Small Town Sparkle: Discover Charming Christmas in South Carolina

By Pamela Jouan

In South Carolina’s small towns, Christmas unfolds like a storybook—twinkling lights illuminate historic main streets, local parades and tree lightings delight families, and markets brim with Southern cheer. Each community adds its own festive flourish, offering a signature touch of holiday magic and Southern warmth. Put these South Carolina spots to your holiday travel wish list.

Christmas in the Sea Islands, Beaufort-style

In Beaufort, South Carolina, Christmas doesn’t just arrive—it bursts to life with music, laughter, and the storytelling magic of Anita Joyce Singleton Prather, whose stage name is Aunt Pearlie Sue. Born and raised here, she has spent over two decades writing and performing seven original musicals through her Gullah Traveling Theatre. But her holiday show, “Gullah Kinfolk Christmas Wish: Let Freedom Ring,” is the heart of it all—a vibrant, living tradition that transforms the first weekend of December into a cultural homecoming.

Each year, Aunt Pearlie infuses new history into the show, which unfolds at the University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Arts before 450 rapt guests. Set during the week of Christmas in 1860—just before South Carolina’s secession—it captures the bittersweet blend of holiday joy and whispers of freedom. Enslaved people celebrated their rare time off by marrying, visiting distant family, escaping, or secretly learning to read in hidden “pit schools,” even as rumors of war swirled. Aunt Pearlie calls it “like the Nutcracker on steroids”—rich, spirited, and unforgettable.

The festivities ripple beyond the stage. Thursday begins with a Rice Symposium honoring the grain that first brought Gullah ancestors to these shores and an opening night performance. Three shows for local schools are held on Friday morning, followed by an evening show, then First Friday Night on the Town, when downtown Beaufort transforms into a twinkling holiday street party, including the time-honored tree lighting. Saturday’s Taste of Gullah at the Waterfront Marketplace serves up art, music, and a fiercely contested rice cook-off with cash prizes, followed by the beloved lighted Boat Parade. Sunday wraps the weekend with the annual afternoon Christmas Parade through Beaufort’s historic streets.

For Aunt Pearlie, Christmas isn’t Christmas without Gullah spirit—and she invites the world to begin their holiday season here. “We really plan a great way for people to kick off their holiday season,” she says. “When they think about where to start, we want them to think of Beaufort first.”

For all the details, go to beaufortsc.org/events/holiday

A Hallmark Holiday: Georgetown’s Christmas Charm Shines Bright

There’s that moment in Georgetown each December when the town tree’s twinkling lights mesmerize, choirs raise their voices, and the whole town seems to pause in wonder. “Georgetown at Christmas is a Hallmark moment,” says Al Joseph, the town’s enthusiastic Main Street director. “That Currier and Ives feeling you don’t see in a lot of places any more. And when people are searching for secret spots  and off-the-beaten path experiences, we fill that niche. We’re not a small, small town, but it feels that way—and that’s what makes it magical.”

Joseph knows this magic firsthand. Born and raised in Georgetown, he left and returned 13 years ago, and has watched the holiday celebrations blossom. When he joined as Main Street Director three years ago, the town lit just 11 trees at a single intersection. This year, thanks to his persistence, more than 136 trees, 142 light poles, and entire blocks of greenery will sparkle across five blocks of downtown. “There was always interest,” he says, “but having someone here to coordinate made all the difference.”

Festivities include the beloved Singing Christmas Tree at First Baptist Church, a free but ticketed tradition that fills hearts year after year. Then comes the Tree Lighting, where hundreds of candles are handed out—last year, 700 ran out in minutes—as local choirs, dance teams, and even a snow machine delight the crowd. The annual Christmas Parade—capped last year at 90 entries—marches down historic Front Street the first Saturday in December, followed the next weekend by a pop-up skating rink, free to the community thanks to the Georgetown Business Association, where families toast s’mores and sip cocoa.

Just blocks away, history gets its holiday glow during the Holiday Home Tour, now in its 23rd year and organized by Bob Willey and the Friends of the Georgetown Library. “Ten years ago, we had 150 visitors—last year, over 750 came, and this year we expect 800,” Willey says. 

It starts at the library which is set up as a Santa Shop with local vendors selling gifts. From there, guests are handed maps and can wander through 12–13 historic homes (many from the 1700 and 1800s), two houses of worship, and four museums, including the beloved Gullah Museum and the festively dressed Kaminski House Museum. With seven new houses on the tour this year, it always offers a fresh take on history. Go to myfogl.org/yuletidetour for information and ticket sales. All funds raised benefit the children reading programs at the Georgetown library. “People come for the history, the decorations, and the warmth,” Willey adds. “It’s like stepping into another time.”

In Georgetown, that’s exactly the point: a holiday season wrapped in history, lit with joy, and alive with a small-town spirit. Go to discovergeorgetownsc.com for more information.

Sparkle & Spirit: Uptown Greenwood’s Holiday Glow

Each winter, Uptown Greenwood transforms into a dazzling holiday haven, a feat of teamwork, creativity, and pure community spirit. The twinkling lights, towering ornaments, and whimsical storefront windows don’t appear overnight—they’re the result of an “all hands on deck” effort that unites the city and its merchants for a festive purpose.

“City leadership really wanted Uptown Greenwood to become a holiday destination,” says Lindsay Burns of lifestyle store Bonhomie. Born and raised in Greenwood and a former member of the city’s holiday decorating team, she’s seen firsthand how this vision has unfolded over the past 10–15 years. “It started with lights and decorations, then as more businesses joined in, it blossomed into events and entertainment for all ages.”

That spirit of collaboration is clearest during setup, when firefighters, public works crews, and local volunteers work shoulder-to-shoulder stringing lights and hoisting giant ornaments with bamboo poles. “It’s great fun,” Burns recalls. “People stop at red lights to say thank you—it really feels like everyone is rooting for Uptown Greenwood to shine.”

Merchants embrace the magic, too. Bonhomie’s owners, Caroline Furman and Julie Schlageter, contributed their design talents last year by elevating the set for Santa photos, creating a warm, polished backdrop worthy of holiday cards. The season kicks off in mid-November with the Holiday Open House and culminates in a festive flurry in early December—Santa on Main, the beloved parade, tree lighting, and the merry Holiday Sip & Shop.

“It lights up the town—literally,” Burns says. “It draws people in, fills the streets with joy, and makes Greenwood feel like a true holiday destination.”

For details and dates go to uptowngreenwood.com/events/christmas__holidays/index.php

Rock Hill: Where Christmas Becomes a Village

Since 2006, ChristmasVille has captured the season’s magic by turning the historic Rock Hill downtown into a whimsical winter wonderland. What began as an idea from local leaders Candy Clapp and Mary Lynn Norton—who drew inspiration from beloved local illustrator Vernon Grant, creator of Kellogg’s “Snap, Crackle, and Pop”—has blossomed into one of South Carolina’s most celebrated holiday festivals.

Today, ChristmasVille boasts over 70 events: horse-drawn carriage rides, carolers, gingerbread contests, art shows, theater and dance. Its opening ceremonies set the tone for four days of holiday cheer, featuring everything from Santa’s dramatic arrivals—at times, in the past, by firetruck, helicopter, or even parachute—to performances by the Rock Hill Rockettes, a high-kicking dance troupe from Winthrop University. Adding to the excitement, is the annual Jim Shore Brunch & Banter event with the world-renowned Disney figurine artist who grew up in Rock Hill.

As Allan Miller—a former festival chairman who is still on the board of directors—describes it, the festival’s roots remain deeply tied to Vernon Grant’s whimsical gnomes, which adorn everything from posters to keepsakes. Each year, one of Grant’s illustrations is chosen by public vote to represent the next year’s festival, ensuring his joyful artistry continues to shape Rock Hill’s holiday identity. Special honors like the “Thumbs Up Award” and “Gnome of the Year” celebrate community spirit and the volunteers who keep the festival thriving. This year marks the 20th anniversary of ChristmasVille. 

In addition, the City of Rock Hill hosts the annual Christmas parade that Miller says is perhaps the most dazzling sight. “With every float illuminated, more than 120 units march before 30,000 spectators who line the streets, 10–12 people deep, from Winthrop University to Main Street. You could say the festival is really like a Hallmark movie on steroids.”

To find out all the details, go to christmasvillerockhill.com.

A Dickens of a Good Time in Spartanburg

Each holiday season, Spartanburg swaps its everyday bustle for the glow of twinkling lights, Victorian carolers, and a hearty dash of history. For Todd Stephens, County Librarian and lifelong Spartanburg resident, it’s more than seasonal cheer—it’s a celebration of how far the city has come.

“Back in the ’40s and ’50s, downtown was vibrant, but as shopping centers popped up around the county, people stopped coming downtown,” Stephens explains. “By the ’70s, it was rundown.” The opening of the Spartanburg County Public Libraries Headquarters in 1997 helped spark a turnaround. “It became a gateway to downtown. Since then, there’s been this heightened community spirit. These holiday events are part of that.”

The city’s holiday parade—once a quiet Friday-after-Thanksgiving tradition—shifted to an evening spectacle 15 years ago. The timing invites families to linger, shop, and dine, blending business development with seasonal magic. “

At the heart of it all are the beloved “Dickens of a Christmas” festivities. Events like this are an opportunity to bring the arts forward through the season,” Stephens says, describing police officers donning constable garb, merchants staging “pocket theatre,” and the evening crescendos with the lighting of the community’s live Christmas tree. “It’s such a simple thing, but when the crowd cheers as the lights come on—it’s wonderful,” Stephens says. “It makes people feel good about being downtown.”

And nestled in the Spartanburg County Library Headquarters are the hand-crafted dioramas of Buck Buchanan, a 1940s window dresser who brought the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” to life. “They tell the story of Santa—and of our community’s creativity,” Stephens notes.

“Events like Dickens give us a shared experience,” he adds. “They remind us how good it feels to come together.”  Find out when all the festivities happen at visitspartanburg.com