Christmas on the Outer Banks

Growing up, Christmas was always my favorite time of year! For my family, Christmas always began on Thanksgiving evening with putting up the Christmas tree, baking cookies, and watching Christmas movies. I remember many Christmases past walking around the tree, stringing lights, and placing up ornamentswhile quoting the entirety of nearly every Christmas movie. Many years later I can still quote a good portion of many of those movies.Christmas still remains a very special time to me, but now it's about seeing the children have the same kind of experiences that I cherished and loved as a little one. While my wife and I do not have children of our own, yet, we have nieces and nephews we enjoy immersing in the Christmas culture, and the Outer Banks provides such wonderful opportunities for this. In years past we have gone with family to the Winter Lights Celebration at the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo. This always proved to be a treat for the children as they get to see beautiful displays of Christmas lights throughout the gardens, enjoy some Christmas cookies and treats, and best of all. . .see Santa. Last year they even had a small fire going where the children could come and make s'mores! Another "must do" during the Christmas season is visiting the Poulos House in Kill Devil Hills. We love to see the thousands of lights decorating this home, and I love seeing the "ooooo's" and "ahhhhh's" on the children's faces. There's a reason why it received national attention on the Today Show; it's just beautiful. This year we're already looking for more Christmas activities to do this Christmas. We already know we're taking a nephew to Breakfast with Santa this weekend and we're going to the Manteo Tree Lighting & Christmas Parade. Whether you have children, grandchildren, or you're a child at heart, if you're planning to be on the Outer Banks this Christmas season you've got to get out and enjoy some of these events. Many of these moments are not only full of laughter, fun, and beauty, but they also provide wonderful photo opportunities. So what activities and events will your family be doing this Christmas? Please check out our December Events for a complete list of great holiday activities.