This ornament’s artwork brings Tampa flair to holiday cheer! A bold pirate, styled like a classic Jolly Roger, sits among swaying palm fronds — because around here, even our pirates vacation under the palms. The rich red background nods to both Tampa’s beloved football tribe and the festive spirit of the season. Colorful beads drape across crossed swords, tipping the hat to our famous parade culture. And instead of a partridge in a pear tree, you’ll find a pirate in a palm tree — a spirited twist on the Twelve Days of Christmas that anchors this piece right in the heart of Tampa tradition.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton left a big mark on Tampa Bay — on our homes, our routines, and our hearts. This ornament serves as a keepsake of resilience, honoring the challenges our community has faced and the strength we show as we rebuild, heal, and find our way back to brighter days.

The Tampa twist on “Three French Hens” became “Three Cu-bans,” because how could a true Tampa Twelve Days be complete without our city’s most famous sandwich? The Cuban is a cultural icon — layered with tradition, flavor, and folklore. A proper Tampa Cuban starts with real crusty Cuban bread (creased with a palmetto leaf, of course), stacked with glazed ham, mojo pork, pickles, mustard, Swiss cheese, and Genoa salami. Growing up, I always heard that each ingredient represents one of the immigrant communities who worked in the cigar factories — making this sandwich as much a history lesson as it is a delicious bite.

This ornament is a love letter to Tampa’s iconic Ybor City roosters — those feathered locals who strut the streets like they own the place. As a playful twist on the traditional “Four Calling Birds,” these bold birds represent one of Ybor’s quirkiest and most beloved historic charms. Another favorite symbol of mine is the row of ornate lamp posts along 7th Avenue; here, I’ve reimagined one glowing like a festive Christmas tree. And of course, no Ybor tribute would be complete without a nod to its cigar heritage, so I tucked in a little smoking cigar for good measure. This design is one of my favorites in the collection — a tiny snapshot of Ybor’s spirit, culture, and swagger.

“Five Gold Rings” gets a Tampa makeover as “Five Blinging Rings.” If you follow local sports, you know our city has racked up five major championship titles between hockey and football — and with every win comes those flashy gold-and-silver rings worthy of showing off. It felt like the perfect match for Day Five! Tampa’s been riding an unbelievable hot streak over the past few years — from lightning striking twice to Tom Brady leading the Bucs to their second Super Bowl — and this ornament celebrates every glittering moment.

If you live in — or have ever visited — Tampa, you instantly recognize those six iconic minarets. I recently walked the UT campus with my mom during “Walk for the Minarets,” hosted by The Chiselers (bookmark it for next year — highly recommend!). Getting up close to Plant Hall, one of Tampa’s most breathtaking landmarks, was such a treat, and I soaked up so much history along the way. The moment I saw it, I knew it belonged in this collection as a gingerbread house — the ornate Victorian trim already looks like piped icing just waiting to be drawn!

The iconic Tampa pirate ship sails across the bay only one time a year during the parade, surrounded by boats and pirates of all kinds. However, I thought it would be a fun alternative mode of transport for Santa to deliver gifts to the children of Tampa. Can we make this happen?!

The traditional line is “Eight Maids A-Milking.” So naturally my mind went to what was made of milk here in Tampa. And there’s nothing more classic Tampa than a cafe con leche. Coffee with milk is my preferred way to drink coffee. This faux ad harkens back to when they were much less expensive that they are now. I think I got a touch of nostalgia thinking about old menus from my family’s restaurant and marveling at how a whole meal would only cost a dollar. And how all the ads back then were hand painted with a great script font.

Tampa not only has great Spanish (and Cuban) food, but also great flamenco performances. The immigrants who came in to work in the cigar factories brought so much culture with them to Tampa, and this was just one of the many gifts that was then woven into the fabric of city culture.

In honor of the longest continuous sidewalk (Bayshore Boulevard) and everyone who runs on it! The gingerbread man was added as a little dose of fairy tale humor since he is known for running. :)

Tampa was once known as Cigar City, so I knew the cigar had to be a feature for one of these ornaments. I thought it kind of humorous to put it at number eleven, replacing the classic “Ten Pipers Piping” line, since a smoking pipe is pretty closely related to a cigar.

The streetcars are another unique Tampa thing and something else I would love to see Santa deliver his presents on! The current fleet of streetcars is eleven strong, but maybe there can be a fictional Santa trolley as number twelve?