Surfin' In To The Holidays

Who would have thought that the sun, surf, and sand would put me in to the holiday spirit?
 
After a great, big turkey dinner in Wilmington, I pulled on my comfy pants and drove to OC at 11:30 PM.  Traffic was great so I decided to take Route 1 the whole way down, but the parking lots at Christiana Mall and the Rehoboth Outlets were filled to capacity with early Black Friday shoppers.
 On Friday afternoon, we ventured in to the town of Rehoboth to take advantage of some Black Friday specials on Rehoboth Ave.  It was really crowded, but everyone was being cool and seemed to be in the holiday spirit.  I had so much fun that I went back on Saturday for some more bargains and, of course, some fudge from Kilwins!
 
The afternoon sun on Saturday made it a bit warmer and the winds had died down enough to make it comfortable, so we trekked up to the end of the island and took a walk on the OC fishing pier to take in the sights.  It was beautiful (as always) and helped me to walk off some of the pumpkin pie.

Christmas dinosaurs at the
OC Winterfest of Lights

Saturday night, we visited Ocean City's Winterfest of Lights at Northside Park (125th St.).  After a chilly wait (almost an hour), we boarded a tram car and toured the display, which boasts 58 acres of lights and a 50 foot Christmas tree.  The wait wasn't terrible and we seemed to be moving the whole time.  Most of the people there were in a good mood and we actually had fun before we boarded.  There is music on the trams that is choreographed to fit the theme of the section of lights that you are riding by.  Many people on the trams were singing along to the Christmas tunes and, of course, every kid that I saw was super-excited (especially when they played the snowman song from Frozen at the end of the ride).

Despite the huge crowd, the Winterfest was extremely organized and well-managed by the elf-like (not even kidding) personnel that were helping to move things along.



50' Christmas tree at
OC Winterfest of Lights.

For the money ($5 for adults, Free for kids), it's probably the best entertainment value in OC.  It really was cool.  They did a great job and I had a lot of fun.

It's really beautiful down here right now.  All of the beach towns have lights and pretty holiday displays up.  The shop windows are filled with creative, cold-weather decorations, and it's not crowded at all.  The ocean looks cold and bright blue and the air is cool and crisp.  What better way to put you in the holiday spirit?

I don't want to go home today, but I have to. I'm looking forward to coming back in a week or two to amp up the Christmas spirit even more!







 



Giving Thanks and Taking Detours

With my son's wedding over, I can now get back to longing for the beach between visits.  I'm heading back down this weekend to check on the house and, maybe, check out the Winterfest of Lights at Northside Park in Ocean City (which I can walk to from my house).  Click on the above link to see a promo for the event, which started last weekend.  Adults pay $5 to ride the "train" through the park.  Children under 11 ride for free.





I plan to spend Thanksgiving in Wilmington, then head down late Thursday night or early Friday morning.  Either way, I plan to avoid the Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth Beach, which are open 6 PM - 2 AM on Thanksgiving and will re-open at 6 AM on Black Friday. It seems that there is only one good way to avoid the madness...Route 113 (ugh).  Anyone who knows me knows how I hate that highway.  I think it's the strangest stretch of roadway in the state.  Where else in Delaware can you find a pristine Baptist church, a state prison, a Walmart, a luxury resort furnishing store, and a lot of buildings that look like the one below all within a mile of each other?



Route 113 sucks



My daughter, Amanda, on the OC inlet jetty

On a more serious note, I have a lot to be thankful for this year.  I accomplished my dream of owning a beach house, my son married a great girl, and the Philadelphia Eagles are having an awesome season.  I am especially thankful this year for my daughter, Amanda.  She is the one person on earth I can go to if I start to feel crazy, she is a great companion, and has a generous spirit.  I'm pretty lucky to have her in my life.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving filled with lots of food, fun, family, and friends!