📫 Theater In The Park’s -A Christmas Carol | A Community Answers the Call📍

Read Online

Hello friends!

Happy National Cookie Day, friends! 🍪😄
Today is the one day a year when it’s entirely acceptable—recommended, even—to eat cookies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don’t make the rules… I just happily follow them.

Celebrate by baking your favorite batch, trying a new recipe, or supporting a local bakery (they need taste-testers, after all). Feeling adventurous? Host a cookie swap, build a cookie charcuterie board, or simply hide a few from your family and enjoy them in peace. No judgment here!

Wishing you a sweet, crumb-filled, totally delicious National Cookie Day! 🎄✨

See you out there in beautiful Wake,
Diane

—Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Love looking fabulous without breaking the bank? When you shop through our Wake News & Events Boujee link, part of your purchase helps fund Esophageal Cancer research — so you can feel good while looking great!

💎 New deals drop daily — and if you’re lucky, you’ll uncover some hidden steals that’ll make your wallet happy.

So go ahead — enjoy the boujee life at budget prices.
👉 Shop our Boujee Link today and sparkle for a cause!

Please note that for some deals you may need to be an Amazon member.

📍 Today’s Chuckle 📍

Christmas shopping in December is my cardio… mainly running from crowds. 🏃‍♂️🎄

📍 Trivia 📍

First Christmas in the Colonies – North Carolina was among the early American colonies to celebrate Christmas, although it wasn’t a formal public holiday until much later. 🎅

Surf City Just Dropped the Coziest Holiday Double-Feature on the Coast: Flotilla + Holiday Market Magic!

If your idea of perfect holiday cheer involves salty air, zero crowds, and boats that look like they escaped from a snow globe, cancel whatever you’re doing on Saturday, December 6, 2025 and point your sleigh toward Surf City, NC.

The Greater Topsail Area Flotilla & Holiday Market is basically the beach-town antidote to big-city Christmas chaos. Think small-town heart with a waterfront glow-up.

Here’s the perfect game plan:

3:00 – 6:00 p.m. – Holiday Market at Soundside Park Shop local makers, artists, and food trucks while the kids write letters to Santa and the grown-ups sample hot cider (some mysteriously “spiked”). Live music, twinkling trees, and that laid-back Topsail vibe that makes you exhale the second you cross the swing bridge.

6:00 p.m. – Flotilla Time! Grab your blanket or camp chair and post up anywhere along the Surf City waterfront or the Intracoastal Waterway (the pier and Soundside Park are prime real estate). At 6:00 sharp, the lighted boat parade begins cruising past with everything from kayaks wearing reindeer antlers to fishing boats that clearly mortgaged the house for extra LED strands. Expect Santas waving from the bow, dogs in elf costumes, and at least one vessel blasting Jimmy Buffett Christmas carols, because this is still the Carolinas.

The whole glowing spectacle lasts about an hour, and when the last boat glides by around 7:15, half the crowd just stays put, sipping cocoa and watching the reflections dance on the water like the night isn’t ready to end.

This isn’t flashy or frantic; it’s the kind of evening where strangers share blankets, kids fall asleep on your shoulder, and you remember what “peace on earth” actually feels like.

So ditch the mall, skip the stress, and let Surf City wrap you in the quiet kind of Christmas magic only a small coastal town can deliver.

Saturday, December 6, 2025 Holiday Market 3–6 p.m. | Flotilla starts at 6:00 p.m. Soundside Park & Surf City Waterfront

Come for the lights, stay for the vibe, leave with your holiday spirit fully recharged and sand still in your shoes. Topsail Christmas doesn’t get any sweeter than this. 🎄⚓✨

_{Read Online}

Shredded Cheese Recalled — Check Your Fridge

Great Lakes Cheese Co. has recalled over 1.5 million bags of shredded cheese after metal fragments were found in some packages. The cheese — sold under store-brand names at major retailers including Walmart, Target, and Aldi — includes mozzarella, Italian-style, pizza-style, and various shredded blends.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classified the recall as Class II, meaning the cheese could cause temporary or medically reversible injuries (like cuts in the mouth, throat or digestive tract) if swallowed.

If you bought shredded cheese recently, check the packaging carefully. If it matches recalled products, do not eat it — throw it out or return it for a refund. For the full recall list of affected products, see this notice: Shredded cheese sold in dozens of states recalled due to metal-fragment risk

Theater In The Park’s “A Christmas Carol”

Experience a Raleigh holiday tradition! Theatre In The Park’s iconic “A Christmas Carol” returns this December, bringing humor, music, and the timeless story of Ebenezer Scrooge to life.

Dates & Locations:

• Raleigh (Martin Marietta Center): Dec 5–7

• Durham (DPAC): Dec 10–14

Tickets start at $45. Perfect for families and holiday fans alike.

🎟️ Buy tickets here: Theatre In The Park

Holiday Sip & Paint at Greenway Beer & Wine

Get into the holiday spirit with Holiday Sip & Paint at Greenway Beer & Wine, 3010 Duraleigh Rd, Raleigh, NC, on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 7:00 PM.

Enjoy a festive night of painting while sipping your favorite drinks, and take home your own holiday-themed artwork. Perfect for friends, family, or a creative date night!

🎟️ Tickets & details: Eventbrite – Holiday Sip & Paint

Your Pup Wants to Meet Santa Too!

Bring your pup in their ugliest sweater to Santa Paws at Durham Armory!

Snap photos with Santa, shop the holiday pet market, and join the canine contest.

Friday, Dec 5, 5–8:30 p.m. at 212 Foster St., Durham — details at dprplaymore.org/324/santa-paws!

Hop Into Christmas

Hop into a whimsical Peter Rabbit Christmas with Applause! Cary Youth Theatre!

Beatrix Potter’s classic characters come alive in an immersive outdoor show at Downtown Cary Park.

Dec 5 & 7 at 327 S. Academy St., Cary — showtimes and tickets at carync.gov/applause!

A Teen’s Dream to Save Lives — A Community Answers the Call

When 15‑year-old Reid Frazier decided to organize a blood drive, most people probably assumed it was a pipe dream. Too young to donate himself, he knew the odds. But Reid had a deeper reason — a personal one. Some of the people he loved had needed blood transfusions: a favorite teacher fighting cancer, an infant born with a heart condition, and a classmate battling ulcerative colitis.

Despite the obstacles, Reid signed up with American Red Cross’s “Leaders Save Lives” program — which helps high school and college students host blood drives even if they can’t give blood themselves.

Then, with the help of his church community, friends, and volunteers from around his town, he began spreading the word. Posters went up at his church, classmates shared messages on social media, and neighbors started talking.

On the day of the drive, volunteers at his hometown church set up donation chairs, registration tables, snacks and water. People started arriving — some lifelong donors, some first‑timers, many just wanting to help. By the end of the day, the turnout was more than Reid ever expected: dozens of pints collected, each one a potential lifesaver for people who might otherwise go without.

Reid still remembers the moment he realized the drive had worked. “I felt great satisfaction in helping my community help save lives,” he said, reflecting on the turnout and support.

What’s more — he earned a surprise $1,000 scholarship from the American Red Cross for his efforts. It might help him take the next step toward his dream of becoming an occupational therapist.

But for Reid, money isn’t what drives him. He says the biggest reward is knowing that lives were saved — and that even someone young, with no previous experience, can spark a wave of kindness and generosity.

In a world where headlines often highlight the negative, Reid’s story reminds us that compassion and hope are alive and well — sometimes carried by the youngest among us. And for anyone reading this: maybe this season isn’t just about giving gifts... but giving hope.

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
— Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

55 Plus - The New Silver Standard

3 Habits that make or break your helath.

Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q 10% discount for seniors! Check out our list below for more senior discounts!👈😍

_{Read Online}

Check out our online calendar for more events and local activities!📌

We strive to make sure that all information is accurate. However, we always recommend check all details with the event organizer.

There are so many events happening in and around Wake County, NC that we have gone to a seperate page to list events. Please click this button to view all of the area’s great events!👇

Sometimes, email servers can cut off parts of the newsletter, making it tricky to enjoy the full experience. For the best reading experience and to catch all the details, click here to view the entire newsletter!

👇👇👇

If your business event, or restaurant, is not on the list and you would like to be added, contact us at [email protected]