Ocracoke Christmas

As I wrap up my fourth month on the island, Christmas activities abound and the magic that is Ocracoke continues. The community spirit is infectious; the crowds are gone and local activities take priority. This post is more of a photograph album as I share the lovely traditions of a heart-warming community.

There was a cake decorating contest at the library which is shared by the school and the community. My lighthouse cake did not win; but lots of people said it tasted a lot better than the professionally decorated Minion cake! I am okay with that.

The cookie exchange at the coffee shop had more cookies than one could imagine! I rode the golf cart –seemed only fitting!–and took my adaptation of the Ocracoke Island Fig Cake recipe, turning it into cookies! Other events included open house and tree lighting at the Ocracoke Preservation Society/Museum; a school Christmas program and a community Christmas Concert (I missed that, but I have seen video of the little Girl Scout troop’s ukulele performance! Does my heart good.) The school hosts a holiday basketball tournament, and my students created a big scaled-up drawing of a dolphin to decorate the gym. And Santa– who knew that I was “the new math teacher!”– came to the Variety Store!

There is a holiday decoration contest and so many houses get into the spirit! And Santa gets help here from the traditional reindeer, but also from tundra swans and dolphins, too. Trees might be cedar, or live oak, or crab pots. Yes, crab pots!

My own tree is decorated with treasures from my walks on the beach– seashells, bird feathers, horseshoe crabs, a few bits of driftwood and sea glass. Just like when I am Lewisville, I turn off the other lights and sit in front of the tree and just … I just sit and think and reflect. (It looks particularly pretty in a foggy sort of way when I take out my contacts and the light is diffused! An advantage to being very near-sighted!)

And my beloved lighthouse gets into the spirit with two simple wreaths, hung by the son of the last lightkeeper before full automation. One can be seen from the village and one from the sound. Such a sweet reminder of how little we need to celebrate this beautiful season. I knew it was Christmas when the wreaths were hung.