Christmas's housing is a mix of older single-family homes, newer subdivisions, and larger rural and acreage parcels, reflecting the community's position on the edge of the Orlando suburbs. Development pressure from the west has brought newer construction, while much of the area retains a rural, spacious character. The market spans modest in-town homes and larger country properties, giving buyers a range of settings.

Christmas is a spread-out, unincorporated community without a traditional downtown, organized along State Road 50 and the surrounding rural roads. Homes and subdivisions are scattered among pasture, woods, and wetlands, with Fort Christmas Historical Park as a central landmark. The community's low density and open setting distinguish it from the compact suburbs closer to Orlando, and its edges blend into ranchland and conservation land.

Life in Christmas is quiet and semi-rural, with a pace slower than the Orlando suburbs to the west. The community's festive name is a point of local pride and draws visitors, especially around the holidays, and Fort Christmas Historical Park hosts events and preserves the area's pioneer heritage. Residents value the open space and the convenience of being within reach of Orlando, the Space Coast, and central Florida's recreation.

Christmas is served by Orange County Public Schools, one of Florida's largest school districts, with students attending nearby elementary, middle, and high schools in the eastern part of the county. The district offers a range of magnet and choice programs across Orange County, giving families options beyond their zoned schools, and several campuses sit within a short drive of the community.

State Road 50 runs through Christmas, providing a direct route west into Orlando and east toward Titusville and the Space Coast. The community is about twenty-five miles from downtown Orlando, and access to the Beachline Expressway (State Road 528) and State Road 520 connects residents to the coast and the region's employment centers. Travel is by car, with much of the area's commuting oriented toward Orlando.

Fort Christmas Historical Park anchors local recreation, with its replica of the 1837 Seminole War fort, historic buildings, playgrounds, and picnic areas. The nearby Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area and the St. Johns River basin offer hiking, fishing, hunting, and wildlife viewing. The Orlando area's theme parks, and the beaches of the Space Coast to the east, are within roughly an hour's drive.