Christmas at Thanksgiving 2025: Inside the Holiday Fun at Ocean Lakes

This week on Campground Conversations, Maddy and Kensley sit down with Salle and Amanda from the Recreation team to unpack everything you need to know for Christmas at Thanksgiving at Ocean Lakes. They share helpful tips, walk through the Holiday events, highlight brand new activities, and celebrate the returning favorites everyone loves. If you want to make the most of your holiday stay, this episode has you covered.

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Go behind the scenes at Ocean Lakes Family Campground in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Narrator: 00:00

Welcome to Campground Conversations, an Ocean Lakes podcast. Join us as we dive into frequently asked questions, uncover hidden gems, and share exclusive behind the scenes stories of Ocean Lakes Family Campground. From all of us at your happy place in sunny Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, thanks for tuning in.

Maddy: 00:20

Hey, guys. Welcome back to Campground Conversations. I'm Maddy.

Kensley: 00:24

And I'm Kensley. We are so glad you're hanging out with us today because this episode is all about one of our favorite times of the year here at Ocean Lakes.

Maddy: 00:35

The holidays are right around the corner, and we are so excited. We've got Thanksgiving events running from November 24 through the twenty seventh, and then we roll right into Christmas fun from November 28 to the twenty ninth.

Kensley: 00:49

And to help us talk about everything coming up, we've got two people who make all the holiday magic happen, Sally and Amanda from our recreation team. Thank you guys for joining us.

Salle: 01:01

Thanks for having us.

Amanda: 01:03

Thank you.

Maddy: 01:04

Of course. So we're gonna jump right in and start with Thanksgiving weekend. We have so much going on, so can y'all give us just a quick rundown of what people can expect from November 24 through the twenty seventh?

Amanda: 01:17

Oh, there's a ton of events. There's events in the rec center, including the gingerbread house contest.

Salle: 01:23

Yeah. And that's done a little bit differently than it used to be. So it used to we used to have a room, and you could bring your house in and build it in the rec center. But now that we're doing the Thanksgiving meals on Thursday, we just ask that everyone makes their gingerbread houses at home and then brings them in pretty much done. And then all of our guests get to vote on those.

Maddy: 01:45

Good to know. And how can the guests vote?

Salle: 01:48

Through our Ocean Lakes app. If you have not downloaded it yet, you know you need to.

Amanda: 01:53

So just to break down our bingos for our guests. On Monday, our turkey bingo, all the prizes are themed to things you would need to make your Thanksgiving meal with that grand prize being a turkey. Oh. Yes.

Kensley: 02:07

A whole turkey?

Amanda: 02:08

A whole turkey. Wow. The whole thing. It's a great prize. On Wednesday, our Thanksgiving bingo is centerpieces and other fun things to go on your Thanksgiving table.

Amanda: 02:19

And then on Thursday, our pie bingo, it is at a special time. It is at 03:00, not our typical bingo time, but all the prizes are pies.

Salle: 02:28

Wow. And then you come Thursday and you walk it off. Yeah. Right.

Kensley: 02:34

Speaking of Thanksgiving Day, let's talk about the Starfish Strut.

Salle: 02:39

Yeah. So it's hard to believe this will be our fourth year doing the Starfish Strut And we had even more participation last year. So I think it's really becoming something the whole family can do together on your own time. So starting 09:00 in the morning, you can register in the recreation building, then you and your family can just go do the walk, run, however you wanna do it throughout the park. We do ask that everybody has a mobile device so that they can track their walk.

Salle: 03:06

Mhmm. And then when they are completed, we give everybody a little prize at the end.

Maddy: 03:11

Fun. Yeah. That's awesome. So once Thanksgiving wraps up, we go straight into Christmas mode.

Salle: 03:18

Yes. Heavily.

Kensley: 03:21

So no time is wasted. Nope. Tell us what that transition looks like a little bit behind the scenes.

Salle: 03:28

Yes. So we go ahead and set up the stage for Santa. Oh. We go ahead and have the Christmas tree out, but it is bare because we love nothing more than our guests to join us to decorate our Christmas tree each year.

Maddy: 03:43

So are guests able to bring in ornaments, or how do you want them to participate?

Salle: 03:49

Yes. Bring in whatever kind of ornament you want to. We have some families that'll print out their family picture and put the year on it, create their own little ornament that speaks to their family in I've seen those. Yeah. We and we have some that hang on the tree that are from ten years ago.

Salle: 04:05

And so it's cool to see those dates and those families and and and all of that on there.

Maddy: 04:09

That is cool. Alright. Let's talk about the big one everyone's waiting for. Our visit with Santa on November 29 is a crowd favorite here at Ocean Lakes. Yeah. Amanda, tell us a little bit about what's happening this year for Visit with Santa.

Amanda: 04:26

So you'll come in and grab a number and wait in line, but there will be goodie bags and crafts, and you can vote on the gingerbread houses while you wait. So lots of good stuff going on.

Salle: 04:37

Face paintings.

Maddy: 04:38

Nice.

Salle: 04:39

A few years ago, we started it where we give out numbers as you come in so that our guests can roam around, you know, do different things while they're waiting for their number to be called so they're not having to stand in line and wait. And we just ask that it starts at two and ends at five, but we ask that everybody show up at least by four, 04:30 because we have to cut the line off at some point because Santa has other obligations, and Santa has to get back to the North Pole. So he can't stay past a certain time and we just we would hate for someone to come in late and not get to see Santa.

Maddy: 05:16

Right.

Salle: 05:16

So definitely try to plan on being there before, you know, 04:30. Yeah.

Kensley: 05:20

Good idea. Yeah.

Maddy: 05:21

And we can't forget about our four legged guests. So what do we have for them this year?

Salle: 05:27

That's right. Of course, Santa comes to see our four legged guests on Friday. We actually do a pet costume contest right before at 12:30, and then Santa is here for the pets from 01:30 to 03:30.

Kensley: 05:42

And then something brand new that we have this year is the rocking around the Christmas tree dance. Can you guys tell us a little bit about that?

Salle: 05:52

Yeah. Absolutely. We're excited. Every time we get to add a new activity, we're super excited. And we know our how much our guests love the monster mash during October. So this will be kinda similar, but Christmas cheer.

Maddy: 06:05

Oh, I'm so excited.

Amanda: 06:06

It'll be super fun because one of our favorite DJs is back with us. Yeah. And he was he was super excited when we offered it to him. If you all saw him for Halloween, you saw that he was also dressed up for that. So I'm excited to see what he comes up with.

Salle: 06:20

We'll have concessions open too at that time, so families can grab drinks and just some, you know, little snacks in case Mhmm. Case you get hungry.

Kensley: 06:27

I'm sure it'll be so much fun.

Maddy: 06:29

Alright. Before we wrap up, we've got a few tips and reminders for everyone getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas here at Ocean Lakes.

Kensley: 06:37

First up, let's talk about the Thanksgiving meal. It's happening November 27. And even though the preorders are over, you can still walk in and pick up your meal or dine in at the recreation center. Now onto something super fun, our scavenger hunts.

Kensley: 06:57

We've got not one, but two going on this season, and they are themed.

Maddy: 07:03

So we have the Gobble Wobble running all month long, and Sandy's Holiday Hunt starts on November 22, and you can find both of them right in the Ocean Lakes app. And something else that is really important to remember that is easy to forget about this time of year is how to properly dispose of your cooking oil whenever you're frying a turkey.

Speaker 6: 07:25

Yes. Please do not pour oil down the drains or onto the ground. Instead, just let it cool completely, pour it back into the container it came in, or another sealable jug, and drop it off at the Meet n' Eat for proper disposal.

Maddy: 07:43

And thank y'all in advance for doing your part.

Kensley: 07:46

Alright. Let's talk shopping. Mhmm. If you're working on your Christmas list, don't forget about Sandy Mart and the RV Center.

Maddy: 07:56

Right. They've got so many great gift ideas, Ocean Lakes apparel, ornaments, toys, stocking stuffers, you name it.

Kensley: 08:04

And here's the best part, Friday, Saturday, and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Sandy Mart is having a 25% off sale. Nice. And one more thing to keep an eye out for, which is our favorite little troublemaker, Flip Flop, the Christmas elf on the shelf.

Maddy: 08:24

He makes his big return the day after Thanksgiving each year, and you never know where he's gonna pop up around the campground.

Kensley: 08:31

Nope. So make sure to follow his journey on our official Ocean Lakes social media channels to see what he's up to each day.

Maddy: 08:40

So to recap, grab your Thanksgiving meal, play the scavenger hunts, please dispose of that cooking oil properly, shop the Sandy Mart sale, and keep an eye out for Flip Flop.

Kensley: 08:53

Sounds like a perfect holiday game plan to me.

Maddy: 08:56

Alright, guys. I think that just about does it. Make sure you check the recreation schedule online or on the Ocean Lakes app for all the event times and details.

Kensley: 09:06

Or you can pick one up in park whenever you arrive. Mhmm.

Maddy: 09:10

Also, don't forget to visit our website for the most up to date hours since they do change in the off season.

Kensley: 09:16

Yes. You can also find everything about our upcoming events under things to do and Christmas at Thanksgiving on our website, oceanlakes.com. It is the best way to stay in the know.

Maddy: 09:30

That's right. And a big thank you to Sally and Amanda for joining us today and for all the hard work they put into making the holidays so special.

Salle: 09:40

Yes. We love it.

Maddy: 09:42

And thanks to all of you for tuning in to Campground Conversations. I'm Maddy.

Kensley: 09:47

I'm Kensley.

Salle: 09:48

I'm Salle.

Amanda: 09:49

And I'm Amanda.

Maddy: 09:50

And we will see y'all next time.

Speaker 3: 09:52

Happy holidays. Holidays. And then we upped the volume at the end.