I love Christmas on the Alabama Gulf Coast. I guess most people don’t think of the beach when the holiday season is near. For those that don’t, they don’t know what they are missing. From “Nutcracker” ballets to boats draped in Christmas lights, the coast comes alive during this season.
The first time I stood on the pier at Bear Point Marina in OrangeBeach and watched the glow of lights glide past Bear Point, I was hooked. The fishing vessels, pleasure boats and sail boats with lights wrapped around or dangling from the masts and bows lit up the dark horizon for what seemed like miles. The Nautical Night of Lights Parade winds around the bays and Intercoastal Waterway from Zeke’s Marina in Orange Beach to LuLu’s Homeport Marina in Gulf Shoresevery December. This event is scheduled for December 11 this year.
The Fish River Christmas Boat Parade is set for December 19. This smaller parade (but no less spectacular) will start at the Highway 98 bridge and end at the Highway 32 bridge. Big Daddy’s Grill on Ferry Road (off of Highway 32) is a great place to watch the parade and have some good food, too.
Mobile Ballet’s annual Christmas treat, “The Nutcracker” is set for December 12 and 13 at theMobile Civic Center. Each year, the ballet company brings in guest dancers. This year, there are two former Joffrey Ballet dancers starring in the production.
The City of Orange Beach is really getting in the Christmas spirit this year with “Christmas on the Coast.” The city has asked all businesses, residents and neighborhoods to decorate for Christmas to transform Orange Beach into a “Christmas Town.” The “Christmas on the Coast” is from November 30 to January 8. The Phoenix Condominiums always do their part to bring cheer to the beach. All of the building entrances and fences are tastefully decorated for the season.
Speaking of lights and decorations, one of the most spectacular presentations in the southeast is across Mobile Bay at Bellingrath Gardens. Magic Christmas in Lights is a holiday tradition with more than 3 million sparkling lights and 902 displays throughout the 65-acre garden estate. This runs nightly through December 31. They are closed Christmas Day.
I have much more to talk about, but I will save it for next time.
I love Christmas on the Alabama Gulf Coast.
post provided by Luanne Burnett
