United Under the Mistletoe

A Beaufort Christmas Story

story by CHERIMIE WEATHERFORD

In every challenging season of my life, I’ve always reached back to the steady advice of my grandmother. I come from a corner of Mississippi so small you could blink and drive right past it. Still, the women there, much like Beaufort, are made of iron, heart, and just enough stubbornness to take a bull by the horns, even the big ones. My grandmother, Mary, understands me in ways most people don’t. My quirks, my mule-level determination, all the things other people had to “adjust to” – she wears like a badge of honor.

On November 13th, when I woke up with heavy shoulders, thoughts racing, and an uncomfortable amount of disappointment, Mary’s voice was already echoing somewhere in my mind. The sudden announcement that Bay Street would lose one of its intersections, right in the middle of the year’s most important shopping season, had left downtown business owners with a cocktail of frustration, confusion, and disbelief. I felt all of it at once.

I did what any overly caffeinated, under-rested small business owner does in a crisis: I got on the phone. I spoke to the South Carolina Office of Resilience, other cities facing the same construction project, community leaders, friends who didn’t see my call coming, and as many downtown business owners as I could. The more I talked, the more my emotions swirled into something unproductive, a casserole of chaos, as my grandmother would say.

So I finally did what I should have started with. I called Mary.

Her voice is softer now, but still holds that unshakable rhythm, the kind that raised me. After we finished our unusual version of “small talk,” she deepened her tone, the way she always does before delivering one of her life lessons.

“Well now,” she said, “tell me what you’ve gotten yourself into this time.”

I told her everything, the timing, the confusion, the stress blanketing every storefront in our beloved downtown. When I finally paused, she didn’t offer pity. She never does.

“Well, isn’t that a kick in the teeth,” she said, “but your arms and legs still work just fine.”

Only a grandmother can love you and lecture you in the same breath.

“Some days come out a little topsy-turvy,” she continued, “but the sun still knows how to stand upright.” Our call ended with the promise we’ve said all our lives: Her saying, “I’ve got your back,” and me answering, “You have my heart.”

That was my turning point.

There was no world in which we could sit behind decorated windows and watch December fade away. So I sat down that night and worked through every idea I could dream up, and one finally stuck. One that didn’t demand more from an already exhausted group of business owners. One that was fun, festive, low-stress, and maybe even a little wild: Mistletoe Market.

A place where all our unique downtown shops could gather under one roof. Live music. Festive energy. A gift-wrap station. Cozy lighting. Photo ops and even better, outside the fence of a closed intersection. In the beginning, my explanation came out faster than my breath, and I earned more than a few sideways looks. But I finally said what we were all feeling, “It’s better than doing nothing.”

We can’t stop the construction, our town needs it. We can’t speed it up. But we can throw glitter on it and turn it into a profitable party.

And wouldn’t you know it, 25 businesses agreed.

Ideas started pouring in. People started calling each other not just by business names, but by first names. Courage and creativity replaced confusion. Downtown Beaufort suddenly felt like the small towns we all came from, pulling together, problem-solving together, fighting for one another.

The Beaufort Inn, in true community spirit, reduced the rate for Tabby Place and answered every one of my frantic, caffeine-powered questions with grace. Thanks to them, we found the perfect home for hope to rise.

December 11–13, from 4–8 p.m., the very heart of Beaufort – your shops, your artists, your restaurants, your neighbors – will gather for the inaugural Mistletoe Market at 913 Port Republic Street.

We’re asking you, our community, to show up in the way only you know how. Put your money where your address is. Support the people who sponsor your kids’ sports teams, donate to your fundraisers, and keep the charm of Beaufort alive all year long.

Come shop. Come celebrate. Not just during Mistletoe Market, but now, tomorrow, and throughout the year. We are open, we are happy, and we are ready to make this a holiday season for the record books. Downtown Beaufort is open for business, laughter, joy, and the holly jolliest season ever.

Thanks to the Freedman Arts District for facilitating, supporting, and trusting me to make sure our sun finds its way upright.