This time of year, I am always reminded of how our lives have changed after living in the Hilton Head and Bluffton areas for so many years. We have just begun to have our first cool weather and it is delightful.
When we moved here, I traded snow boots for fashionable ones, I wore sweaters way more often than coats, and I began switching my clothes seasonally for stylish purposes more than necessity. I make pot roasts and chili, because the calendar clearly indicates that it is comfort food season, even if it may not feel that way outside.
Perhaps one of the things we enjoy most is being able to be outdoors participating in activities year-round. The season for competitive golf and tennis runs from the first of October through the end of April. Similarly, the orchestral, choral performances, and many other cultural activities are held during the same timeframe. With the start of fall there is so much to enjoy.
While we always have Thanksgiving with family, as I plan the meal, I am reminded of how it differs in South Carolina from our northern celebration. My real southern friends will have rice and gravy, oyster dressing, collard greens, and pickled okra. They have adopted many of the northern traditions, too, which means the feast is just bigger than ever. Admittedly, we also added scalloped oysters to our preparations, copying a southern tradition, and it has become a family favorite.
I am looking forward to some cooler days soon. I am anxious to sit by the fire in the evening, to prepare some traditional comfort food, and to feel invigorated to get my holiday shopping underway. I love that our wintry days are mostly clear and sunny, that we can still enjoy a walk on the beach, and that we can join round our firepit while watching a clear, starlit night at high tide.
Time in the Lowcountry is marked by tides and sunsets. From one solstice to the next, we watch the sunset move from the far right of our view to the far left, and then back again. The ebb and flow of the tide and colorful changes in the marsh remind us daily of the marvels of each season.
It is reassuring to know that as temperatures often drop to their lowest in February elsewhere, we will be turning our attention to gardens, flowers, and springtime activities by the end of the month. I love our change of seasons and would have to say, it can’t get much better than this.
May you and your family be richly blessed this Thanksgiving.