I have definitely been slacking on posting but the holiday season has been busy, to say the least. Events around the low country are endless to get you in the holiday spirit. I put my decorations up right after Halloween, sometimes even before if I have a day off. I work so much, being in retail, that I want to be able to enjoy them!

Me and Mom started off our holiday season at the Carolina Opry. The Christmas shows in Myrtle Beach never disappoint. The talent is just amazing. We have seen the Carolina Opry Christmas performance many times. It’s great every time, BUT the jokes tend to be the same and the songs are the same. They haven’t veered from the original show for many years. They do have a few new faces so that was a treat. Be prepared for a lengthy performance. The decorations are definitely on point! Most of the shows start the first of November and continue through January 1. Next year we will definitely try a different show – probably the Alabama Theater performance since we haven’t seen that one yet.



There are MANY tree lighting ceremonies around Horry County so chances are you would be able to attend at least one. We went to the Hammock Shops in Pawleys Island. They had theirs 11/23 and had live music, sweet treats, and lots of activities for the kids. We love to walk around and visit the shops to do some Christmas shopping. We ate at Southern Comfort’s – they have a mix of seafood and southern comfort food. It was really good.

Some other tree lightings to take note of around the area: Broadway at the Beach, Barefoot Landing, MB Convention Center, NMB, Surfside Beach, and many others.

This year there was a new show in town: Christmas on Ice. It’s actually in a pop up tent at the old Waccamaw Pottery parking lot. There’s an ice rink inside with stadium seating around the rink. The rink was smaller than you can imagine and there wasn’t a bad seat in the house. We were in the front middle so we had a perfect view. Be prepared to dress warm though cause we froze. We actually thought it was better than the Opry. They sang, danced, and skated. It was very entertaining and interactive.

We love to shop local and venture out into the community. We went to Calabash to shop at Callahan’s. It is such a unique and massive store that has a Christmas shop year-round. We found such cute gifts and novelty decorations that you don’t find just anywhere. They had a real tree outside very simply decorated. We finished our outing with lunch at the Boundary House. It is always a good option and has something for everyone. They had a monte cristo special on this day which didn’t disappoint!

My aunt and cousin came down to celebrate Christmas a couple days before. It has become a tradition to visit Brookgreen Gardens Night of a 1000 Candles with them. It is the most spectacular display of lights you will ever see. You can just stroll through the gardens and admire it as you please. They have fire pits where you can roast marshmallows and make s’mores. There are tents setup to purchase food – always great seafood options. It is a bit pricey though. The gift shop is open with some special Night of 1000 Candles memorabilia. There are also bagpipe players walking around playing. It will definitely get you in the Christmas spirit.

We also venture down to Charleston to James Island to see the Holiday Festival of Lights. This is a driving tour of Christmas lights through the county park. It incorporates everything you know about Christmas: Christmas songs, stories, and the Charleston area. Back in Kentucky we had something similar at the Kentucky Horse Park called the Southern Lights, however, it really never changed through the years. The lights on James Island are more vibrant and current than other like driving tours. At the end you can choose to get out to see awesome sand sculptures, make s’mores, shop at the gift shop, see Santa, ride the train, and get some snacks. Unfortunately it was raining when we went but that didn’t stop us. It did thin out the crowd though so we were able to actually drive through twice.

That really wraps up our pre-Christmas activities this year. There is always too many options and not enough time. North Myrtle Beach has a pretty good driving tour of lights that we missed this year. We also missed the boat parades at the Inlet this year. NMB, MB, and Surfside do Christmas Parades as well that we will have to put on our list for next year.

We always have to go see the beach and the ocean on Christmas Day no matter the temps. This year it was in the high 60s/low 70s but a little chilly on the beach.

After Christmas, my friend Jayna came down and we visited Southport, NC. The Christmas House was having 50% off so we obviously took advantage of that.

We had lunch at Fishy Fishy and walked around to see some of the decorations that were still up. (We maybe had to trespass to take some pics).

Christmas time is always a great time to visit the beach! We always enjoy taking part in all the local festivities!