Top Three Things To Love About A North Carolina Coast Christmas Vacation

Aren't we the lucky ones here in North Carolina. We have the best of both worlds. Sweeping mountain vistas and the beautiful North Carolina coast. Here are my top three things about our North Carolina coast Christmas vacation.

At the end of the year my husband and I take a few days off from work and we are primarily looking to decompress. This is a vacation away from the kids and the Christmas rush.  A time to breathe, and rest up before the excitement and the expectations come flooding in. This year we chose Holden Beach, North Carolina.

To be fair part of the attraction is because Holden Beach, North Carolina is starting to feel like a second home to us.  My neighbor has a home there and she is kind enough to allow us to rent it for summer vacation. But we have never been in winter! And it is a whole different vibe there! Because of the time of year, the sunsets and sunrises are just spectacular.  One of the top three things we loved was just watching the sun come up and go down.  The colors seem brighter, more vibrant, more spectacular than in the summer months. I looked it up and yes there is a scientific explanation for this. Get details here from ncbrunswick.com.

Another thing we love about the North Carolina coast is the seafood is still plentiful and fresh! And we DO love seafood.  There were just a handful of restaurants open but all were friendly, welcoming and not crowded at all.  We chose Provision Company for fresh seafood at Holden Beach. The grouper was out of this world. Another night we chose Boundary House in Calabash for their scallops, flounder and ribeye. Oh my!

Last but not least, we loved the simple joy of the greatest resource of happiness there, the ocean! We took many walks down the uncrowded and gorgeous east end of the island.  The sea was sparkling, fish were still biting for the smattering of surf fishermen, and we had some gorgeous walks and shell finds.

Next year I would like to fit in a trip to Murrells Inlet one evening for the award-winning Night of a Thousand Candles at Brookgreen Gardens.

This year it was all about watch, walk, eat, sleep and love. It was perfection.