Puerto Vallarta Press Release 03/01/2010

A Christmas Vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

A traditional Christmas calls for snow, decorated pines, and chilly temperatures that demand hats, mittens, and layered wool undergarments. Now not wanting to upset the coconut cart we would never claim to want to supplant the White Christmas tradition of the holiday season…but when you’ve had cold snowy year after cold snow year (or maybe you live somewhere there isn’t much snow around December 25th) we would simply like to offer an alternative option…Christmas in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Trade the snow boots for flip flops, the stocking hat for sun screen, and warm sand for blowing snow. Join hundreds of families that choose the Puerto Vallarta area for their holiday celebrations.

Puerto Vallarta offers many holiday activities beyond the normal beach paradise stuff like swimming, surfing, snorkeling, canopy tours, lounging by the pool, culinary exploration, playing with dolphins, margaritas, etc...

Here is a quick list of the main festival activities in Puerto Vallarta around the holidays.

December 1st-12th Patron Saint Festivities for Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patron Saint of Puerto Vallarta and processions are held daily to the downtown cathedral that bears her name. On the 12th day the city celebrate Guadalupe Day and most businesses, neighborhoods, and civic organizations make a procession to the church for a special mass. Often larger groups appear as a parade with floats, dancers, singers, and fireworks following the mass. The Puerto Vallarta Tourist Department downtown will display information on the times different groups will be making their processions. This important religious and social holiday marks the anniversary of the day the Virgin Guadalupe made her miraculous appearance to a peasant in Mexico.

December 12th - Puerto Vallarta’s Birthday

December 12th also marks Puerto Vallarta’s “birthday.” In 1851, Don Guadalupe Sánchez Torres founded Puerto Vallarta, when he settled in an area alongside the Cuale River. There is a ceremony at the City Hall Council, and celebration at the Malecon.

December 16th-24th – The Week of Posadas

The week before Christmas families, businesses, and neighborhood groups celebrate the holiday season with parties known as posadas. These parties center around a traditional re-enactment of Joseph and Mary’s search for lodging in Bethlehem. People form processions to selected homes, carrying candles, and singing a song whose melodic words are a request for a place to stay. As the tradition goes the host will refuse the procession several times before relenting and opening the door and welcoming everyone.

December 24th – Christmas Eve

The traditional Christmas celebration is a family dinner held on Christmas Eve followed by Midnight Mass and festivities with friends and family until the early hours of the morning.

December 25th – La Navidad

Christmas Day in Mexico is a national holiday where all government and banking institutions are closed. Religious observances are made and people generally lay low after the previous night’s festivities.

December 31st – New Years Eve

New Years Eve in Puerto Vallarta sees the streets lit up with vibrant parties. The two main gatherings are found on the Malecon in old town Puerto Vallarta and on Olas Altas Street at Los Muertos Beach. Most restaurants, hotels, and nightclubs host parties and live music and many keep the party going until 6am. If you are planning to be out on New Years Eve its best to be within walking distance of where you are staying as taxi and bus service can be sporadic on this night.

January 6th – Three Kings Day

Every year on January 6th families gather for Three Kings Day, to eat The Rosca de Reyes and celebrate the 3 Wise Men who, as the story goes, kept King Herod from finding out about the birth of Jesus. The Rosca de Reyes is a special bread that is baked with nuts and fruits and a small plastic Jesus doll inside. The person who receives the piece of bread with this doll inside has to make the tamales used in the fiesta de la Candelaria.

February 2nd - Fiesta la Candelaria

This is the final Christmas observance of the season where the baby Jesus is removed from nativity scenes and taken to church to be blessed. The nativity scene is then put away until the Christmas celebration begins again in December.

So there’s no snow in Puerto Vallarta, but there’s tons of Christmas spirit…About 2 months worth of it! It’s a very special time in Mexico for families to be together and it a wonderful time to visit. The weather in December in Puerto Vallarta is absolutely perfect. Sunny, at most 1 or 2 rainy days in the whole month and temperatures that range from 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (18-21 C) at night to around 79 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit (26-29 C) during the day.

Book your Puerto Vallarta Christmas Vacation as soon as possible!

Puerto Vallarta at Christmas is one of the best times to visit. However due to the popularity of spending the holidays in Puerto Vallarta it is recommended that reservations be made at least 6 months in advance. It’s the first of March and already many of the most popular villa rentals and beach condo rentals are being reserved. So hurry and book your Puerto Vallarta Holiday Vacation as soon as you are able. VillasAndCondos.com is fortunate to offer such a variety of vacation rentals in Puerto Vallarta that if your first choice is taken our relationship with owners allows us to offer alternatives you won’t find with other companies. We’ve been helping travelers with their Puerto Vallarta Christmas Villa and Condo Vacation Rentals, Puerto Vallarta spring break vacation planning, Puerto Vallarta beach wedding planning, and Puerto Vallarta Honeymoon planning for over 20 years.

Call or email us today and we’ll be happy to help you in any way we can with your