It's a Jamaica Christmas at Jamaica Inn!

Christmas is a very special time for Jamaicans, known for family, multiple delicious Jamaican food dishes, laughter, games and other festivities. Its a special time of year for people worldwide but in Jamaica one of the most integral parts of the holiday season is the food!

Cooking traditions for each family varies but the majority usually start preparing the Christmas Day meal from Christmas Eve ensuring the ham and other smaller dishes are ready for the big day. On Christmas Day, breakfast usually includes a traditional Jamaican meal, callaloo or ackee and saltfish, breadfruit, fried plantains, boiled bananas, freshly squeezed fruit juice and tea.

Traditional Jamaican Christmas Breakfast Dish 

Dinner is usually served in the late afternoon and this may include chicken, curry goat, stewed oxtail, rice and peas (made with gungo peas or red kidney beans). Jamaican red wine and rum fruitcake is traditional and is eaten in most homes. Many Jamaicans expect a tall glass of sorrel and a slice of moist Jamaican fruit cake for dessert. Sorrel is a delicious crimson colored Christmas drink, made from the sorrel flower and is Jamaica’s own version of mulled wine.

The plant is essentially stewed with ginger and spices, then sieved once cooled. White rum is often added at the end. The fruits in our traditional fruit cake are soaked in red wine and white rum for months before Christmas. The cake is usually one of the highlights of the entire meal and serves as a wonderful end to an evening of delectable dishes. It is customary to offer a slice to visiting guests who drop by all throughout the December season.

Christmas Sorrel  Drink and Plant 

Other tell tale signs of Christmas in Jamaica include:

– Christmas Carols – popular versions of well known carols such as “Silent Night” and “O Come All Ye Faithful” are played on the radio and other mediums.

– “Christmus” Breeze –  this is the extra cold gusts of wind felt in the early morning at night during the December month. This is not the usual cold gusts of wind but fresh chilled breezes that are  a sign of that the festive season is officially here.

– “Spring” Cleaning & Home Improvement – Jamaicans love to use the season as the perfect excuse to do a thorough cleaning, new furniture purchases, paint their houses and hang new curtains and decorations for Christmas.

At Jamaica Inn, we ensure guests are able to experience some of these same Jamaican traditions with a touch of luxury. There is nothing like a Jamaica Christmas at the Inn characterized by the wonderful atmosphere, decoration and live music.

For the first time, Jamaica Inn will have an in house choir consisting of our best staff singers.  Our fabulous carolers coming in at 7:00pm on Christmas Eve for 1 hour to get our guests in the holiday spirit. We also have a Christmas tree in the library as well are poinsettias throughout the lobby and library area. On Christmas day we serve eggnog on the beach instead of the usual planters punch/blended fruit punch (guests usually get to choose one drink daily). In the afternoon we will have complimentary tea time followed by a lively marching band in our gardens. On Christmas night we have the traditional Christmas Dinner items on the menu.

For New Year’s Eve we are having a fabulous celebration! The cost to participate is US $260.00 per person (inclusive of tax & service). If you are on a meal plan that includes dinner then US $73.00 will be deducted from the New Year’s participation cost (US $260.00 – US $73.00) bringing the cost down to US $187.00 per person.

Our New Year’s celebration this year is going to be one to remember. We are going to have a Champagne Cocktail Party on our East Wing lawns from 8:00pm – 9:00pm followed by dinner from 9:00pm until… We are going to set up most of the dinner tables & chairs on the rooftop terrace, so the dress code is “Casablanca Formal”. Our lavish dinner items will be set up on a wonderful display on our lawn right beside our beach. An example of our set up includes a Seafood Station that has Oysters, Poached Lobster, Alaskan King Crab, Snow Crab Claws, Smoked Salmon, Smoked Marlin & Peppered Shrimp and a Carving Station with Roast Beef, Whole Fish & Turkey. These dinner items mentioned are subject to change.

Once the live band starts at 9:00pm, the party will be non-stop until…!

We look forward to ringing in the New Year in style with you.

Immerse yourself in the charm and tradition of Christmas at Jamaica Inn. It’s not too late to book your stay with us this year! Call us at 876 974-2514 or email us at reservations@jamaicainn.com.