Mexico Beach eNewsletter | DECEMBER 2025

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! There is an old legend about the sand dollar and its association with the Christmas holiday. The sand dollar symbolizes peace, unity, and resilience, as well as good luck. If you’ve ever seen the inside of a sand dollar, there are teeth-like apparatuses that resemble what some describe as small doves, a notable symbol of peace. These inner shell pieces have been called the Doves of Peace, and some say they are the angels who sang to the shepherds on the first Christmas morning. If you’ve looked at the back of a whole sand dollar, you may have noticed the flower-like outline, which has been described as a bell or a Christmas poinsettia—both are notations of the holiday. Here in Mexico Beach, you can discover sand dollars, whole and in pieces, during your beach strolls. We want to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

And the Winner Is... Up for grabs last month were a T-shirt, a koozie, and a musical CD from Mango Marley’s, and the lucky winner is Donna G. from Buford, Georgia. Congrats, Donna!   DECEMBER GIVEAWAY This month’s giveaway is two 2026 Mexico Beach Calendars, compliments of the Mexico Beach Welcome Center. The 2026 calendar features amazing pictures of beautiful Mexico Beach. Each month’s image was captured by a Mexico Beach fan and submitted to the annual photography contest. To place your name in the hat, send an email to Kathy at kathy@mexicobeach.com.

MEET MEXICO BEACH This month, we want to introduce someone near and dear to our newsletter—the creator, Mr. Jack. With over 20 years of being the person putting ink to paper to create this great newsletter, Jack has held multiple roles for our wonderful city, including serving on City Council, Special Events for Mexico Beach, the Mexico Beach Tourism Board, and other volunteer outlets. Jack is also world-famous! Better known as “Marrying Jack”, he has married over 300 couples and has been our officiant for our mass wedding vow renewal ceremony since its beginning. Jack’s witty ideas have come to life by bestowing our readers with great wisdom and the newest feature, the “Say What?” section. We owe a great deal to Jack for being a dedicated “staff” member (whose payment is in the form of Hershey Kisses) for his years of work, research, and bringing lighthearted reading about our great beach to thousands of loyal subscribers. Thanks, Jack!

FARMERS & CRAFT MARKET DECEMBER 13 & 27  Come spend the morning at the Mexico Beach Farmers & Craft Market at Parker Park, located at 2500 Highway 98. Vendors will include produce, fresh jellies, one-of-a-kind crafts, and much more. Each market is sure to have new vendors, so be sure to come every time. If you’d like to be a vendor, sign up now. This market is put on by the Special Events for Mexico Beach, Inc.

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING DECEMBER 7 It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and Mexico Beach is transforming into a magical holiday paradise! Join us on Sunday, December 7, at 6:00 p.m. at Parker Park for our Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, a cherished tradition filled with festive cheer. The event features the man himself, Santa Claus, so make sure to bring your cameras!

MOVIE IN THE PARK DECEMBER 19 Join us for a magical evening at Under the Palms Park on Friday, December 19, at 6:00 p.m. for a heartwarming holiday movie experience brought to you by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office! They will be screening the action-packed film Red One, a tale of saving Christmas after Santa Claus is kidnapped. The best part? It’s FREE! Bring your chairs and blankets and get cozy while enjoying a holiday movie under the stars.

READ ABOUT ALL EVENTS HERE

A FRIENDLY REMINDER: Mexico Beach is a Leave No Trace community, and we appreciate your assistance in helping us keep our beaches clean. Any items left on the beach unattended from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. will be removed and disposed of by the City of Mexico Beach. Items include, but are not limited to, tents and tent frames, beach chairs, coolers, umbrellas, toys, etc. Also, please fill in any holes before you leave and please remain off the sand dunes and out of the sea oats to ensure their continued nourishment. There are boardwalks and walking paths that can be accessed to reach the beach. Your assistance with these requests will keep our beaches beautiful and pristine. For full details on this ordinance or questions, click here or contact City Hall at (850) 648-5700.

CRAB PIE We publish it with the compliments of the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association cookbook (MBARA.org). INGREDIENTS 6 oz cooked crabmeat 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 3 oz cream cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes 1/4 cup sliced green onion 1 jar (2 oz) diced pimientos, drained 1/2 cup Bisquick mix 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 2 eggs DIRECTIONS Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9.5-inch pie plate. Mix crabmeat, cheese, onions, and pimientos together, then place in the pie plate. Stir remaining ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Pour into the pie plate. Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (some cream cheese may stick to the knife). Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.  Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS WISDOM Christmas is a time of cheerfulness, and you can learn a lot from it. Here are some Christmas thoughts and laughs for you to enjoy! Christmas pajamas are socially acceptable all-day attire. Nothing says “holiday magic” like last-minute shopping. The real North Pole? Amazon delivery trucks. Christmas shopping is basically running a marathon in heels. Christmas lights are like socks; no one really knows how many you need. Christmas calories do not count! It’s not Christmas until the cat knocks something over. Decorating a Christmas tree is like solving a puzzle with no instructions. Silent Night does not exist in my house. Christmas cookies are the only cookies that don’t judge you for eating five in a row.

SHODDY We’ve often heard the word “shoddy” used to describe poor-quality work or production. There is a small history of that saying dating back to the 19th Century. Back then, the most common fabric was made from scraps—mainly wool. It was cheaply made, and the work was considered to be inferior or of poor quality. Textile workers began to refer to it as “shoddy.” The meaning eventually spread to other areas of work or craftsmanship, and anything substandard was referred to as shoddy, including behavior.

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