Unlike most islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, one nation spread across two islands, holds its annual Carnival from late November through the first week of January, instead of the weeks leading up to Ash Wednesday. That means that by heading here, you can enjoy all types of celebrations, including Christmas parties, and Sugar Mas, which combines elements of Carnival with Boxing Day activities, parades and street parties. If you stick around, you can watch the Grand Parade on New Year’s Day. The National Carnival begins on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, and runs through January 1st. It features local folklore and traditions through song, dance, drama and poetry. While you’re here, you can even take part in a once-in-a-lifetime experience by meeting a Rastafari community, a group dedicated to “sharing Rastafari and natural farming to serve and nourish the physical and spiritual well-being of all people.” They welcome volunteers and visitors to their organic farm just outside of Basseterre, where you can share home-cooked organic meals with the farmers in an outdoor kitchen, debate life and philosophy, and even help shell peanuts for planting.