On Sunday, December 10, 2023, we went out to Downtown Charleston to get in the festive mood by visiting various locations around town that were decked out for the holidays. Some of these experiences were far more eventful than others, but overall, the day was filled with twists and turns that really put us into a chaotic festive feeling.
The Charleston Place Decorations:
Every year, during this season, the Charleston Place hotel decorates its lobby with fun Christmas trees, nutcrackers, Santa’s sleigh, and, most interestingly, an entire model train town planted right in the middle of the lobby. One thing I’ve always been curious about is how this setup is packed up and brought back out because it looks the exact same every year. Hmm…
Our day started with a slight drizzle, so when we went this past weekend, we found shelter on the second floor of the hotel, which was wonderfully decorated with a cute Santa sleigh set up that many children and their families took photos with, as Mother Nature had unfortunately decided to cry upon us during our trip. However, of course, once we spotted this, we needed to participate in the childlike joy of Christmas photos. Being the good samaritans we are, we noticed a single mother with two toddlers struggling to take a photo of her lovely family of three and offered to help take their photo. In return, she kindly reciprocated the action despite her youngest proceeding to burst into tears. With the delightful sound of his echoing cries, we posed for our photo, resulting in a very tense and awkward appearance as we tried to hold back our laughter and guilt for making this poor mother take a silly little sleigh photo of two high school seniors. Subsequently, upon recovering from the encounter, we took a stroll down the halls that were lined with little Christmas trees, each decorated with its own unique theme.
Marion Square:
To get into the holiday spirit, Marion Square was seen to be sporting a giant wired Christmas tree right in the center of the square. It was beautifully lit with a bright and shining star placed at the very top. Additionally, there was a “HOPE” sign near the edge of the square, with the letter “O” replaced with a huge lit-up pineapple. However, besides that, the land was pretty bare, to be honest. Maybe this could be because it was two weeks before Christmas, but also many have already had their decorations out since December 1…On a good note though, the Hotel Bennett’s lobby was beautifully decorated and we were unfortunately unable to capture any photos but the atmosphere was warm and cozy as they offered a meet and greet with Mr and Mrs Claus along with a hot chocolate bar.
The Festival of Lights:
During the past 3 years, I have not been able to visit the Festival of Lights, however, after much anticipation, I finally went to the Festival of Lights during the first weekend of December this year. Honestly, it was a little anticlimactic. I have been reminiscing on my childhood memories of this experience and it was just not as eventful or fun as I remembered. However, in contradiction to what I distinctly remember, there was not a long line to get into the park.
Despite it not living up to my childhood expectations, it was still a fun activity that got me into the festive mood. The light displays are interesting and fun and the food was oddly good. In a new discovery, they are now selling beignets with powdered sugar and honey that were very delectable. Highly recommend!! There is also a fun playground, however, there is absolutely zero lighting there. You would think that a festival literally titled “The Festival of Lights” would have an excess of lighting, but no. In addition, the train ride is an enjoyable journey that takes passengers on a tour through all of the light displays in an up-close experience.
Although I think that this experience is more geared toward little kids, it was still a magical experience that got me into the mood of the season.
One of the light structures included a lit-up replica of the Ravenel bridge.
Here is an amazingly aesthetic photo of Milla going down a slide.
It has come to our attention that Charleston, SC does not have many activities for its civilians to participate in. Of course, a classic holiday activity that is bound to get one into the mood of the season is decorating one’s home, but that occurs all over the country. There is of course ice skating, but the Ice Palace is open throughout the year. And while we have not participated in this activity yet, there’s always the classic gingerbread house-making activity within the comfort of your own home.
