There’s no place like home, and there’s nowhere like Florida for a kid to grow up. No snow means you can go outside pretty much year-round. Then there are all of the unique traditions only Floridians understand. All in all, it’s a pretty magical place to grow up.

1. You have sandals and flip-flops for every season and occasion.
Flickr/TheKarenD
Closed-toe shoes are only for work or church.
2. You've seen a real gator.
Flickr/Trish Hartmann
Most likely, both outside and on a plate.
3. You have no idea how to deal with this stuff.
Flickr/Melissa Gutierrez
Some people may call it a winter wonderland, but we're pretty sure we wouldn't survive.
4. You don't freak out at the sight of every lizard or bug.
Flickr/seenthroughmylense
You have to accept it as just part of living in a tropical climate.
5. You've been here at least once.
Flickr/Rain0975
Sure, it's touristy, but you can't grow up here and miss the Most Magical Place on Earth.
6. You can't imagine grocery shopping without Publix.
Flickr/Daniel Oines
Floridians know this is where you'll find the best subs, fried chicken, and desserts on the planet.

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7. You probably got to grow up closer to your grandparents than kids in other states.
Flickr/S P Photography
And if they're not here already, they should be.
8. You've tried some foods that people in some other states have probably never seen on a menu.
Flickr/Mike Cofrancesco
Unique Florida foods include swamp cabbage, rock shrimp, stone crab, gator tail, frog legs, and more.
9. You practically came out of the womb knowing how to swim.
Flickr/Jade Alexandra Allen
It's both practical and fun for kids to learn to swim early here, where we're pretty much always surrounded by water.
10. You've been through quite a few hurricanes.
Flickr/Roger W
Around here, we had Hurricane Days instead of Snow Days, and sometimes even hurricane parties (when you're stuck inside without power, there's not much else to do).
11. The holidays were a little different here than in other places.
Flickr/Matthew Paulson
We may not have snow, but we still have plenty of Christmas spirit. We make up for it with lots of lights and decorations.
12. You've seen Key lime flavored or scented everything.
Flickr/Scott Akerman
It's not just our state pie, you can find Key lime smoothies, cookies, ice cream, cakes, sauces, salsas, soaps, lotions, and just about everything else.

What do you think of this list? What were your favorite (and least favorite) things about growing up in Florida?

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