Embracing Christmas

Good moods comfortably dance in our heads in December (along with visions of sugar plums). Happy memories intermingle with high spirits – just right for concocting romance. Who needs to wait for mistletoe for swoon-inducing kisses?

Winston-Salem dresses itself in red and green, silver and gold this month, and offers up its best outings for the Twin City’s couples.

Here are10 ways to end 2010 in style, with classy art, music, events, shopping, food and drink.

Christmas Candlelight Tours, Old Salem

Take a guided tour by candlelight through Old Salem, where you can see an old-fashioned peaceful Christmas up close. The evening includes music and refreshments.

“These tours are a great way to get into the holiday spirit,” said Lauren Werner, spokeswoman for Old Salem. “You get to experience all the sites of Old Salem, and all great wintertime smells too. Warm fires are in the fireplaces in the homes, and costumed interpreters take you around on beautiful Salem sidewalks. There are lots of opportunities for hand-holding.”

Call 721-7350 to reserve your spot. Tours meet at the Winkler Bakery at 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. Cost is $20 for adults and $15 for children. Call ahead to make a reservation, as sometimes the tours fill up. Wear warm clothing and comfortable shoes.

After filling up with the Christmas spirit, head over to Meridian Restaurant (411 S. Marshall St.) for dinner and bottle of wine.

Gallery Hop, downtown Winston-Salem

Combining art and shopping is an easy way to take the chore out of gift-giving. From 7 to 10 p.m., the first Friday evening of each month in Winston-Salem’s Downtown Arts District is home to a Gallery Hop. Streets are closed at Sixth, Trade and Liberty streets so that visitors can easily walk from one gallery to the other, and also enjoy artist demonstrations, music and dance.

For a guide to the galleries, go to www.dadaws.org/galleries.html.

“I do actually notice some couples during the Gallery Hops. I am a people watcher. You can kind of tell if it’s a first or second date. Looking at this art together, and hearing their comments, you can learn something about your date,” said Millicent Greason, owner of Urban Artware.

After that, go for dinner and drinks at 6th & Vine Wine Bar and Café (209 W. Sixth St.) or Sweet Potatoes (529 N. Trade St).

Piedmont Chamber Singers Christmas concert, Bethabara Gemeinhaus

A free concert from the Piedmont Chamber Singers is set for 5, 6 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12. Take your pick of the best time for you, and just show up; no tickets or reservations required.

“We’ll be serving Moravian cookies and hot wassail,” said Eva Wu, spokeswoman for the group of 26 singers. “Some of the music will be traditional, and mostly the lineup is tranquil and peaceful, which will get you into a warm and cozy – but not somber – holiday spirit. And the Gemeinhaus is a small, intimate setting.”

For more information about the concert, titled “And Heaven and Nature Sing,” go to www.piedmontchambersingers.org.

Since the concert is less than an hour long, this gives you plenty of time to eat dinner. Try reservations-only Fabian’s (1100 Reynolda Road), “where you are personally wined and dined,” according to one of the Journal’s restaurant recommenders on Facebook.

Reynolda Gardens, 100 Reynolda Village 

This place is beautiful even in the dead of winter, but in late fall, we still recommend a stroll through Reynolda Gardens. You can still see stunningly beautiful leaf drops and trees, and the greenhouses are still open, as well. Our pick for a post-stroll hot cocoa or holiday-inspired spicy drink: Simply Yummy (122 Reynolda Village). Or steal over to Coliseum Drive for dinner at Ryan’s Restaurant (719 Coliseum Drive), where the subtly lit wooded surroundings always make dinner taste better, and more romantic.

C.G. Hill Memorial Park, 5600 Balsom Road, Pfafftown

Stroll around a beautiful lake in pure blissful silence, except for birds chirping and the occasional duck quack. The park is strikingly peaceful and full of beauty, and Pfafftowners are proud to call it their own. It’s open basically from sunup to sundown, and is great for strolling or exercise walking. If the weather is not too cold, it’s a good setting for a picnic, near the gazebo. The website doesn’t include any mention of how many proposals of marriage have been made there, but we’re betting there have been a few.

Cruise Burke Street

Get to know Burke by shopping for one-of-a-kind used items at the Re-Tale secondhand shop, eclectic wine and beer at City Beverage, books at Barnhill’s, and then a pizza at Burke Street Pizza (1140 Burke St.).

Soulful Christmas, St. Philips African American Complex, Old Salem

We all know “Silent Night” and “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and hear them sung dozens of times each Christmas season, but how about hearing them sung Motown style? The date is Dec. 11 at three different times: 11 a.m., 12:30 and 2 p.m. Head over to the historic St.

Philips African American Complex at 913 S. Church St. (the oldest African American church standing in North Carolina).

After the concert, go to Fourth Street, where you can find lunch at Skippy’s (great chicken salad and wonderful soft pretzel bread for sandwiches, 624 W. Fourth St.), or Mellow Mushroom (314 W. Fourth St.) Or take your pick of restaurants up and down Fourth.

The Nutcracker, Stevens Center

University of North Carolina School of the Arts dancers, as well as American Ballet Theatre principals, would love to provide you with your annual Tchaikovsky fix this year. It would do us all good to never forget the School of the Arts’ international reputation, which we sometimes don’t comprehend with it being in our backyard. Directed by Ethan Stiefel, the dean of the School of Dance, the entire school – from dancers to musicians to set design – is involved. There’s a reason why this ballet has become a classic. For show times, visit www.uncsa.edu/performances/featuredperfNut.htm.

Our pick for a pre- or post-performance drink: Tate’s Craft Cocktails or Single Brothers.

Horse-drawn carriage tour, downtown Winston-Salem

The beauty of downtown is seen in a whole new light from a horse-drawn carriage, accompanied by the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves down Fourth Street. Cover up with a blanket, sip hot apple cider, and smiles will come naturally.

“We go through downtown and the West End, where it’s a little more quiet,” said Toni Phillips, owner of Camel City Carriage Co. “Couples usually go for the tour before or after dinner.”

Rides, usually about 30 minutes, are available from 6 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Five men have proposed to their girlfriends since she began the business in September of 2009. Horses Bo (for Bo Diddley) and Doc (for Doc Watson) enjoy the outings as much as the riders. (They wear horse diapers during the tours, so the downtown roads – and your nose – remain unsullied.)

Riders can wait at the corner of Summit and Fourth streets in the West End, or near the Mellow Mushroom restaurant, 314 W. Fourth St. Give Toni a call at 624-6946 and she’ll tell you how to meet up with Bo and Doc.

For more information, go to www.camelcitycarriage.com.

After the ride, go to one of the many restaurants downtown. All of them have their own individual personality, and downtown Winston – haven’t you heard yet? – is now a cool place to be.

Tanglewood Festival of Lights

From Nov. 20 to Jan. 2, one of the grandest light shows in the Southeast is in Tanglewood. Lights are ablaze from 6 to 11 p.m. nightly. More than 1 million lights fill the park in storybook, golfing and holiday themes, attracting about 250,000 visitors each year. Admittance is $15 per vehicle Friday through Sunday and on holidays; Monday through Thursday, the cost is $10.

As a couple, you never even have to leave your car. Turn the heater on, and get ready to share some oohs and ahs.

Oh yes, and enjoy the lights too.
afuller@wsjournal.com
727-7389