[piano intro] - Next on "North Carolina Weekend," we celebrate your holiday weekend all across the state from DeWayne's in Selma.

We'll stroll the streets of old Salem, celebrate "A Christmas Carol," and go shopping for Christmas trees in West Jefferson, coming up next.

- [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of Barrier Island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[upbeat music] ♪ [upbeat music continues] ♪ [upbeat music continues] ♪ - Hi everyone, welcome to "North Carolina Weekend."

I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week we are celebrating your holiday weekend with activities all around the state.

Right now, I'm at DeWayne's in Selma, a massive 40,000 square foot emporium full of gift ideas, holiday decorations, plants, just about everything.

And the owners have a fascinating story too.

We'll learn more about it throughout the show.

But first, every year, visitors flock to Winston-Salem to see and experience the winter holidays the way the early Moravian settlers did.

Come with me for a fun and fascinating trip to the old Salem Historic District.

[bright holiday music] At holiday time, it's all about tradition, and in Old Salem, it goes back to the 19th century.

- Well, we're in Salem, North Carolina.

This town was founded in 1766.

The Moravians came here from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

They walked here in 1755, and established Bethabara.

When you come here to visit Old Salem, obviously, you're going to see wonderfully maintained historic buildings, but inside of those buildings, we have educators that are in Moravian attire, so you're gonna see them dressed in a way that the Moravians would have dressed here during their time period.

You're also going to see them doing daily activities where there's a domestic activity of preparing a meal or looking after the household, so it's this wonderful place that you see today that has been restored for our visitors to see.

- [Deborah] To really get in the spirit of Old Salem, I started with the perfect overnight stay at the historic Brookstown Inn, located just several blocks from Old Salem.

- The Brookstown Inn is a historical property located in downtown Winston-Salem.

We have about 70 rooms on property.

They're all very unique, all very spacious, it's quaint.

It makes our guests feel at home, just the coziness of it.

During the holidays, we redecorate for Christmas, so it's a wonderful time of the year to visit.

- [Deborah] At the Brookstown Inn, a Southern breakfast is complimentary and gets you on your way.

From here, a fifteen-minute walk along a strollway takes you to the Heritage covered bridge where you can cross into the 19th century and onto Main Street, which is lined with historic buildings to visit.

Probably the most popular is the Winkler Bakery where Sister Deborah is preparing an old-fashioned sugar cake.

- We have got some of our oldest recipes.

This is sugar cookie and tea cake dough.

This is ginger cake dough.

This is our oldest recipe, and it is in an original pan from the 1800s, sugar cake, mashed potato yeast bread with brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon.

The Winkler Bakery started being built in 1799 and opened for business in the year 1800.

Christian Winkler came in 1807, raised a family upstairs, and it was passed down through the generations until 1927.

It's a taste of history.

You are getting to actually taste what these people ate hundreds of years ago.

- [Deborah] It's a real treat to visit Old Salem and taste history, especially during the holidays.

To get more of an insider's view, I connected with Michael Breedlove, a local who actually has Moravian roots.

- And you know what, you can actually drink that water.

It's clean.

- I trust you, but I'm not dipping down there to drink it.

- Sure, go for it!

I grew up Moravian and when you're a kid, you don't really think too much about it.

It's just where you go to church, but you get a little bit older, and you start to realize maybe how different, how special it was to be a Moravian.

And it's sort of summed up in their motto, and that's "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty "and all things love."

- [Deborah] We had a great time stomping around Old Salem.

Michael took me to the Single Brothers' House, where they offer a ticketed-candle tea service that lots of visitors love.

Here, we met Sister Betsy and learned about the Moravian Christmas Pyramid, similar to our own traditional Christmas tree and about the unique star that's become so emblematic.

- The original Moravian star was a geometry project in Germany for the boys school.

They were tasked with making a Christmas decoration that had 110 points to it.

This star now is known worldwide.

The significance of this star now, it means peace.

[holiday music] ♪ In the meadow we can build a snowman ♪ ♪ Then pretend that he is Parson Brown ♪ ♪ He'll say are you married, we'll say no man ♪ ♪ But you can do the job when you're in town ♪ - [Deborah] We also stopped by the Boys School and checked out this really cool cabinet of curiosities, so much fun.

[bright horn music] Outside, the surrounding streets in Salem Square were festive with music by the Salem Band throughout the day.

[gentle music] While you're visiting, be sure to stop by MESDA near the Heritage Bridge.

It stands for Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts.

- We call it our hidden gem within this district this afternoon that you're going to see.

It's a world-renowned museum.

It has the finest collection of Southern artifacts anywhere on exhibit anywhere in the United States.

It's just a fabulous museum.

- Before you close out your visit to Old Salem, you have to take a selfie at the most Instagrammable spot in Winston-Salem, here on the Heritage Bridge with all these beautiful Moravian lights.

And take that stroll back across the bridge to the historic Brookstown Inn, where the 21st century and complimentary cookies and milk are waiting.

To plan your visit to the Old Salem Historic District, go to oldsalem.org and remember, their holiday tours sell out early.

And to make your reservations at the historic Brookstown Inn, go to brookstowninn.com.

At this time of year, a property right outside the Ash County town of West Jefferson transforms into a holiday wonderland, complete with gifts, delicious treats, the perfect choose-and-cut-your-own Christmas tree.

They even have Santa and their own winery.

Just head to the mountains and follow the signs for Frosty's.

[bright holiday music] - Feels like a Hallmark movie up here.

Way more adorable than I had expected.

It really is.

I didn't think I could see Santa, - But yeah, this is pretty great.

- A sunny North Pole.

- Yes, I have a sign here that says it's the North Pole.

[laughs] We're at the North Pole, Santa's here.

- It's very nice to see all these happy people come in and being able to interact and provide and be a little part of their family of the symbolic Christmas centerpiece of your house.

- [Narrator] That's Andrew Sexton.

He and his brothers, Matthew and Thomas, started Frosty's Choose and Cut when they were quite young in 2008.

- They are all fourth generation Christmas tree farmers.

- [Narrator] Following in the footsteps of their great-great-grandfather, Byron Sexton, who planted the first Fraser Firs here in 1960.

- I guess it's in our blood.

I've never really wanted to do anything other than this.

I enjoy Christmas trees, [laughs] so.

- [Narrator] So does the rest of the family, like Matthew's wife, Mackenzie, the self-titled head elf.

- [Tim] I like the outfits.

- [Narrator] Along with the boy's grandfather, Tim, who on this day, is handing out tree tags.

- Been with us before?

- No, [indistinct].

- First time, wow, well thanks for coming.

- [Narrator] Next, it's up the mountain to find your tree.

- The best place to get a Christmas tree.

- [Mackenzie] We will send you up on either a tractor ride with a hayride or a trolley, and it'll take you up to the designated cutting area and you'll tie your tree tag on your tree once you find your perfect tree.

- We always go a little too big for our living room- - [laughing] Yeah.

- But usually about a seven to eight foot tree, good and fat one.

- I am limited on space at home, so right now, usually it's long.

- A tall, skinny one.

[laughs] - And then once they cut down your tree, they slice off a little sliver of the stump, and then each year we change the brand that says Frosty's and the year, so people collect those year after year after year.

And then you'll ride the tractor ride or the trolley back down to the barn.

You get to go into the Christmas market, get some food, get some hot chocolate, hang out, listen to Christmas music, get wreaths, garland, all kinds of goodies.

There's all kinds of shopping stuff in there.

And then you'll get in your car and go to the tying station.

We load your tree up on your car, and we send you on your way.

- [Narrator] Frosty's may have been inspired by young boys, but people of all ages really enjoy it.

- We love the atmosphere, love all the things for the kids to do, and always a great treat.

- 'Cause we want to draw people in and have a good time.

It's not like you're just going to buy a tree.

You're here to do so much more than that.

- It's awesome, it's a much bigger operation than I was expecting.

- There is coffee, there's food trucks, there's funnel cakes.

- [Patron] And everything, corn hole, the dogs.

- It's kind of like Disney World for Christmas.

It's amazing, we have Santa Claus, we have blow-up Frosty and Fraser.

We have Build-A-Wreath, where you can make your own wreaths.

We have handmade bows and handmade crafts from local artists.

- [Narrator] And, as of 2021, Frosty's became home to Old Barn Winery.

- We came for the Christmas cheer in a cup.

- We thought a winery with a Christmas tree farm, what could possibly go wrong?

- And everything is made here.

Everything's bottled here.

We've got some delicious mulled wine.

It tastes like Christmas in a cup.

It's great, it's perfect for the holiday season.

- [Narrator] It's the ideal addition to a business that prides itself on family tradition and spreading plenty of Christmas cheer.

- And because of the wonderful experience that we provide here at Frosty's, people continue to come back and bring more people to enjoy the holiday spirit with us.

- Are y'all ready for Christmas season?

- [Child] Yeah!

- [Child] Yes!

- [Deborah] Frosty's Choose and Cut is at 2152 Beaver Creek School Road in West Jefferson.

To find out more about upcoming events, visit them online at gofrostys.com.

[bright holiday music] I found a couple of long time shoppers here at DeWayne's.

Tell me, what do you enjoy most about coming here?

- There's such a variety of things to shop for and to look at, and every year, you can change your theme for your Christmas tree.

There's always good little snacks to buy and stocking stuffers to get, but we also come all year round.

We like the flowers in the spring and all the things that they have, so it's just a great experience.

I've been coming with my cousin for years.

- And it's so much fun.

We can get together with family and just enjoy things and plan what we're gonna do, and it's just a great place to come.

- Right now, I'm here with DeWayne and Tina Lee, the owners of DeWayne's, and this place is just fabulous.

I would love to know more about your how-you-came-to-be story.

- Well, it's a long one.

Are you sure you have time?

[Deborah laughing] The short and sweet of it is DeWayne, at the age of 20, was on the family farm working, but his income off the farm was the pumpkins.

And that particular year in '91, they lost the pumpkin crop.

So he was outta money, decided to borrow some money from his mama, come set up a little stand right down the road at the outlet center, right on the front lawn, and that's how DeWayne's got started.

He never went back to the farm.

- Well, there's a lot to DeWayne's.

Tell me how big is this place and tell me what some of the departments are.

- So under roof, we have a little over 40,000 square feet, and that is a Christmas Land, of course.

We have a ladies' boutique.

We have a men's shop.

We have a sweet shop, fudge and ice cream.

We have a gift shop, and we just added a new little pet boutique, so lots of different shop and shops throughout DeWayne's.

- DeWayne, can you tell me how did Christmas Land start?

- Many years ago, there was another store down the road just about a half a mile from here that had a big Christmas shop, and they went out of business.

And everybody was coming into the store wanting to know where this Christmas shop was.

And so I told Tina one day, I said, "We need to start selling some Christmas merchandise.

"Everybody wants to know where this Christmas shop is at.

"We need to be selling Christmas merchandise."

So, we started getting into Christmas a lot smaller than this.

It was actually up on the top floor of the main store, and we outgrew that space really quick.

And so it just started expanding from there.

- [Deborah] What's the experience?

When people come to DeWayne's, what are they coming for?

- I think experience is the word.

We hear a lot of people say that DeWayne's is their happy place.

They'll come on their lunch hour just to walk through, because they always tell us our employees are the best, that they're just very pleasant and nice and smiling, and they acknowledge 'em, and that's what we want.

That's really, I think what we've built our business on is stressing to our employees that customer service is number one, 'cause that's how we built our business at the little fruit stand many years ago.

- What do you think people find particularly unique about shopping here at DeWayne's?

- The diversity of the product offered.

I mean, you can come here, and you can buy everything from a bag of Pot and Soul to a Pandora bracelet to a Louis Vuitton bag, there's just so much, and it's for all ages and all price ranges.

And I think another key part that seems minor, but it's huge around here, is we offer gift wrap.

We do over twenty-five thousand gift wraps a year, and not many people offer that anymore.

And that's just something you can come in if you've got to go to a party or a celebration, and you can come in, and you can walk out with a proud gift, and it's ready to go.

- I love that.

And I've seen some really unique things already.

I can't wait to explore it some more.

- We're glad you're here.

- A lot to see in here.

- DeWayne's is at 1575 Outlet Center Drive in Selma, and they're open seven days a week.

To find out more, give them a call at [919] 202-8471 or visit them online at shopdwaynes.com.

You may remember the classic holiday TV special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," where Charlie Brown bemoans the aluminum Christmas trees and chooses a live one, sad though it was.

Well, the aluminum trees and ornaments of that era get new-found respect this year at a one-of-a-kind museum in Brevard.

Let's join producer, Clay Johnson, and his videographer, Eric Olson, as they take us there.

- [Clay] The Transylvania Heritage Museum is housed in a 19th century farmhouse in downtown Brevard.

It's modest on the outside, but this time of year, magical on the inside.

It becomes the Aluminum Tree and Ornament Museum, a display of aluminum trees from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and the only one of its kind in the world.

- [Deb] We're very small.

We're only three rooms.

But I think we have it set up so that it's pretty, and the trees are very shiny.

The ornaments really highlight the trees, and that's what we're really out to do.

And then, we also like to bring them back to a bit of nostalgia.

- [Clay] Each tree has a name.

This one is The Colorado, a tree donated by a woman from there who was born in Brevard.

- Her mom said she was not going to decorate a tree if she was going to be having a baby in December, and so they bought an aluminum tree.

It's probably one of our prettiest trees.

- [Clay] There are two rare colored aluminum trees, this green one and a blue one, adorned with military insignias.

- [Deb] We have a beautiful military museum in town, and that tree is set up in honor of our military museum.

- [Clay] There's a display of the origins of aluminum trees.

- [Deb] We actually have a little farm where we grow seedlings for the aluminum tree in case you wanna see what it's like when they're babies.

- [Clay] But the origin of the museum can be traced to Brevard architect, Stephen Jackson.

- His collection started in about 1991 when a friend of his found one in the trash, brought it to him as a joke, and his group of friends just kept bringing him more and more aluminum trees, and his collection grew so large that he had to find places to set them up.

- [Clay] In 2013, the museum got a grant to purchase most of Jackson's collection and start this annual pop-up holiday display.

The museum also accepts donated trees.

- [Deb] People have been very generous in donating trees to us.

Some of the trees have wound up on our front porch, and we always look for additional ones.

If anybody is looking to rehome an aluminum tree, we will give it the best home, and we love to add to our collection.

- [Clay] The museum also collects and displays vintage ornaments and memorabilia from the era.

- [Deb] We like it when we hear them say, "Oh, that's something that I had," or, "Grandma used to have one of those."

- I know some people will come in here and remember their childhood, but these trees and all these shiny bright ornaments and just the nostalgic feel reminds me of really good times of getting to go and visit with my grandparents and seeing their versions of this at home, so lots of memories for me.

- I like this one with the 45s, because I grew up playing 45s on my stereo.

[chuckles] My kids wouldn't even know what that is.

They'd be like, "What are those things?"

- [Deb] So that's really our main intent is to make folks happier and think of something they had in the past.

And it goes along with the small town feel and Christmas, and I think it's a bit of nostalgia that people enjoy coming to.

- The Aluminum Christmas Tree and Ornament Display is at the Transylvania Heritage Museum in Brevard at 189 West Main Street.

The museum is open Thursday through Saturday from noon to 4:00 P.M. For more information, give them a call at [828] 884-2347 or go online to transylvaniaheritage.org.

I just love these little carolers here at DeWayne's.

Of course, a classic tale of the holidays is Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," performed by theater companies all over the world at this time of year.

And you know, 2023 marks an ending and a beginning where for 50 years, acclaimed actor, Ira David Wood, has been delighting audiences with his portrayal of Ebeneezer Scrooge.

- We are at Theater in the Park, getting ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of "A Christmas Carol."

This is my heaven.

It is a black box full of so many memories, so much emotion still in the air left here by so many talented people.

It's a very sacred spot for me.

It's home.

[bright holiday music] ♪ Merry Christmas ♪ ♪ Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas ♪ - When we opened "A Christmas Carol" 50 years ago, most theaters in the area were closed over the holidays.

So I said, "Let's open our doors and put on a show," and that's what we did.

And people have asked me, "Did you really think it would last this long?"

I don't think I knew it would go on for 50 years, but I knew it had a life to it.

- What David's been able to do is incorporate a lot of humor, music, and not lose the beautiful story that Charles Dickens wrote.

- We take the meaning of that story very seriously, but we also have fun with it.

We invite the audience to come in and laugh about everything we've gone through the whole year.

- David pulls in a lot of trivia, things that are happening in the news.

He gets you both ways.

He gets you laughing, and then the next thing you know, you're crying.

- To me, the gift of laughter is you take the power away from something if you can make it funny or you can laugh at it or laugh at yourself.

And so I think that's part of the enduring nature of the show and why audiences come back every year.

It's about laughter and tears and to me, it's like a healing.

[audience laughs] - Who is your father?

- Ira David Wood III.

- Now that certainly explains it now, doesn't it?

Now- - Watching my dad when I was young, me and my sister used to call him Daddy Humbug.

It was just a very normal thing.

We didn't see anything unusual about your dad putting on old man makeup.

And so, to get to the point where I'm putting on the wig and the makeup, it's my responsibility now to carry on this almost superhero quality, and the superpower is Christmas and making people laugh and making people feel.

[bright piano music] [actors talking] - Time is money, Fred.

You're not gonna sing are you?

♪ Don't you recall ♪ He gonna sing.

- Ira has an incredible capacity to channel his dad and to do a lot of the things that David has done.

And at the same time, if you look closely, you can watch Ira begin to move it and customize it for himself.

- He stepped into the role and did it brilliantly.

I see myself as a young man in him.

I see his potential for growth in the role just like I grew.

And I can't describe the feeling of knowing that you're leaving something behind, something that has the potential to make the world a better place.

[gentle music] ♪ It seems so simple ♪ ♪ And it seems so right ♪ - This is certainly a show, it's first and foremost a show, but it's a lot more than that.

It is a coming together of people who, over weeks and days and rehearsals, become a family, and it bleeds across the stage.

- These were my first friends when I moved here in '90.

This was my first home.

- This show is family.

It means the world to me.

I can't imagine Christmas without this show.

- "The Christmas Carol" family has blessed my life.

Their generosity of spirit has blessed this show with a special kind of magic that sometimes you don't even get to see on a Broadway stage.

And I think that has been the cosmic glue that's held the show together and had such an appeal to the general public who come back every year.

And I think you're gonna walk out of that theater feeling better than you did when you came in, and that's Christmas.

[bright music continues] - [Deborah] "A Christmas Carol" will be performed at the Durham Performing Arts Center from December 13th through December 17th.

For tickets and more information, visit theaterinthepark.com.

Well, that's it for tonight's show.

We've had so much fun out here at the DeWayne's in Selma.

It's a terrific place to go shopping for the holidays or really any time of year.

And if you've missed anything in tonight's show, just remember you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org, and you can also find us on our YouTube channel.

Have a great "North Carolina Weekend" everyone.

[upbeat music] ♪ [upbeat music continues] ♪ [upbeat music continues] ♪ [upbeat music continues] ♪ [upbeat music continues] [bright music] - [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains, across the Piedmont to 300 miles of Barrier Island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[bright music]