It's not too late to warm up your holidays with a jaunt to the balmy Caribbean where you can hang out in a hammock and listen to the gentle surf or indulge in island culture and cuisine.

With students out on holiday breaks, December and January are a good time for families to get together in the Caribbean, and many do, said Chicago area travel agency owner Mitch Lange.

"The holidays are definitely one of the most popular times of the year for Caribbean vacations for snowbirds. The resorts and cruise lines cater to families with holiday decorations and programming," said Lange, owner of Island Cruises & Travel.

About 20 percent of the nation's 24 million overseas travelers headed to the Caribbean during 2005, according to the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries.

But which Caribbean island is best to visit during this season?

"Each island has beautiful beaches and its own distinct cultural flavor, so travelers should choose their own ideal holiday setting," said Shannon Schiner, a representative of Cheryl Andrews Marketing, based in the Miami area, which represents dozens of Caribbean resort destinations.

While the best-known destinations are booked up for December dates, lesser-known jewels await would-be travelers now ready to make plans. Room rates are a bit higher during the holidays but accommodations are available in every price range.

St. Lucia's relatively new Coconut Bay Resort & Spa, for example, is an affordable, all-inclusive destination that successfully caters to both couples and families. The colorful resort is decked out with decorations for the holidays and Santa will be on hand on Christmas Day.

The owners of the recently renovated, former Club Med property were innovative in portioning the two wings of the resort to target adults on one side and families on the other.

The family side features a kid's camp and Cocoland water park, and the adult side a private pool, gym and the Kai Mer spa. Visitors can indulge in a massage enhanced by ocean breezes or signature spa treatments like Coconilla body work.

In the heart of the resort, everyone comes together at the centrally located pool, snack bar and buffet restaurant Coconut Walk. The restauurant features scrumptious fresh pastries and a variety of entrees for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Adults may choose to retreat to one of two gourmet bistros upstairs, Silk and Bellagio, for dinner and later party at the star gallery lounge and late-night disco.

George and Stacie Kendall of Derby, England, for example, recently vacationed at Coconut Bay with their son and 12 other family members.

"It was a great place for us all to get together and spend some time relaxing," George Kendall said.

Stacie Kendall and other female relatives took advantage of the Kai Mer spa during their stay.

"It was a great treat, and the prices are reasonable," she said.

At Coconut Bay, the seasonis celebrated with special buffets on Dec. 23 through 25 and a visit from Santa on Christmas Day.

The resort also features numerous scheduled activities, and visitors may want to take resort excursions to other locations. St. Lucia offers the chance to zip-line in a lush rain forest, visit a historic sugar cane plantation, snorkel in the clear waters along its rocky coast, visit a drive-through volcano, bathe in healing sulfur waters and marvel at the island's twin peaks, the Pitons.

"O, The Oprah Magazine" named the breathtaking Pitons one of the "Five Places to See in Your Lifetime."

"I had no idea that this kind of volcanic island beauty was available in the Caribbean. It's so much easier and quicker to get here than to fly to faraway Hawaii," said Sean Mallon of St. Louis, while visiting British commonwealth St. Lucia with his wife, Amanda.

Another volcanic hot spot in the Caribbean that has plenty of holiday openings is the island of Montserrat. The British island formerly was among the most expensive destinations in the Caribbean but eruptions of the Soufrière Hills volcano in the late 1990s put a dent in tourism.

While the island is luring back its tourism trade, plenty of deals are to be had for villa rentals and stays at its two hotels. The Vue Pointe, for example, is offering a special holiday package.

"Those who want to take advantage of value pricing should visit Montserrat now as prices will rise as demand increases," said Janelle Thadhani, a spokeswoman for island tourism.

The island celebrates the Montserrat Carnival from mid-December until New Year's Day. Among the activities are calypso competitions, masqueraders dancing in the streets, beauty and talent shows, and the parade of costumed troupes on New Year's Day.

In the U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico, holiday celebrations run now through mid January. Throughout the season roving caroling events, called parranda, are held. Parranderos gather and sing in neighborhoods with homeowners joining the growing group as it moves through the neighborhood.

"I live half of the year in the states and half of the year in Puerto Rico, but I always come to Puerto Rico for the holidays. It's just a non-stop celebration," said Ricardo Vazquez, director of San Juan-based Biohealth Technologies.

The San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, which is being renovated, puts on its own Parranda Navideña for the local community. During the festive event Santa Claus and the Three Kings invite spectators to join in the singing and dancing. A reception and gift-giving ceremony at the resort follows.

Music lovers will be interested in ethnically diverse Trinidad & Tobago because the island republic features a Parang Festival during the holiday season. Parang is folkloric music of Hispanic origin that gives added interest to the islands' calypso and steel pan offerings.

Parang bands serenade T&T neighborhoods during the season with families bringing out drink and food for informal street parties. The music is both festive and fluid absorbing such influences as Indian drumming and Chutney melodies.

Island hotels that have openings for holiday stays include Courtyard by Marriott, Trinidad, the Hilton Trinidad and the Hilton Tobago.

"The Caribbean with all its diversity offers families the chance to do something different for Christmas, and a lot of families are looking for just that," Lange said.

Kathy Hagood is a Florida-based free-lance writer.