [email protected] and tell us how your family does Christmas.
We can’t wait to read them. 🎄✨

P.S. We’ll remove any identifiers to protect the innocent.

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Southshore Story Time

The Grinch That Stole Southshore

Part 1: The Great Holiday Heist

Southshore was ready for Christmas. Lights were hung, cookies were baked, inflatable archways were proudly blocking half the sidewalk, and someone in Waterset had already synced their entire house to Trans-Siberian Orchestra… again. Spirits were high.

Then it happened.

At 3:12 a.m., the lights flickered across Apollo Beach. Not a normal flicker. The “your neighbor plugged in one inflatable too many and overloaded the grid” kind of flicker. Not the “call TECO because we’re already paying too much” kind of flicker. This time, it wasn’t a neighbor, and TECO couldn’t help.

It was him.

A mysterious figure in a green hoodie riding a golf cart that definitely wasn’t street legal zoomed through the neighborhoods. A cup of unscantioned eggnog with the strong smell of cheap bourbon gripped in his left hand as he whipped the wheel. He snatched lights, stole decorations, unplugged inflatables, and left nothing behind but tire marks and one half-eaten Publix cookie. The Grinch had come to Southshore.

And he was petty.

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

Riverview’s Fresh Start for Local Teens

A recently announced program is bringing a fresh style of foster care to Riverview and the surrounding area. Instead of the old model, where kids are shuffled through group homes or temporary placements, this new approach offers teens a stable, family-style living environment, one designed to help them grow, heal, and build a real shot at success.

What makes this different is stability and dignity. Teens in the program live in a supportive setting that gives more than just a roof overhead. They get consistent guidance, access to education and counseling, and perhaps most importantly, the chance to feel like part of a family. It’s a chance to rewrite their future in a way that’s rooted in support and normalcy, not upheaval and uncertainty.

For neighborhoods like ours, this is a quiet win. It’s easy to overlook foster care when everything seems to be going fine. But these programs matter for the kids who arrive looking for hope, and for communities that benefit when youth are given a fair shot.

If you’ve ever thought about what it takes to “give back,” this might be your sign. A stable, caring home can change a life, and maybe more than one. Keep your eyes open for more details on how this new foster-care model works, and what it means for you and your neighbors.

Southshore Spotlight

Mary & Martha House

Looking to bring a little hope and kindness into the world? Mary Martha House may be just the place. Their mission is to provide compassionate support and emergency shelter for people in need, offering a safe space, life-changing resources, and a community that cares when life gets rough.

Whether someone needs help getting back on their feet, a warm meal, shelter, or just a fresh start, Mary Martha House is there, providing dignity, care, and a real second chance. If you’ve ever thought about giving back, helping out, or simply being part of something meaningful, this is it.

Nominate your local hero by emailing us at [email protected]

We Know a Guy…or Girl

Southshore Services

Need a painter? A plumber? Someone brave enough to tackle that lightbulb orbiting 30 feet above your living room? We’ve got you. And the best part, they’re all right here in our community.

(We’re giving our services database a well-deserved makeover. A brand-new layout is on the way, and trust us, you’re going to love it.)

Interested in joining the list? Shoot us an email to [email protected]

“Keep it Local!”

Foodies Only

Your Restaurant

New menu items, promos, specials, events- feature them here. This is the place to tell 30,000 readers in Southshore what you've got. Only 20 spots for the year. Claim yours today.

If you’ve got a restaurant, food truck, or even a lemonade stand, it could be featured here. Email us at [email protected]

Local Sports

Our area high schools boast state champions and multiple division titleists. Come out and show your support for these teams and for our community.

Got news, events, or press releases that the Southshore needs to know about? Submit them here. (We’ll do our best to add press releases in our regular rotation.) If you’re looking to run an actual ad, go here instead.

Until next time,

Keep It Local.