Christmas and New Year's on Singer Island

SeasonsOctober 29, 2026

December on Singer Island

Christmas on Singer Island starts with the light. The sun comes up out of the Atlantic a few minutes after seven, straight in front of the balcony, and by the time the coffee is poured the water below has turned from grey to blue. The mornings are cool enough for a sweater, the afternoons are warm enough for the beach, and the evenings bring a sea breeze and a sky that is dark by half past five. It is the start of the dry season, and the days tend to come in long runs of sunshine.

The holiday fortnight, from the middle of December to New Year's Day, is when the island settles into its winter rhythm. The seasonal residents are back, the marinas string lights along their docks, the sport-fishing boats run out after sailfish, and the fish houses are cracking stone crab claws. A few miles north, boats dressed in thousands of lights parade up the Intracoastal. A few minutes west, manatees gather in the warm water by the power plant on cool mornings.

OASENA sits on the twelfth floor of the Happiness Tower, with a balcony that runs the width of the home, a full Miele kitchen for the big dinner, and a table that seats eight. The spa, the heated pool and the private beach are an elevator ride below. That makes it an easy place to keep a holiday small and good: two people, or four, or six, with the ocean in every window.

The holiday fortnight at a glance

• Early December: the small-town tree lightings and the Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade, announced for Saturday, December 5, 2026.
• Mid-December: holiday lights on the marinas, grocery and gift runs, and dinner reservations made for Christmas week.
• Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: sunrise on the balcony, a walk on the beach, and dinner cooked in the residence or booked out.
• Between the holidays: the spa, Peanut Island, Manatee Lagoon and a day in Palm Beach.
• New Year's Eve and Day: a quiet dinner, a toast on the balcony, and the first sunrise of 2027.

Sunrise on the balcony in December

The balcony faces east over the beach, and in December the sun rises close to the same spot every morning, a little south of straight ahead. On Christmas morning it comes up at about five past seven; on New Year's Day at about ten past. Nobody needs an alarm for it, and the whole group can be out on the balcony with a cup in hand before the sun clears the water.

Both bedrooms open onto the same balcony, so the first light reaches the king suite and the queen suite at the same time. Lounge seating sits at one end and a high table at the other, with the Atlantic filling the view and the resort pools and palms below. On the clearest mornings the horizon is a hard line; on others a band of low cloud turns pink and gold before the sun clears it.

How to make the most of it

• Set up the night before. Fill the built-in coffee machine, leave mugs on the island, and put a throw on each lounge chair.
• Dress for a cool morning. December dawns are the coolest hour of the day here, and a sweater or a light jacket makes the half hour on the balcony comfortable.
• Look down as well as out. Pelicans fly the surf line in the early light, and on calm mornings the beach below is empty except for the first walkers.
• Keep the balcony a gathering place. Breakfast tastes better out there: cut fruit, pastries from a bakery run, eggs from the induction cooktop carried out on plates.

In the evening the sunset color spreads over the water and the coastline in front of the balcony, and it stays long enough for a glass or two before dinner. In December that is around half past five, which leaves a long evening for the table. Our post on a morning on the twelfth-floor balcony follows one of these mornings from first light to the beach.

Beach days in December

December beach days here look like this: a cool, bright morning, a warm middle of the day in the seventies, a steady breeze off the water, and a sweater for the evening. Guests from the north tend to spend the whole afternoon on the sand. Locals bring a light layer for when the sun drops.

The resort's private beach is right below the residence, and the beach-butler service sets out chairs and umbrellas, so a beach day takes no packing beyond a book and sunscreen. The December sea makes for a brisk, refreshing swim, and plenty of guests go in every day; for longer, warmer swims, the residents' heated pool and whirlpool are a few steps from the sand.

A December beach day

• Morning: a walk along the water's edge while the sand is cool and the light is low.
• Late morning to mid-afternoon: chairs set out, a swim, lunch brought down from the kitchen or picked up nearby.
• Late afternoon: the heated pool and whirlpool as the air cools, then up to the balcony for the evening color.

Sunscreen and a hat stay in the beach bag all month long, since the December sun is still strong on the sand by midday. The beach day page lists what is set out for you and what to bring down, and the Singer Island beaches guide covers the public beaches along the island for a change of scene, including the long natural shoreline at the state park to the north.

December is also when the island's walkers come out. The firm sand at low tide makes a good track for a long walk south toward the Palm Beach Inlet or north toward the state park, and a cool morning with the breeze off the water is the time to set out.

The Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade

The big night of the early season is the Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade, a procession of yachts, sport-fishing boats and small craft dressed in lights, led by a traveling fireworks display up the Intracoastal Waterway from North Palm Beach to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County runs it, and it has been going for more than thirty years.

The 2026 parade is announced for Saturday, December 5, 2026, rain or shine. It begins at 6 PM in North Palm Beach and reaches Jupiter at about 8 PM, with the grand finale at the lighthouse. Viewing from the public sites along the water is free.

The parade's timetable

The organisers publish estimated times for when the parade reaches each bridge, and they depend on wind and tide on the night:

• Parker Bridge (U.S. 1, North Palm Beach): about 6:00 PM
• PGA Bridge: about 6:15 PM
• Donald Ross Bridge: about 7:00 PM
• Indiantown Road Bridge: about 7:30 PM
• Jupiter Federal Bridge: about 7:45 PM

The parade is also a toy drive for Toys for Tots and Little Smiles. Guests along the route are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy, and toy-collection boats make dockside pickups during the parade: wave a flashlight at a boat with a flashing amber beacon or Toys for Tots signs and it will come in to collect. Donation boxes also go out at local businesses before and after the night.

From the residence, the start of the route in North Palm Beach is about fifteen minutes north by car, over the bridge and up U.S. 1. That puts the first boats within easy reach after an early supper, and the residence is a short drive home once they pass. A stay that begins in the first week of December catches the parade along with the small-town tree lightings; the next chapter covers where to stand.

Where to watch the boat parade

The parade route runs about ten miles of waterway, and the organisers list public viewing sites along the whole of it. The closest to the residence are at the southern end, where the boats set off; the sites at the northern end look onto the fireworks finale at the lighthouse.

Public viewing sites named by the organisers

• North Palm Beach: North Palm Beach Country Club, near the start, where the boats are freshly lined up.
• Palm Beach Gardens: the Waterway Cafe by the PGA Bridge, where a table needs booking well ahead for that night.
• Juno Beach: Bert Winters Park and Juno Park, both on the water with room for chairs.
• Jupiter: Sawfish Bay Park, Lighthouse Park, Waterway Park, the Riverwalk and Harbourside Place, plus several waterfront restaurants near the inlet.

Making a night of it

1. Eat early. A late lunch or an early supper at the residence leaves the whole evening free for the boats and the lights.
2. Leave by about five for a southern viewing site, and a little earlier for the lighthouse finale, so there is time to park near the Jupiter sites and settle in.
3. Pack folding chairs, a light jacket for the breeze off the water, a flashlight for the toy boats, and the unwrapped toy.
4. Pick one spot and settle in. The boats pass each point over about half an hour, so a single good seat by the water gives you the whole procession, the lights and the toy boats.

The lighthouse at the end of the route is the same red tower guests climb by day, and our Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse post covers a daytime visit and the climb to the top. Jupiter is about twenty-five minutes north of the residence, so the drive home is short.

The parade's page carries any updates for the night, so check it on the day before you set out.

Boat parades closer to the residence

In December 2025 a second parade joined the season, and this one starts on Singer Island itself. Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores, at the south end of the island, launched the first Boat Parade of the Greater Palm Beaches on Saturday, December 13, 2025, with the City of West Palm Beach. About fifty decorated boats gathered north of the Blue Heron Bridge, fireworks opened the evening at 6 PM, and the parade cruised south along the Intracoastal toward West Palm Beach before looping back north. It was a toy drive too, for the Little Smiles holiday collection.

Sailfish Marina set up free bleachers for watching, ran trolleys from parking lots around Singer Island, and held a ticketed party at the marina. The 2026 date is still to be announced; if it follows the first year, expect a Saturday in the middle of December, and watch the marina's own calendar from November for the date, the bleachers and the trolleys.

Other holiday boat parades in the county

• Lantana to Delray Beach: a parade on the Intracoastal from the Ocean Avenue Bridge in Lantana south toward Delray Beach, usually on the second Friday of December, expected Friday, December 11, 2026. It is about forty minutes south.
• Lake Osborne, Lantana: a smaller parade that loops a freshwater lake beside John Prince Park, usually on a Friday before Christmas.

Sailfish Marina is worth an evening in December even without a parade. In past Decembers the palms along its waterfront have been wrapped in white lights, the sport-fishing boats are tied up in rows, and the restaurant looks out over the inlet. It is a few minutes' drive down the island from the residence, and our post on an evening at Sailfish Marina covers the sunset, the dock and the dinner.

Tree lightings in the neighboring towns

The towns around Singer Island each light a tree in the first week or so of December, and these are small, friendly evenings: a stage, a school choir or a band, Santa arriving by fire engine or golf cart, hot chocolate and a countdown. For a couple or a group of friends staying early in the month, one of them makes a pleasant hour before dinner.

The towns announce their 2026 dates in November. In past years the pattern has looked like this:

• North Palm Beach: the village's annual tree lighting at Veterans Memorial Park on Anchorage Drive, at 7 PM on an evening in the first week of December.
• Lake Park: a tree lighting on the Town Green at Park Avenue, with festivities from about 6 PM, Santa's arrival, and the tree lit at 7.
• Palm Beach Shores: the small town at the south end of Singer Island decorates and lights its tree in front of town hall early in the month.
• Riviera Beach: the city has held a winter festival with a tree lighting at the Marina Village event center on East 13th Street.
• Juno Beach: an evening of carols and lights at the town center on Ocean Drive, a little farther north.

Each is free, outdoors and short, and parking is usually on the street or in a town lot nearby. Check the town's own events calendar for the exact evening and time before you go.

The bigger trees nearby

West Palm Beach, about fifteen minutes south across the bridge, lights its sand-sculpted tree on the waterfront and runs a full calendar of holiday evenings downtown; our post on December in West Palm Beach covers it. The island of Palm Beach dresses Worth Avenue and lights its own trees, and the holiday season in Palm Beach covers those. The events calendar lays out the rest of the winter season month by month.

Riviera Beach Marina Village in December

Across the Blue Heron Bridge from Singer Island, on the mainland side of the lagoon, Riviera Beach Marina Village is the city's public waterfront: the municipal marina, a promenade, an event center and the docks where much of the area's boat traffic begins. It is five minutes from the residence, and in December it is a useful place to know.

What runs from the marina

• The Peanut Island shuttle. Peanut Island, the county park in the middle of the inlet, is reached only by boat, and independently run shuttles and water taxis carry visitors across. Day use runs from sunrise to sunset, and a December afternoon on its beaches and lagoon is warm and quiet.
• Holiday lights cruises. In recent Decembers, tour boats have run evening cruises past the decorated waterfront homes on the Intracoastal, from the Riviera Beach Marina and from Jupiter, with a special sailing on New Year's Eve. The 2026 schedules usually appear in November, and the sailings closest to Christmas are the ones to book first.
• Charters and sightseeing. Sport-fishing charters, eco tours and sightseeing boats leave from the marina through the winter, when the sailfish run offshore.
• City events. The city has held holiday events at the Marina Village event center, including a winter festival with a tree lighting; its events calendar lists the year's plans.

Our Peanut Island by shuttle post explains how the crossing works, and the Peanut Island guide covers the beaches, the snorkeling lagoon and the walking path around the island. The boating and fishing guide covers the winter fishing and the charters.

A good pairing for the week between the holidays: the shuttle to Peanut Island in the late morning, a picnic on the island, the last boat back in the afternoon, and dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants on the island side. The cool air and the low winter sun make it a pleasant day on the water.

Manatee Lagoon in December

December is the start of manatee season, and the place to see them is Manatee Lagoon, the free education center that Florida Power & Light runs beside its plant in Riviera Beach, a short drive west of the residence. When the ocean cools, manatees move into the warm, clean water that flows out of the plant, and on a cool December morning there can be dozens of them resting and surfacing below the viewing deck.

Hours and holiday dates

• From November 15 through March 31: open every day, Monday included, from 9 AM to 4 PM.
• Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve: open, closing early at 2 PM.
• Christmas Day and New Year's Day: closed.
• Admission and parking: free, in lots near the visitor center at 6000 N. Flagler Drive. No reservation is needed for a regular visit.

The best mornings are the ones after a cool night, when the manatees crowd into the warm water. Go early, bring a light jacket for the deck, and give yourself an hour: the exhibits inside are good, the staff will point out mothers and calves, and there are picnic areas and open lawn outside. Manatees are protected, so the viewing is from the deck; the rules ask everyone to watch without touching or feeding.

Manatee Lagoon makes an easy Christmas Eve morning before the cooking starts, and a good first outing on December 26, when the island is still quiet. Our Manatee Lagoon guide has the full visit, and the manatee season post explains why the animals gather here and when they come in greatest numbers.

For more of the coast's wildlife in December, the state park at the north end of the island has a nature center, a boardwalk over the lagoon and a long natural beach; the MacArthur Beach guide covers it.

Christmas dinner in the Miele kitchen

For many guests the best Christmas dinner of the trip is the one cooked in the residence. The kitchen is a full Miele suite: an induction cooktop, a wall oven, a dishwasher, a wine fridge and a built-in coffee machine, with a long island and bar stools for the people who want to talk to the cook. The dining table seats eight under a cascade of glass pendants, so six have room for platters, candles and a centerpiece.

Menus that suit the residence

• Stone crab claws. The season runs from mid-October to early May, so Christmas falls right in it. Claws are sold cooked and chilled, ready to crack, and they need nothing but a mustard sauce and lemons. Our stone crab season post covers where to buy them and how to serve them.
• Local fish. Snapper, grouper or a whole fish from a seafood counter, roasted in the wall oven with citrus and herbs.
• A roast. A beef tenderloin, a turkey breast or a rack of lamb fits the oven well for six.
• Sides on the induction. Induction heats quickly and evenly, which suits sauces, greens and potatoes done in the last half hour.
• A cold dessert. Key lime pie from a good bakery, or berries and cream, after a warm day.

Practical notes for the cook

• Check the kitchen on arrival day for pans and serving dishes, and pick up a roasting tray or foil pans with the groceries if you need them.
• Plan the menu around what can be prepared ahead, so the cook gets to sit at the table too.

The waterfront seafood guide names the fish markets and seafood counters nearby. The balcony has its own table for a warm evening, and a dessert out there with the sound of the surf below is a good end to the day.

Grocery runs for the holiday week

A holiday week at the residence runs on a well-stocked kitchen, and the shopping is easy: a Publix and a Whole Foods Market are both a short drive from the island, and grocery delivery reaches the door. The building's valet and luggage carts make the trip from car to kitchen quick, even with a week of bags.

Timing the shopping around the holidays

• Shop by December 23. An early morning on the 22nd or 23rd is the easy time for the big holiday shop, with a list in hand and the rest of the day free for the beach.
• Christmas Eve: Publix stays open with shortened hours and usually closes in the early evening, so treat the 24th as a top-up day.
• Christmas Day: Publix closes, as it does on Thanksgiving Day. Other stores keep their own holiday hours, so plan to have everything in the residence by the evening of the 24th.
• New Year's Eve and New Year's Day: stores generally keep holiday hours; check the store's page before you set out.

Ordering ahead

Seafood counters and bakeries take holiday orders well ahead of the day: a platter of stone crab claws, a whole fish, a pie, a tray of pastries for Christmas morning. Place the order in the first days of the stay and collect it on the 23rd or the morning of the 24th. Delivery services pull from the same nearby stores and can bring the heavy items, the water and the wine on the first evening, which leaves the in-person run for the fresh things.

Our coffee, breakfast and groceries guide covers the stores, the cafés and delivery, and the first morning groceries post has a shopping list for the first day. For a holiday stay, add the special items to that list: the roast, the claws, the wine, candles for the table, and a good coffee for Christmas morning.

Christmas dinner out

For the years when nobody wants to cook, Christmas dinner out is easy to arrange, as long as the table is booked early. Restaurants on and around the island publish their holiday menus in November, and the best seats for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day go in the first weeks after that.

Where to look

• Hotel dining rooms on the island. The hotels along Singer Island's ocean side are the most reliable places for a Christmas Day meal. The Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island, a short drive up the island, has advertised a Christmas Day brunch in recent years, with reservations by phone. Watch for the 2026 menu in November.
• The marina restaurants. Sailfish Marina's restaurant in Palm Beach Shores serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and sets its own holiday hours; call ahead for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
• The resort downstairs. The resort's restaurant is run by the resort and sets its own holiday hours and menus; ask the resort directly.
• Palm Beach. The grand hotels on the island of Palm Beach, about twenty minutes south, hold Christmas brunches and dinners that are an occasion in themselves. Our Palm Beach dining guide covers the rooms.

How to book Christmas dinner

1. Book as soon as the stay is confirmed, and no later than the first week of December.
2. Ask whether the restaurant serves a set menu or its usual menu on the day, and what time the seatings are.
3. Take an early seating on Christmas Eve if Christmas morning starts at sunrise.
4. Plan the ride home: rideshare runs on the holidays, and the drive back over the bridge is short.

A good middle path is Christmas Eve out and Christmas Day in: a seafood dinner by the water on the 24th, and a slow day at the residence on the 25th, with the big meal cooked in the Miele kitchen. The Singer Island restaurants guide covers the island's tables, from the beach bars to the marina dining rooms.

Christmas morning on the beach

Christmas morning here starts on the balcony and moves down to the sand. Sunrise is at about five past seven, the beach below is quiet, and a walk along the water's edge before breakfast is a good way to begin the day.

A Christmas morning plan

1. Sunrise on the balcony, with coffee from the built-in machine and a sweater for the first half hour.
2. A walk on the beach, down the elevator and out to the sand, while the light is still low. Shells collect at the tide line, and pelicans and sandpipers work the shallows.
3. Breakfast back upstairs: pastries ordered ahead, eggs on the cooktop, fruit and juice at the table under the chandelier.
4. Presents in the living room, with the ocean through the glass on two sides.
5. The beach again at midday, with chairs set out by the beach-butler service, or the heated pool for a warm swim.

A longer walk at the state park

At the north end of the island, John D. MacArthur Beach State Park keeps nearly two miles of natural beach, backed by dunes and sea grapes, with no buildings on the sand. It is about five minutes' drive from the residence, and a walk there on a holiday morning is a quiet, wide-open way to start the day. The nature center and the boardwalk over the lagoon keep their own holiday hours, so check the park's page before you set out. Our morning at MacArthur Beach post follows a visit from the parking lot to the shore.

A small thing that makes the morning: take a photograph of the group on the beach at the same spot each year, with the tower behind you. Come back another year and the photographs start a collection.

The spa as a holiday gift

One of the easiest presents to give on this trip is time at the spa. The resort's wellness center, about 100,000 square feet with 22 treatment rooms, is an elevator ride below the residence, and a booked treatment with a card under the tree makes a gift that needs no wrapping and no suitcase space.

The spa is run by the resort, and treatments are booked and paid for with the resort, under its own terms; they are not part of the stay. Holiday weeks are popular downstairs, so add the treatments to the plan in the same week you book the residence.

Gift ideas from the spa menu

• The hydrothermal circuit for two. Hot and cold pools, the salt chamber, the sauna and the effusion shower, taken together over about ninety minutes. Our hydrothermal bathing guide explains how the circuit works.
• A massage in a couples suite. Several treatment rooms are built for two people side by side, which suits an anniversary or a couple's present to each other.
• A morning for each person. For a group of friends, one booking each across the week, so nobody has to choose the same day.
• A recovery day after the big dinner. December 26 is a good day to put on the calendar.

How to book it as a gift

1. Choose the treatment and the day, and book with the resort directly.
2. Write the booking on a card: the treatment, the date and the time.
3. Leave a robe and the card on the bed on Christmas morning.

The spa and wellness guide describes the whole menu, the wellness page covers what is open to guests of the residence, and the couples stay plans a week for two around the spa.

A New Year's Eve plan

New Year's Eve at the residence suits a small group and a long dinner: six people at a table for eight, the balcony doors open to the sound of the surf, and a toast at midnight with the ocean in front of you. The evening belongs to the people staying: the house rules allow six guests at most and no parties or events, and quiet hours start at 11 PM, so voices stay low on the balcony after eleven.

A plan for the evening

1. Afternoon: the beach or the heated pool, then a rest. If Manatee Lagoon is on the list, go in the morning; it closes at 2 PM on New Year's Eve.
2. Early evening: drinks on the balcony as the light goes, at around half past five.
3. Dinner: cooked in the residence, or an early reservation out with a ride home by ten. Stone crab claws and a bottle from the wine fridge make an easy festive starter.
4. Late evening: dessert, a film or a game around the table, and the countdown at midnight.
5. Midnight: a quiet toast on the balcony. After the toast, the balcony doors close and the residence goes quiet for the night.

Fireworks nearby

For guests who want to see a show, West Palm Beach brought midnight fireworks back to its downtown waterfront on New Year's Eve 2025, the first downtown show since 2017, with downtown roads closed from the afternoon and city garages open for parking; our December in West Palm Beach post covers the night. Jupiter's Harbourside Place on the Intracoastal has held midnight fireworks in past years too. Both towns announce their 2026 plans late in the year. Book a rideshare home ahead of time, so the ride back after midnight is arranged before the show ends.

A cruise is another option: in recent years tour boats on the Intracoastal have run New Year's Eve sailings, with the 2026 dates published late in the year. Whichever plan you choose, the residence is a short ride home from all of it.

New Year's Day on the island

New Year's Day starts with the first sunrise of 2027, at about ten past seven, straight off the balcony. After a late night, it is a good day to keep slow and close to home.

A slow first day of the year

• Sunrise and coffee on the balcony, then back to bed for anyone who wants it.
• A swim. The sea is brisk in January, and a first-of-the-year dip followed by the whirlpool is a good way to wake up.
• Brunch. Leftovers from New Year's Eve, eggs and toast, or a brunch reservation out, booked ahead.
• A long walk. The beach at MacArthur Beach State Park, or the path around Peanut Island if the shuttles are running.
• Football and a quiet dinner. The living room television, a simple meal from the kitchen, and an early night.

Manatee Lagoon is closed on New Year's Day and reopens on January 2. Grocery stores generally keep holiday hours on the 1st, and most restaurants on the island are open for at least part of the day, so a lunch out is easy to arrange.

The view from the north end

From the state park at the top of the island, the mangrove islands of the lagoon spread out to the west, with Singer Island's towers lined up along the ocean to the south. The parks and nature guide covers the island's green spaces.

For guests staying past the holiday, the first week of January is when the winter season settles in: the Palm Beach restaurants are in full swing, the Wellington horse shows begin, the art fairs follow in February, and the manatees keep coming into the lagoon on cool mornings. The when to visit guide lays out the months ahead.

Christmas week, day by day

Here is one way to spend Christmas week at the residence, arriving on Tuesday, December 22, and leaving on Tuesday, December 29, 2026. It keeps Christmas Eve and Christmas Day close to home and saves the outings for the days around them.

1. Tuesday, December 22: fly into President Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT, formerly Palm Beach International, PBI), about fifteen minutes away. Check in from 4 PM, with groceries delivered for the evening. Dinner in and an early night.
2. Wednesday, December 23: sunrise on the balcony, then the main grocery and seafood run early in the day. Afternoon on the beach. Dinner at a marina restaurant on the island side.
3. Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve: Manatee Lagoon at 9 AM (it closes at 2 PM today), lunch on the balcony, a beach walk, and an early dinner out or a light supper in. Presents under the tree.
4. Friday, December 25, Christmas Day: sunrise, a walk on the beach, breakfast at the table, presents, the beach or the heated pool at midday, and Christmas dinner cooked in the Miele kitchen.
5. Saturday, December 26: the spa, booked weeks ahead. A late lunch and a quiet evening.
6. Sunday, December 27: the shuttle to Peanut Island for a picnic and a walk around the island, then sunset drinks at Sailfish Marina.
7. Monday, December 28: a day in Palm Beach, about twenty minutes south: Worth Avenue in the morning, lunch, and the holiday windows. Our Worth Avenue before lunch post has the walk.
8. Tuesday, December 29: a last sunrise and checkout by 10 AM.

Adjusting the week

• For a group of friends, swap the Palm Beach day for a fishing charter out of the Riviera Beach Marina.
• For a couple, put the spa on the 24th and keep the 26th for the state park and a long lunch.
• On a cooler afternoon, trade the beach for the heated pool and whirlpool; the rainy day page has indoor plans for a slow afternoon too.

New Year's week, day by day

The second half of the fortnight has a different shape: livelier evenings, a long New Year's Eve dinner, and the start of the winter season on the mainland. Here is a week from Tuesday, December 29, 2026, to Tuesday, January 5, 2027.

1. Tuesday, December 29: arrive from 4 PM, dinner in, and sunrise plans set for the morning.
2. Wednesday, December 30: Manatee Lagoon in the morning while it keeps full hours, then groceries and wine for New Year's Eve. Sunset at Sailfish Marina.
3. Thursday, December 31, New Year's Eve: the beach or the spa in the afternoon, drinks on the balcony at sunset, a long dinner, and a quiet midnight toast on the balcony.
4. Friday, January 1, 2027: the first sunrise, a swim, brunch, and a walk on the beach at MacArthur Beach State Park.
5. Saturday, January 2: a morning at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, about fifteen minutes away, and lunch downtown. Our afternoon at the Norton post covers the visit.
6. Sunday, January 3: snorkeling at the Blue Heron Bridge on the high tide, or a slow beach day.
7. Monday, January 4: the spa, or a round of golf on one of the winter courses, then a last dinner out.
8. Tuesday, January 5: checkout by 10 AM.

Staying the whole fortnight

A two-week stay from mid-December to just after New Year's Day takes both of these weeks at once and adds the boat parade season on the front. The residence's in-unit laundry makes a fortnight easy to pack for, and the kitchen takes the pressure off eating out every night. The longer stays page covers settling in for two weeks or more.

For snorkelers and divers, the tides at the Blue Heron Bridge set the day; our Blue Heron Bridge post explains how to time a dive on the high tide.

Arriving for the holidays

Getting to the residence for the holidays is easy: President Donald J. Trump International Airport, DJT, is about fifteen minutes away, the Brightline station in West Palm Beach about twenty, and the drive ends at a residential lobby with valet parking. A few details make a holiday arrival smoother.

Timing the arrival

• Check-in is from 4 PM to 10 PM, by smart lock, with the code sent through Airbnb before the day.
• Early check-in is not available from December through April, when turnovers run back to back, so plan the travel day around a 4 PM arrival. A late lunch near the airport or a beach afternoon at a public park fills the gap.
• Checkout is by 10 AM.
• Minimum stays for the holiday weeks are set on the listing; check the calendar there when choosing dates.

At the building

• Pull up at the Happiness Tower residential lobby and hand the car to the valet. Parking is paid and run by the building.
• The building asks for a government-issued ID and a registration form at arrival, and may take a card or cash deposit for incidentals. Fill in the form before the drive.
• Guests must be 25 or older to book, and six guests is the maximum, visitors included.

Booking flights and cars

Book holiday flights into DJT and a rental car in the same week the residence is confirmed, while the best flight times and cars are still easy to choose. The getting to Singer Island guide weighs flying, the train and driving, and the Brightline guide covers the train from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Orlando.

The arrival page walks through the whole path, from the bridge onto the island to the balcony doors, and the how to book page explains the booking steps. Arrive in daylight if you can: crossing the bridge onto the island with the water on both sides is a good start to the holidays.

What to pack for a December stay

Packing for December on Singer Island means packing for two temperatures: a warm afternoon on the beach and a cool morning or evening by the water. Layers cover both.

Clothes

• Swimwear and a cover-up for the beach and the heated pool.
• A sweater or fleece for sunrise on the balcony and evenings outside.
• A light jacket for the boat parade or a cruise on the water after dark.
• Light trousers and long sleeves for the evenings, when the breeze picks up.
• One dressier outfit for Christmas dinner or New Year's Eve in Palm Beach, where the dining rooms run resort-elegant.
• Walking shoes and sandals, for the state park, Peanut Island and the beach.

For the holidays

• A flashlight for waving down the toy-collection boats at the boat parade, and a new, unwrapped toy to give.
• Folding chairs can be bought locally if you plan on parade night; most viewing sites are lawns or seawalls.
• Small gifts and wrapping, or plan a shopping trip in the first days; the shopping guide covers the malls and boutiques nearby.
• Any special cooking items for a family recipe: a favorite spice, a thermometer, a pie dish.

Already in the residence

The residence has an in-unit washer and dryer, a full kitchen, and the beach is set up by the resort's beach-butler service, so towels and chairs do not need to come in a suitcase. The packing list covers the whole year, the amenities page lists what is in the residence, and the shopping guide covers the stores nearby for anything forgotten.

Sunscreen goes on the list too, for the long afternoons on the sand and the walks at the state park and on Peanut Island.

Who a holiday at the residence suits

Christmas and New Year's at OASENA suit a small group that wants the season by the sea: a couple marking the end of the year, two couples traveling together, a group of friends, or parents with older children. Six guests is the maximum, and the residence sleeps them in a king suite, a queen suite and a sofa bed in the living room.

For a couple

Sunrise on the balcony every day, the spa in a couples suite, Christmas Eve dinner by the water and a quiet New Year's toast. The couples stay plans a week for two, and the celebrations page covers marking an anniversary or a milestone during the trip.

For friends

Two couples share the two suites, each with its own bathroom and its own door to the balcony. The table for eight takes six with room for the platters, and the kitchen handles a group dinner. The friends stay covers sharing the residence.

For parents with older children

Older children and teenagers have the beach below, the heated pool, Peanut Island and the boat parade to look forward to, and the living room sofa bed gives them their own space. The listing marks the residence as not suitable for infants and small children because of the twelfth-floor balcony, so it is a holiday for older kids.

The rules that keep it calm

• Six guests at most, visitors included.
• No parties or events, no pets, no smoking.
• Quiet hours from 11 PM to 7 AM; the building is home to full-time residents.

The house rules list everything, and the FAQ answers the common questions about booking and staying.

More of the winter season nearby

The holidays open the winter season in the Palm Beaches, and the weeks after New Year's are full of reasons to come back. The residence sits in the middle of it: Palm Beach and West Palm Beach to the south, Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens to the north, and Wellington inland.

Other seasonal posts in the journal

• The holiday season in Palm Beach: Worth Avenue's trees and windows, and the island's holiday calendar.
• December in West Palm Beach: the waterfront tree, the downtown holiday evenings and the New Year's Eve show.
• Spring training in Jupiter: the ballpark season that starts in late February.
• The Wellington equestrian season: twelve weeks of show jumping and dressage from January.
• Golf season in Palm Beach Gardens: the winter courses and the tour stop.

Planning the rest of the winter

The events calendar lays out the whole year month by month, and the when to visit guide covers the weather and the seasons. For January and February, the manatee season post explains the best mornings at the lagoon, and the Singer Island guide is the overview of the island itself.

January has its own calendar close to home as well: the South Florida Fair, a large county fair with rides, livestock and concerts, runs for about two weeks in the middle of the month in West Palm Beach, about twenty minutes from the residence.

December stays are popular, and the holiday weeks book first. Check the dates on the listing early, and once the residence is confirmed, book the spa, the Christmas dinner table and the flights in the same week. That leaves the holiday itself for the balcony, the beach and the people you came with.

Common questions

When is the 2026 Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade?

The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County has announced the parade for Saturday, December 5, 2026, rain or shine. Boats leave North Palm Beach at 6 PM and reach the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse at about 8 PM, led by a traveling fireworks display. Viewing from the public sites along the route is free, and the start is about fifteen minutes north of the residence.

What is the weather like at Christmas on Singer Island?

December brings cool mornings, warm afternoons and a steady breeze off the ocean, the start of the dry season. Guests spend the afternoons on the beach and at the heated pool, and wear a sweater for sunrise on the balcony and for dinner outside.

Is Manatee Lagoon open over the holidays?

From November 15 through March 31, Manatee Lagoon opens every day from 9 AM to 4 PM. It closes early, at 2 PM, on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and it is closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Admission and parking are free. The best mornings are after a cool night, when the manatees gather in the warm water.

Can we cook Christmas dinner at the residence?

Yes. The kitchen is a full Miele suite with an induction cooktop, a wall oven, a dishwasher, a wine fridge and a built-in coffee machine, and the dining table seats eight under a glass chandelier. Stone crab season is in full swing at Christmas, so chilled claws make an easy starter. Shop by December 23, since Publix closes on Christmas Day.

Where can we eat out on Christmas Day?

The hotel dining rooms along the island are the most reliable choice; the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island has advertised a Christmas Day brunch in recent years, booked by phone. The marina restaurants and the grand hotels in Palm Beach also serve on the holiday. Menus are usually published in November, and the best tables go soon after, so book early.

Can we check in early for a Christmas stay?

Check-in for a Christmas stay runs from 4 PM to 10 PM by smart lock, with the code sent through Airbnb before the day, and checkout is by 10 AM. From December through April, when turnovers run back to back, there is no early check-in, so plan the travel day around a 4 PM arrival. Minimum stays for the holiday weeks are set on the listing, so check the calendar there when choosing dates.

Can we host a New Year's Eve party at the residence?

A New Year's Eve dinner for the people staying suits the residence well: a long meal at the table for eight, drinks on the balcony at sunset and a quiet toast at midnight. The house rules allow six guests at most, visitors included, and no parties or events, with quiet hours from 11 PM to 7 AM.

Is the spa open over Christmas and New Year's?

The resort's wellness center, about 100,000 square feet with 22 treatment rooms, is run by the resort and sets its own holiday hours. Treatments are booked and paid for with the resort and are not included in the stay. The week between Christmas and New Year's is popular, so book as soon as the residence is confirmed.

What should we pack for a December stay?

Pack swimwear for the beach and the heated pool, a sweater for cool mornings and evenings, a light jacket for an evening on the water, and one dressier outfit for dinner in Palm Beach. Add a flashlight and an unwrapped toy if you are going to the boat parade. The residence has a washer and dryer, so a fortnight packs light.

Sources

• Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade, Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County
• Here's where to watch the 31st annual Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade, WFLX
• Jingle all the waterway: 2025 guide to South Florida's holiday boat parades, SOLWD
• 2026 Holiday Boat Parade Calendar, Florida Rambler
• Visit Manatee Lagoon: hours, holiday closures and parking, FPL Manatee Lagoon
• Peanut Island, Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation
• Special Events, City of Riviera Beach
• Tree lightings, parades and sufganiyot: a roundup of Palm Beach County's holiday celebrations, WLRN
• New Year's Eve fireworks return to West Palm Beach after 8-year hiatus, WFLX
• Publix Christmas Eve and Christmas Day store hours, Romper

Photographs

• Cover photo: “Palm Beach Shores Florida photo Don Ramey Logan” by Don Ramey Logan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Photo: “Sailfish Marina on Singer Island, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Florida - panoramio (2)” by David Broad, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Photo: “Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area (17237643489)” by Bureau of Land Management, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Photo: “Beach with birds - John D. MacArthur Beach State Park” by RicoRico, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Photo: “Munyon Island,John D MacArther State Park” by Floridalooper, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Photographs of the residence and the resort are the owner’s own.