Put ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. With a flexible spatula, remove strata to
Santa's Helpers series: His numbers are legion, this Christmas figure and personality so familiar to young and old — merry, red-suited, white-bearded, bearing gifts, and ho-ho-hoing — but his intention
Santa's Helpers series: His numbers are legion, this Christmas figure and personality so familiar to young and old — merry, red-suited, white-bearded, bearing gifts, and ho-ho-hoing — but his intention
Santa’s Helpers series: His numbers are legion, this Christmas figure and personality so familiar to young and old — merry, red-suited, white-bearded, bearing gifts, and ho-ho-hoing — but his intention is single-minded and, for these North Carolina Santa Clauses, single-hearted. They know their actual identities don’t matter, as long as they embody the true spirit of Christmas. Join us as we share the stories of eight North Carolina Santa’s Helpers.
Al Capehart, Pittsboro
If you’ve ever wondered whether Santa Claus does yoga, the answer is yes, for 30 minutes a day. If you’ve ever wondered what Santa considers really rude, it’s this: pulling on his beard to see if it’s fake — or worse, instructing your child to do so. And if you’ve ever wondered whether Santa gets a kick out of pretty ladies at the mall asking to sit on his knee, the answer is: Nope. And, yes, he calls all girls “Sweetheart,” and all boys “Son.”
At 79, and after 25 years of Santa-ing, Al Capehart has been around the Santa block a time or two, and tells all in his book Behind Santa’s Smile. From the time it takes to get dressed for a gig, to the miracles of wishes — for a boyfriend; for a new house; and always, always, for more Legos — coming true, Santa Al reveals the ordinary and the magical about the calling to be a Claus. “It’s such a big responsibility and challenge to make sure a child keeps believing, to share the mystery and power of belief,” Capeheart says. Yet, like many of the Santas in these pages, Capehart finds great pleasure in watching adults, whose “hearts will open” as they witness his interactions and conversations with children, which range from the practical (“But if you get a musical instrument, do you have a place to practice?”) to the philosophical (“Santa loves all his boys and girls, and wants good things for you”). Seeing is believing.
To commemorate our 90th anniversary, we’ve compiled a time line that highlights the stories, contributors, and themes that have shaped this magazine — and your view of the Old North State — using nine decades of our own words.
From its northernmost point in Corolla to its southern terminus on Cedar Island, this scenic byway — bound between sound and sea — links the islands and communities of the Outer Banks.
Us? An icon? Well, after 90 years and more than 2,000 issues celebrating North Carolina from mountains to coast, we hope you’ll agree that we’ve earned the title.
After nearly a century — or just a couple of years — these seafood restaurants have become coastal icons, the places we know, love, and return to again and again.
