Blog Post # 3 Christmas In Grenada by Author Astrid
Time to Travel to Grenada Author Astrid explains how Christmas unfolds in her home country
Astrid Mitchell
11/28/20253 min read
What Christmas Looks Like in My Country
In Grenada, Christmas Smells Like Ham, Sorrel and Fresh Paint.
If you land in Grenada any time in December, you’ll know Christmas is coming long before you spot a single Santa hat. You’ll smell it in the air, hear it in the music, and see it on almost every wooden house and concrete wall along the road.
On the “Spice Isle”, Christmas isn’t just a day. It’s a whole season of cleaning, cooking, church, and liming (the Caribbean word for hanging out) with family and friends
The Christmas Clean-Up
For many Grenadian families, Christmas begins with a scrub brush and a paint roller.
All through December, people “spring clean” the house, cleaning, removing clutter and even adding a fresh coat of paint, inside and out!
It’s not just about looking nice for visitors. There’s a feeling of starting the new year clean and blessed. New curtains, new bedspreads, sometimes even new furniture {even if it’s just one nice piece} are part of that quiet excitement building towards Christmas Day.
Lights, Parang and Last-Minute Shopping
As the evenings get darker, Grenada lights up.
Across the island, families string fairy lights along verandahs, around breadfruit and mango trees, and across roadside fences. Some communities have friendly competitions over whose house is “brightest” or most creative. Places like Quarantine Point often host popular Christmas light displays and carol events, drawing families out at night to walk, take pictures and sing along.
In town, the streets are crowded with last-minute shoppers, especially in St. George’s. You’ll hear a mix of classic carols,soca parang (folk music with a distinct Spanish flavour originating from Trinidad and Venezuela), and local Christmas tunes blasting from shops and minivans.
Parang and Christmas concerts pop up in villages and on the Carenage, with live bands and community choirs. Around the tri-island state, Carriacou’s parang events keep the old-time tradition alive with music, string bands, and house-to-house visits.
Church, Community and Giving
Grenada is a place where Christmas still has a strong spiritual component. Many families attend Advent and Christmas services, whether Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, or another denomination.
Some will go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, others to an early morning service on Christmas Day. The churches are usually decorated with poinsettias, lights and nativity scenes. The focus is on carols, gratitude, and the story of the Nativity.
Community groups, churches and charities also use this time to give back: visiting elderly homes, delivering food hampers, or hosting little Christmas parties for children in the village.
The Food: Where Christmas Really Lives
Ask any Grenadian what Christmas “tastes” like, and you’ll get a very detailed answer.
On the table you’re likely to find:
Baked ham studded with cloves
Roast chicken or turkey
Stewed pork
Rice and pigeon peas
Macaroni pie
Lasagne
Potato salad, coleslaw, and fresh vegetables
Maybe a pot of oil down for good measure, because this is Grenada after all
Then there are the sweets and drinks:
Black cake/fruit cake, soaked for weeks (or months) in rum and wine
Sweetbread, ginger biscuits and other homemade treats
Sorrel drink, bright red chilled hibiscus tea, spiced with cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and orange peel
Ginger beer and sometimes a strong homemade punch
By Christmas Eve, kitchens smell like mixed essence, nutmeg and browning. Pots are bubbling, ovens are full, and someone is always checking the ham.
Christmas Morning
Christmas morning in Grenada has its own special rhythm.
Some people head to early church, then come back to open presents and finish cooking. Others start the day with a big breakfast: think hot cocoa, homemade bread, and ham, before visitors start passing through.
Children try out new toys in the yard. Neighbours shout “Merry Christmas!” over the fence. Relatives arrive with foil-wrapped dishes and bottles of drink. It’s loud, warm, and busy in the best way.
Lunch is the main event, often stretching into the late afternoon. After that, people slow down a little: talking, playing cards or dominoes, watching Christmas movies, or calling relatives abroad.
Beach and Boxing Day Limes
One of the most Caribbean parts of Christmas here is that you can swap snow for sand.
After all the eating and house-visiting, many people spend part of the holiday season at the beach. You’ll find families liming on Grand Anse or other bays, children splashing in the water while adults sit under almond trees talking and sipping something cold.
Boxing Day and the days leading up to New Year’s often include boat rides, river limes, or just simple house limes with music turned up and leftovers on repeat.
Old Traditions, New Influences
Like everywhere else, Christmas in Grenada has modern touches now, with online shopping, imported decorations,and plenty of social media posts of Christmas outfits, matching pajamas, plates and parties.
But underneath it all, some things have stayed the same, the preparation, the smell of ham and black cake,the sound of parang and carols drifting through the village, where people gather whether in church, family or community.
That’s what Christmas looks like in Grenada: not snowy streets and roaring fireplaces, but bright lights on breadfruit trees, the taste of sorrel and nutmeg on your tongue, and a house full of people you love.
