Christmas in Paradise, Buffett-style

Two themed Christmas trees and a table filled with Jimmy Buffett books.

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas, Jimmy Buffett.  The songwriter-author-singer who personified the culture of the coast would have turned 77 on Christmas Day.

I’ve had a hard time writing about his death, much less revising my bookbook A Literary Traveler’s Guide to the Gulf South. He’s mentioned in it more than any of the other 100-plus authors. I even created a Jimmy Buffett Trail for readers to follow. I didn’t know Jimmy Buffett, but we were born in the same town, were in the same grade, went to the same college, and shared mutual friends. Some say he’s a distant cousin on my dad’s side. I needed to find a fun way to close the parentheses in my book: Jimmy Buffett (1946-2023) What better way than on his birthday, Christmas?

I started decorating our Christmas tree with a theme when we moved to our little part of paradise in Florida over a decade ago. During Covid, I created a “bling” tree. Last year I honored the late Queen Elizabeth II with a very proper British tree complete with monarchy ornaments and tiny teapots, cups, and saucers. This year my trees (yes, two) honor Jimmy Buffett. Like him, these trees are anything but prim and proper!

Before the Buffett idea, I struggled to find a good 2023 tree theme. I went to the PBS Festival of Trees for inspiration in Pensacola where I marveled at more than 30 themed Christmas trees — Blue Angels, a 12-foot Grinch, one covered with handmade crochet ornaments and tree skirt, even a “Scripture” calligraphy tree. I came away with a half-hearted idea of designing a World Peace tree. Yeah, right. Try finding a dove or a globe ornament.  Noting my frustration when I came home from ornament shopping, my son looked at me as if I was missing the most obvious of all themes. He suggested a Jimmy Buffett tree. My spirits soared. He was right. A fitting tribute and fulfilling quest.

Like Jimmy Buffett says, “Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.” This Christmas decor search has unleashed my creativity. A writer-artist-friend donated a pre-lit 7’ artificial palm tree, and I’m searching everywhere I go for Jimmy Buffett style ornaments. Family members and friends have offered beachy ornaments. I found a “cheeseburger” for “Cheeseburger in Paradise” ornament at a thrift store. A glass “coconut drink” ornament arrived from my Texas friend. My daughter-in-law donated flamingos and shells. My son ordered a Jimmy Buffett miniature doll complete with guitar and parrot. Mini-JB hangs out on the tree with fish and sailboats (JB loved to fish and sail) and manatees (JB saved the Florida manatee with a license plate idea). Almost every ornament means something, like the coconut for the Coconut Telegraph (his newsletter and album), the hurricane glass for “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” the ocean for the song “Mother, Mother Ocean,” a shark (Fins Up!), and the parrot-captain’s wheel tree-topper, a book cover montage. We even found greeting cards with Buffett wisdom “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”

I’m still searching – not for a lost shaker of salt – but for four ornaments — a volcano (for the sosng and the Jimmy Buffett ring tone on my phone), a dinosaur (for his cameo appearance in Jurassic World – my granddaughter shared that piece of trivia), for a seaplane (like the one that almost took his life), and of course, a pirate for oh-so-many reasons, especially the book A Pirate Looks at Fifty and the album “A Pirate Looks at Forty.”

This Christmas, I’m following Jimmy Buffett’s last words to “keep the party going” and “have fun.” From now on, I’m having a Jimmy Buffett Christmas tree that transforms into a Mardi Gras tree every single year. Laissez les bons temps roulee! Happy Birthday, JB, and Merry Christmas to all my readers!

One last song: Sing along with these Parrotheads to keep your party going this Christmas!