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Best Charleston Christmas

Best Charleston Christmas Gifts To Share This Holiday Season

Featured Image Credit: Boone Hall Plantation Facebook

Christmas is in the air in the Lowcountry and that means it’s time for gathering with loved ones and exchanging gifts. This year, why not treat the special people in your life to something uniquely Charleston? Because it’s one of the most popular cities in the world, a gift from the area would be most welcome from any recipient. So when you’re shopping for the perfect Charleston Christmas gift, try one of the following ideas.

Image Credit: Charleston City Market Facebook

Sweetgrass Baskets

Nothing is quite as iconic as a sweetgrass basket woven in Charleston. Weaving them goes back centuries and the practice is passed on from generation to generation. Whether you want a small basket, a rosette, or a larger piece, you can get one at the City Market or at one of the stands along Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant.

Image Credit: Geechie Boy Mill Facebook

Gourmet Food

There are so many different foods that say “Charleston.” One of them is grits, and we love the ones from Geechie Boy Mill. Another great option is a sweet treat like a praline or benne wafer from Market Street Sweets. Boone Hall Farms also has an array of spreads, pickled items, and jams made from local ingredients. Buy one of their gift baskets or create your own with items picked up from around the Lowcountry.  And don’t forget the tea from Charleston Tea Plantation.

Image Credit: Charlotte Coneybeer on Unsplash

Oyster Gear

Oysters are a part of Charleston culture, like most coastal towns. So if you have a friend or relative who loves them, why not outfit them with gloves and knives for shucking. Places like Coastal Cupboard and Kitchen & Company carry useful and visually pleasing knives and cut-proof gloves.

Image Credit: Boone Hall Plantation Facebook

Tickets to Tour a Plantation 

Charleston wouldn’t be Charleston without its rich history. Plantations are an integral part of that history. So let your loved ones soak in the historical beauty of one of the many Charleston area plantations like Boone Hall, Drayton Hall, Middleton Place, or Magnolia Plantation.

Image Credit: Halls Chophouse Facebook

Gift Cards to Charleston Restaurants

While you can’t wrap up a meal and put it under the tree (well, you could, but we wouldn’t advise it), you can give the gift of Charleston’s culinary scene by giving a gift certificate or gift card for one of Charleston’s signature restaurants. Hall’s Chophouse, Circa 1886, Grill 225, Peninsula Grill and Slightly North of Broad (also known as S.N.O.B.) are all great choices.

Featured

Are Short-Term Rentals Thumbs Up Or Thumbs Down?

Featured Image Credit: carolinaonerealestate.com

Charleston is known as a city of rich history and undisputed beauty. From the cobblestone streets to the hundred year old buildings, the continued preservation of the low country feeling is one of the many reasons Charleston is what it is. As the city continues to grow both physically and fiscally, the short-term rental market is infiltrating communities all over Charleston and although very popular, there are hidden costs to this industry that has sprung up out, seemingly of nowhere.

For starters, short-term rentals aren’t just for the common property owner anymore. What began as a software system for homeowners to make a couple extra dollars on a spare bedroom has turned into Big Businesses in just a couple of years.

Corporate entities have been buying up property all over town with no intention of ever living in the space. Their aim – to put up for rental, which can quickly throw off the balance and charm many communities have developed. The more people that are hoping they can make a profit off short-term rentals are ironically hurting the system the most.

The rising interest drives by corporate homebuyers drives up the cost of living in Charleston – often drastically, to a point where only big money players can afford to buy homes.

Short-term rental sites like VRBO, Homeaway, and Airbnb specifically, are being dominated by the people who really know what they’re doing in the short-term market, not the people who want to make some extra cash, which is a common misconception.

Image Credit: Airbnb

To be fair, it’s not your average homeowner mucking up the system. But for them too, there could be unintended consequences. Standard homeowners insurance policies are specifically designated for personal risks, not commercial, therefore, an incidents that occurs in a short-term rental can easily fall on the shoulders of the property owner, which can cost some serious coin.
So Big Business wins and the average homeowner suffers, but forgotten in this debate is the damage to our community itself. From crime to noise, to disrespect and ransacking, these are just a few more of the risks associated with these short-term rentals. Not for nothing, these issues have just as much of an effect on the surrounding residents as it does the lessor. In addition, if finding parking wasn’t already hard enough, short-term renters will further add to the chaos between the white lines. Short-term rentals are thinning out the communities of Charleston and are negatively affecting full time resident lifestyles.

At first glance these short-term rentals seem like a cool new thing, but it requires proper regulation that matches the big business industry it has become. Charleston has too much to offer for it to be hindered by the short-term rental market.