Spreading Holiday Cheer

The Holidays are a time of giving; giving love, giving hope, and giving presents.  I found a great blog article on gift ideas and wanted to share it as my gift to you!  Whether you are searching for a gift for a friend, neighbor, co-worker, teacher or for that someone who has everything, look here for some great ideas on gifts that are easy to make but will show the receiver how special they truly are.

On the blog "It's Written on the Wall" you will find 286 Neighbor Christmas Gift Ideas. These ideas include everything from homemade gifts, to sayings that you can attach to things you buy. They even have creative ways to make your holiday gift look like you put a lot of time and thought into your gift, when in reality it only took 10 minutes to make! Below are highlights and links from their site. If you like their ideas, you can also click on their pinterest link and have a whole new world of gift ideas at your fingertips for any occasion.  For the full blog article, please click the link below.
It's Written on the Wall: 286 Neighbor Christmas Gift Ideas-It's All Here!

Happy Holidays from the Official Myrtle Beach Welcome Center!

White Chocolate Christmas Pretzels 

 Christmas Carmel Corn 

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

30 Neighbor Christmas Gift Ideas




25 Homemade Gifts from Country Living




Cute Tag Ideas




100 More Ideas for Neighbor Christmas Gifts

Nights of a Thousand Candles at Brookgreen Gardens

 

There's no better place to experience the magic and spirit of the Christmas season in the South than Brookgreen Gardens' Nights of 1000 Candles!  This spectacular evening, named as one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast, will make for an experience you will never forget!

 

To celebrate the season, Brookgreen Gardens, the famous property developed as a sculpture garden by the Huntingtons, is illuminated by 5,500 hand-lit candles. You'll find these incredible luminaries floating in the fountains and lining the walks, gleaming under the 250-year-old live oak trees draped with Spanish moss. The landscaping is strewn with sparkling lights and shining Chinese lanterns that illuminate the famous sculptures, creating a Southern winter wonderland.

As you meander through the glowing gardens, you'll hear the strains of beautiful Holiday music drifting across the air. Carolers stroll the paths while a wide variety of additional musicians perform in heated tents, giving you a chance to warm up while enjoying their melodies. Entertainers include vocal groups, guitar quartets, hand bell choirs, Gullah music, pop bands, harpists and even a bagpipe player. (Click here for a performance schedule.)

You can even enjoy dinner by candle-light!  Award-winning Inlet Affairs catering is stationed in a heated tent to serve you a delectable low country feast. The menu features all of your favorite Southern fare including shrimp and grits, inlet clam chowder, snow crab, oysters on the half shell, chicken bog, BBQ and chicken breast with fire-roasted corn and peppers. To warm your insides, hot chocolate, cider and coffee are also available. (Click here for a full menu and pricing information.)

To experience and create precious Christmas memories, be sure to bring your friends and families to Nights of a Thousand Candles. The event runs for 7 nights including December 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st and 22nd from 3 - 10pm. Adult tickets are $16 and children's tickets (ages 4 - 12) cost $7.

On your way into town, be sure to stop by the Official Myrtle Beach Welcome Center in Aynor, South Carolina!  We'll provide you with additional information on this enchanting event as well as the other fantastic holiday attractions the area has to offer. We look forward to sharing the holiday season with you!

Experience the Holidays in Myrtle Beach!

The holidays are approaching quickly, and Myrtle Beach has wasted no time in filling the city with holiday spirit! The Grand Strand offers a wide variety of incredible shows to fill you with Christmas cheer.

The Carolina Opry Christmas Special
November 1 - January 5

Renowned as "The Holiday Show of the South" and repeatedly voted as the Best Holiday Show in Myrtle Beach, Carolina Opry's famous Christmas Special mixes new updates with your traditional holiday favorites for the 2012 season. The show's incredible performers include the All That clog group of America's Got Talent fame, world class pianist Rocky Fretz and Nathan Herron, a Top 40 contestant on season 4 of American Idol. Don't miss your chance to see why The Carolina Opry Christmas Special has become an annual tradition for locals and vacationers alike!


The South's Grandest Christmas Show at Alabama Theatre
November 2 - December 31

The Alabama Theatre's award-winning show features both Christmas classics and contemporary holiday favorites with Alabama's signature Southern flare. You'll split your sides when comedian Ricky Mokel takes the stage and celebrate with a world-class cast of singers and dancers as they spread the joy and love of the holidays! The special effects, gorgeous set and incredible talent will leave you in awe and filled with the spirit of the season.


Christmas on Ice at the Palace Theatre
November 2 - December 29

Experience one of the best holiday shows on the Grand Strand at the Palace Theatre! This 2 hour extravaganza takes place on a Winter Wonderland stage that includes a 40 ft ice rink. The skills of championship ice skaters, professional dancers and the vocal talents of incredible performers are sure to amaze you. You'll leave truly feeling that "it's the most wonderful time of the year!"


Pirates Voyage Christmas Show
November 9 - December 31

Set sail with Captain Scrooge and the Crimson and Emerald pirate crews through the past, present and future of Buccaneer Bay as they search for the ultimate Christmas treasure! You'll be amazed as colorful toys come to life and perform incredible acrobatic feats and watch in awe as a live nativity (including live animals!) makes its way across the lagoon. To top it all off, you'll enjoy a four-course holiday feast!



The Legends in Concert Holiday Show
November 2 - December 20

Celebrate the holidays with your favorite performers at Legends in Concert! This world famous celebrity live tribute show is sending the spirit of the season your way with Elvis, Alan Jackson, Celine Dion, the Blues Brothers and Johnny Mathis. The artists will serenade you with their signature Christmas classics and the Blues Brothers will split your sides with their hilarious, over-the-top antics. It's the perfect mix of Christmas music and chart-topping hits!


Celebrate the holidays with one (or more!) of Myrtle Beach's famous Christmas Specials. Be sure to stop by the Official Myrtle Beach Welcome Center; we'd love to provide you with discounted tickets and additional information! Happy Holidays, everyone!

25 Days of Easy Holiday Dessert Recipes

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Myrtle Beach!  The store parking lots are full of cars as shoppers are finding the perfect gifts for friends and family, twinkling lights from Christmas trees are a glow in the windows of homes, and when you turn on the radio, you can search the stations to find your favorite Christmas song you've been longing to hear since last year.  There is nothing that ushers in the Holiday Season more than wonderful smells of your favorite holiday delicacies that delight the senses and bring back wonderful memories of Christmases past. 

Would you like to bake but just don't have the time?  With all the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, here are 25 quick and easy recipe ideas that will get you into the Holiday Spirit without requiring hours in the kitchen!  You may see an easier version of your holiday favorite or find a new recipe to begin a new Christmas tradtion.

12 Easy Desserts

Five-Minute Fudge Wreath
Cowboy Cookies
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Grandma Hiers' Carrot Cake
Simple Holiday Bark
Knock-You-Naked Brownies
No Bake Nutella Cheesecakes
Chocolate Volcano Cake
Pecan Toffee Tassies
Old Fashioned Apple Pie
Sweet Dessert Panini
Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding


12 Easy Low-Calorie Desserts 
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Angel Food Cake
Pumpkin Pie Pudding
Semolina Crema
Raspberry Tart
Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake
Christmas Strawberries
Lighter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Greek Yogurt with Oranges and Mint
Ginger Angel Food Cake
Leftover Pie Dough Cookies
Chocolate Macaroons



1 Family Favorite Dessert

Peanut Buttercup Cookies

1 package Pillsbury peanut butter cookie dough frozen
36 Reese's miniature peanut butter cups unwrapped

Slice frozen dough into 9 sections. Quarter each section. Roll each quarter into a ball and drop into mini muffin pan. (If the muffin pan is not Teflon, lightly grease before placing dough into pan). Bake as the package instructs. Immediately after taking pan out of the oven, press a Reese's miniature peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie. Let cool slightly before trying to remove. For best results, take the edge of a very thin knife and slide around the edges. Let the chocolate re-harden and then stack in an airtight container.   Store in cool area or freeze.

Variations:  If you have a favorite peanut butter cookie dough recipe, use that instead! You can also try using sugar cookie dough if you don't like peanut butter.

If you are coming to Myrtle Beach this Christmas, stop in the Official Myrtle Beach Welcome Center for discounts on tickets, shows, and other area attractions (and maybe a sample of your favorite recipe - Please!)  Happy Holidays and Happy Baking!