December 2023

Turning off Middle Sound Loop Road onto Queens Point in Ogden, my adventure begins through the gated entrance. In seconds I am gasping at the live oak trees. Horizontal limbs are bent over the road, creating a triangular canopy. The one-car asphalt drive forks, and in the distance a house can be seen, water in…

People ask me all the time, how do you come up with story ideas? How have you done this so beautifully all these years? I tell them the stories usually find me. And this issue is just the latest example. This is also an anniversary issue. Wrightsville Beach Magazine began work in October 2000, publishing…

There are many reasons people create art. Beauty is all around us and artists seek ways to express themselves, perhaps inspired by sunlight dancing on the sand or by birdsong cascading down from the trees or by the ocean kissing the shore. It is in this natural beauty that Ellie Snow finds inspiration to create…

A champagne gold Christmas tree with Lees Cut as its backdrop makes for a stunning combination in this home on Pelican Drive at Wrightsville Beach. Homeowner Tammy Ratcliff puts a modern spin on decorating for Christmas. “I’ve always loved that look of a more modern design. For Christmas, I love golds and whites and natural…

Peppermint candy canes are a universally recognized symbol of Christmas. The stories of the candy cane’s history are rooted in Christianity. There is a legend that the first candy canes were white sticks of pulled sugar candy given by a choirmaster to keep his singers quiet during the nativity scene at the Cologne Cathedral in…

Since my early schoolboy days, I have been a Christmas tree aficionado. In those callow days, Christmas was a time when I built a “holly stand” out by the old Wrightsville Road in Seagate, our little town on Bradley Creek. Propped against my holly stand were one or two unadorned Christmas trees that I had…

In Colonial times, there were so many wild turkeys in America that Ben Franklin advocated for them to be the national bird. In 1621, Plymouth Colony Gov. William Bradford wrote in his journal during his first autumn, “There was a great store of wild turkeys of which they took many.” In his book The Old…

There are a number of programs in the county and region that focus on youth violence intervention but one flying under the radar is the ELEMENTS program within the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.  In its 17th year, the program helps young people see a different path than violence through year-long, one-on-one mentorships for children…

Some of the best childhood memories are tied to riding bikes with friends — wind at the back, breeze in the hair, fits of laughter, endless afternoons, and the joy that comes from being on the way to a favorite destination. Wrightsville Beach business owner Jimmy Gilleece has been sharing the love for seven years…