🎄 Summerville's Gift Guide Is Here!

Happy Friday to 3,000 Palmetto Parents!

When we launched Palmetto Parents 238 days ago we sought out to become the #1 source for all things parenting in Summerville, SC, and we’re so grateful that 3,000 of you trust us each and every week.

Here’s to the next 3,000 Palmetto Parents!

If you’d like to get a free fall family photo, don’t forget to stop by Azalea Park (105 W 5th St.) tomorrow from 10:30am - 1pm to meet our celebrity realtor, Ernest The Dream Maker Agent. Mercedes Perez Photography will be there to take photos and you will get one complimentary photo with the option of purchasing a gallery of five photos. If you attend this event, please bring with you some school supplies to donate to local teachers!

We have an exciting issue for you this week. Read on to get:

• Our exclusive 2024 Local Gift Guide! This list includes clothing, toys, experiences, and treats for kids of all ages.

• The details on a fun-packed Summerville fall festival

• A hidden gem Greek taverna you don’t want to skip

• Wise words from a fellow Summerville mother on cheap ways to make the holidays magical for your kids.

By the way, if you’d like to include your business in our weekly newsletter to nearly 3,000 Summerville parents, we would love to feature you. Click here to learn about becoming a Palmetto Parents sponsor.

TO DO

Shop Local with Our 2024 Gift Guides

The "Summerville Parent Gift Guides 2024" by Palmetto Parents is a holiday shopping guide tailored to families in Summerville, SC, spotlighting local gift ideas, experiences, and treats to support small businesses.

The guide is divided into three sections:

1. Local Gifts, showcasing unique items like custom ornaments, festive pajamas, and educational toys from Summerville artisans;

2. Local Experiences, highlighting family-friendly activities such as pottery classes, art workshops, and zoo excursions; and

3. Local Treats, featuring holiday-themed cookies, cocoa bombs, and other sweet treats from local bakeries.

Each section offers links to buy directly or details for convenient pickup, helping parents discover thoughtful and memorable gifts while boosting the local economy. Share this guide with friends and family to make holiday shopping easy and impactful in Summerville this season!

LOCAL EVENT

Fall Festival at Watson Hill

There’s still time to celebrate the fall! This Saturday (tomorrow) from 4-8pm take advantage of the Fall Festival in Watson Hill. There will be lots of local food and drink vendors, gift vendors, and Crosswind Farms Mobile Petting Zoo. The North Charleston police are providing a jump castle, there will be yard games like extra large Jenga and checkers, and a family photo display set up by Lowcountry Yard Cards. Their will also be a boba vendor that will have kid friendly drinks, including ones with edible glitter, apple cider, and hot cocoa.

The fall festival is taking place at 5081 Cottage Landing Dr., Summerville. The fall festival is brought to you by The Azalea Group at AgentOwned Realty, North Charleston Police Dept, Lowcountry Yard Cards, Down Home Clicks, and Kathie K.

If you haven’t yet, consider joining the Palmetto Parents Community to chat with fellow parents in real time! It’s like a big group DM to ask questions, communicate about IRL meetups, get advice, and more. It’s small but growing. 😄

I know around half of you have dogs or pets, so thinking this might be a relevant ad to share today. 🐶 🐱 

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RESTAURANT

Top Of The Tap Greek Taverna

I’m drooling writing this thinking about our meal this week at Top of the Tap Greek Taverna. We love Greek food but haven’t found much in the Summerville area. Since an anniversary meal in Miami I’ve been craving Greek food (dolmades in particular) and Top of the Tap made our Greek cuisine dreams come true.

We ordered the sampler appetizer platter that included falafel, spanakopita, dolmades, olives, Feta, hummus, tzatziki, and pita (you may need to look up some of those words, but trust us they were delicious). We also had a gyro bowl that was fresh and flavorful. Their menu has lots of great options for everyone in the family. Our son enjoyed the chicken tenders and fries (classic). The affordable meals for kids included grilled chicken, burgers, and half gyros.

The environment is extremely kid friendly.

They have two tables filled with board games for the family, making this a great place for a family meal and to connect over a game. They also have an old fashioned game system to pass the time. The waitress was super accommodating for our son and we felt like welcomed guests.

Top of the Tap is located in a strip mall on Dorchester and Old Trolley. It’s easy to miss from the street and is a very unassuming location, but we were pleasantly surprised with how welcoming the restaurant was.

Go visit them Tuesday-Saturday between 11am-8:30pm for a taste of Greek in Summerville.

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PALMETTO PIECE

Christmas Wisdom From A Summerville Mom

For those that celebrate Christmas, you know that it can be a time filled with special memories and magic but also a time filled with stress and pressure. We often put expectations on ourselves as parents or feel pressure to “keep up” by doing all the things we see everyone around us doing.

I came across this post from Nicole T., a fellow Summerville parent, about how she keeps Christmas simple by focusing on memory making instead of buying lots of gifts. Especially this holiday season when many of us are trying to reduce stress and save money, I thought her words were worth sharing.

“Let me share something that I learned I feel really changed my perspective on Xmas. I learned this while pregnant and I followed it with both kids.

Santa brings THREE presents and a stocking filled with little items. These could be big or little ticket items.

Mom and dad give ONE present. Some years it’s a big ticket item other years it’s something small depending on the budget.

This then negates the need to have bigger and bigger Xmas each year and keeps the budget in check for me.

Now that my kids are 12/14 they tell me they appreciate and cherish the special things I did at Xmas over the gifts. Think about it….a 4yr old is not going to remember when they’re 18/22/44 what they got. They’ll remember the magic.

Also there’s no shame in wrapping up socks or a box of cheerios or even wrapping up a toy in the closet they forgot about. I’ve had to do it all during tough times.

BUT what they truly remember is what we did all throughout December:

• We went to almost every parade around and I always bought something sweet to eat

• Picking out a very special ornament every year at one of the craft shows or fairs

• Christmas cookie making and decorating

• Hunting for Christmas light displays in the car

• Decorating the house together blasting music

• Hot coco and Xmas movies in jammies

• We did Xmas adventures like the holiday lights you drive through

• Gingerbread making contest between family members

• Going to a free live nativity set

Make the experience Christmas not the presents under the trees.”

Love,

The Berks 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 

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