Southport Magazine

Plenty of fun planned for December

Story by Lisa Stites

It’s so easy to have a packed schedule during the holidays, but pencil in some of these fun and heartwarming events to make your season shine even brighter.

Winterfest

The City of Southport is hosting its annual WinterFest December 1-9, and it’s a week full of activities aimed at setting the mood for the season.

There’s a fire truck parade, a night of Christmas music at the Amuzu, an afternoon tea, cookie contest, supper with Santa’s Elves, the annual tour of homes, the flotilla and other activities. And at this time of year, Southport, already a beautiful coastal community, really shines.

“Southport is beautiful year round, but goes all out during the holidays with soft lights decorating the holly trees lining the main street and sailboat wreaths hanging from the street lights,” Assistant Tourism Director Sharon Venis said. “Downtown businesses decorate their storefronts, adding to the southern charm of a Southport holiday.”

WinterFest also includes a Santa’s Workshop, where children can make crafts to give their friends and family, and their parents can pick up just the right gift for that special someone at one of Southport’s shops.

“After visiting the many shops that make Southport special, be sure to stop and spend some time at one of our many local restaurants,” Venis said. For anyone who might be spending their first Christmas season in Southport, Venis recommends getting out to see all the City has to offer.

“The best way to get to know your town is to come out and participate in the many events offered.  Support your local businesses and meet your neighbors,” she said.

Flotilla

Southport Magazine is sponsoring the annual flotilla again this year. Come out to the waterfront park and watch a variety of boats parade by with lights and Christmas themes. This brilliant spectacle is a highlight for adults and kids during the season. The judges of the Flotilla this year are the Southport Elementary Art Students.  

The Flotilla is scheduled for December 8th, and the fun starts around 7p.m. Bring your blanket, chair and cup of hot cocoa to make the night even more magical!  

OAK ISLAND

Like Southport, the Town of Oak Island also offers a full slate of holiday events geared toward children and families. “During the holidays, we have programs that bring families, neighbors, and strangers together,” Oak Island Parks and Recreation Director Rebecca Squires said.

The Town’s traditional tree lighting kicks things off on November 30 this year. The Town also serves as host for the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas by the Sea Parade, and hosts its own Supper with Santa, a Holiday Craft Market and a flashlight candy cane hunt. One event that was new last year is the Gingerbread Beach House contest.

“Last year was the first year for the gingerbread house, and the houses were very creative,” Squires said. “So far this year we have 18 entries, and expect folks to go all out with their beach themes. We saw all types of houses last year from simple beach shacks, to three-story beach homes with working lights on stilts!”

While Oak Island is not known for being a wintry wonderland, Squires said, regardless if it’s as cold as the mountains or as warm as the Bahamas, town staff provides the traditional holiday staples, such as hot cocoa and cookies during the Tree Lighting and Holiday Market. But she said they also put an “Oak Island spin” on the familiar holiday traditions. The “Night Before Christmas at Oak Island” reading at the Tree Lighting is an Oak Island version with Santa on a jet ski, and visions of trout and drum in the children’s heads. And this year, Santa will make his grand entrance on a boat instead of a sleigh during the Tree Lighting. That’s something “you will not see in Raleigh or Greensboro,” Squires said. Coastal communities are always seeing new faces in town, and for those who recently made Oak Island their home, Squires offered this sage advice. “To enjoy the holidays on Oak Island, first, slow down. Then plan to attend one of the many Oak Island holiday functions with new friends and neighbors, or family. Take a walk through one of the Town parks, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the fall/wintertime on Oak Island.  

And, don’t forget to visit the Recreation Center for a new exercise class, or to visit the fitness facility to have fun while working off all those cookies and cocoa,” she said.

Christmas Concerts

Amongst all these fun activities, there are also plenty of opportunities to enjoy the sounds of the season. The Sea Notes Choral Society have their annual performances, and many of the area churches offer a special Christmas program.

At Ocean View United Methodist Church on Oak Island, the Christmas concert choir began practicing its Christmas lineup in September. Music Director Greg Walker said he’s actually already thinking about music for next year’s concert, but he gets serious about selecting music after Easter. He said he doesn’t start out with a particular theme in mind, but that one evolves as he works. He does, however, always include five or six secular songs that lead into a section of Christian themed-pieces. “I always try to tell the Christmas story with music by keeping the timeline — waiting in darkness, journey to Bethlehem, angel announcement, etc. — intact as much as possible,” Walker said. “Also, instead of doing a lot of music nobody has ever heard of, I also try to stick to familiar carols with a “twist.”

This year’s concert, with performances on December 7 and 9, is built around “Joy to the World.” Walker said he found a “very cool, rhythmic arrangement of the song” which will be performed toward the end of the concert. “We will try to show how the world was longing for a Savior, and was filled with joy at the birth of Jesus,” Walker said.

Working with a choir on Christmas music in September may sound a bit strange, but Walker said, that mostly, his group seemed ready for it, though Hurricane Florence did upset the schedule a bit. “It definitely gets easier to work on once the summer heat breaks and it starts to feel like fall, though.”

All are welcome to see Christmas concerts and performances at any of the area churches, and Ocean View is no exception. Asked what he hopes audiences will take away from the the Christmas concert, Walker summed  it up with one word, saying it was joy “If everyone isn’t smiling when it’s over, we did something wrong.  

“Hopefully this concert kicks off their Christmas season in such a way that they won’t focus on shopping and bills, but instead focus on their families and the reason for the season.”

For all the details on these events and more, look for the calendar section of this issue.