This story first appeared as part of the Florida on a Tankful Holiday Spectacular.
With a harsh wind, winter on the water sometimes isn't all that welcoming.
Each December along Florida's coastlines, the lights come out, the floating inflatables pop up and the streamers welcome the winter breeze.
'Tis the season for lighted boat parades ... when the weather cooperates.
"The rain has kind of cleared up for us," said Dustin Rapp, a boat captain in Brevard County. "A little bit of wind, but I think it's going to be OK."
Rapp enjoys decorating in nontraditional ways on the water.
"We're going to try to drag this little dingy boat on top, and you'll have the blow-up Santa," Rapp said, plugging in an inflatable Santa who is fishing for tuna.
Scores of captains across Florida celebrate the holiday season on the water.
"Of course, we're in Florida," joked captain Brad Spalding, who strung lights just down the dock from Rapp. "There are more boats than there are people."
Coastal communities across Florida give the green light to lighted boat parades leading up to Christmas. Most are held on a Friday or Saturday night.
Captains like Spalding spend hours decorating crafts all for the moment when the sun sets and the magic on the water begins.
With lights above the deck and bouncing on the water, the show is underway.
"It's real pretty to see all the boats on the water at night," Spalding said.
One by one, the boats parade past spectators lining docks from Key West to Pensacola. While the crafts vary from port to port, the reflections of the season are the same.
The 2016 edition of the Port Canaveral boat parade is canceled. Bluepoints Marina confirmed the Port Canaveral community is using extra time and effort this year to recover from Hurricane Matthew. (Note: This Tankful story was recorded during the 2015 edition of the Port Canaveral in preparation for the 2016 parade season on the water. Bluepoints said the parade will return in 2017.)
Spalding plans on getting in the spirit this season in Merritt Island, decorating his boat and parading past the coastline for onlookers to see.
"If you had a little trouble getting into the spirit, you get into a boat with a bunch of Christmas lights on it at night, you're going to be in the spirit," Spalding said. "And that is what it does for me. It lights me up."
Discover more than 70 lighted boat parades across Florida.
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