The December 2023 Issue

When it comes to spreading holiday cheer, the residents of this Chatham County town start early.

In December, home takes on a different shape, opening up to welcome friends and family, festive traditions, a new year. At the center of the merriment: one very sparkly tree.

When a woman encounters a magical snow globe in her small North Carolina town, she’s given the opportunity to face her past and learn to appreciate her present.

A chef’s childhood food traditions have inspired a menu rich with southern Appalachian ingenuity and beloved family recipes.

Our state boasts the second-largest Christmas tree industry in the country. With full, emerald-green branches and plenty of pageantry, Fraser firs are at the root of a classic North Carolina Christmas.

A Randolph County couple created an elegant venue for community fundraising. Now, he’s continuing the benevolence they began together.

From decades-old family recipes to a centuries-old Carolina cookie, we’re filling our holiday tables with dishes that have stood the test of time.

For more than 80 years, the 75-foot-tall community Christmas tree in Wilmington’s Hilton Park stood as a hallmark of holiday celebrations.

During the longest nights of the year, the cozy glow of flickering flames — whether from candles or campfires — draws us close and binds us together.

As a present to our readers, we share with you this oft-reprinted twist on the classic carol “The 12 Days of Christmas.”

We took some, ahem, creative liberties when we combed through Our State’s archives to find a few favorite stories that carry the tune of a Christmas classic.

From our state’s mountains to capital city, multicolored masterpieces and crystal-clear creations let the light shine through in beautiful ways.

Each month, we’re celebrating North Carolina’s official Year of the Trail by exploring amazing places to hike, bike, walk, and play across the state.

Think you don’t like this sweet, dense Christmas classic? In Chatham County, the family behind Southern Supreme fruitcakes kindly asks you to reconsider.

In Mount Olive — the tiny town that’s big on pickles — a group of men comes together at a Methodist church to fry, jar, and ship more than 10 tons of nuts a year in the name of neighborliness.

A bakery in Asheville combines the French tradition of Yule log cakes with the flavors of Appalachia for a holiday treat with the unmistakable taste of home.

A pair of special eggnog glasses reminds a writer of the simple rituals shared between father and daughter during the holiday seasons of her youth in Winston-Salem.

Food memories are served many ways — from bittersweet to spicy hot. And some precious moments come pickled and heaped in abundance on fancy trays at Christmastime.

In downtown Sylva, a three-generation chocolate-making legacy continues inside Baxley’s Chocolates, where an uncommon treat is a source of comfort and joy.

Amid the season’s glittering lights and gleaming ornaments, one golden bauble shines brighter than the rest. In North Carolina, a cheese ball is the star around which all holiday gatherings orbit.

It’s often said that America is a nation of immigrants. As one North Carolina chef sees it, this means that our holiday celebrations are constantly evolving.

Some of the season’s most anticipated moments start by coincidence. For one family in Raleigh, a simple appetizer grew into a full-blown oyster roast — and a pearl of a tradition.

After a fast-paced career in restaurant kitchens, a Greensboro chef found peace in baking at home. During Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays, her challah helps people across the country slow down and focus on faith and family.

Each holiday season, a Triangle-area family — and Greeks around the world — ring in Christmas with a food tradition dating back to the 15th century.

One part love, one part generosity, one part powdered sugar: At Christmastime, a granddaughter bakes heirloom cookies from memory using the treasured tools of the women whose legacies she carries on in the kitchen.

These buttery, flaky cookies are studded with chopped pecans and double-coated in powdered sugar.

A Greensboro chef looks back at a family Christmas unlike any other: In a tiny Banner Elk apartment, as a young college student, she hosted a holiday feast of epic proportions.

For 40 years, dedicated volunteers have brought holiday cheer to this mountain town’s residents through food and fellowship.