Miracle at Haymaker
Hi {{ first name | Raleigh Lover}}!
I’ve been mentoring on time expansion this month inside my Empowered Women’s Collective, and we’ve been playing with this idea that’s completely flipped my life:
time is an illusion, energy is truth.
When you stop trying to “find more hours” and instead focus on creating more energy, everything shifts. Energy is infinite. Time is not. When you manufacture pure, aligned energy… suddenly you can do more with less, and enjoy it far more too.
Which is great, because this week has required a LOT of manufactured energy.
We’ve been everywhere previewing all the new seasonal events, Christmas bars, holiday pop-ups, new restaurant openings, and festive light shows. Raleigh has officially stepped into its sparkle era, and we are keeping up as best we can!
And the fun is just beginning…
Craig’s parents arrive from Australia on Monday night, ready to experience their very first Thanksgiving and their first full U.S. holiday season. Our explorations are about to ramp up in the most joyful way. We cannot WAIT to show them how magical this time of year is in the Triangle. They are going to be absolutely blown away.
Christmas in Australia is wonderful — but very different. It’s a short celebration because it falls in the heart of summer. Think Santa in board shorts, outdoor BBQs, long beach days, and everyone counting down to their six-week school break.
But here? Christmas feels more like the holiday stories, movies, and books we grew up reading: twinkling lights, chilly evenings, endless festivities, cozy everything. Honestly, Christmas in the U.S. feels more normal to us because it’s what we always imagined as kids.
And the girls have fully embraced it. When I asked recently if they wanted to go back to Australia for the holidays one year, they said,
“Why would we do that? Christmas is more Christmas here!”
I mean… they’re not wrong. Raleigh is glowing right now. And we hope this newsletter helps you soak up every bit of that magic without having to burn your time or energy trying to find it all yourself.
Let’s slide into the weekend with full, joyful energy and lots of festive plans. 💫
Caroline
💖 FAVORITE FINDS
The new Jubala in the Pendo Building (301 Hillsborough St,) has a classy, sophisticated look. I love that photo I took below. You can see more here.
Trophy Brewing at Five Points is now opened. It’s such a fun community gathering space with a new huge game room out the back set to open in very soon!
Miracle at Haymaker and Miracle at Killjoy - same Christmas bar pop up themes - one with a pink and white vibe (Killjoy) and the other with a dark Nightmare before Christmas vibe. But both have the same cocktails. We’ll have reels coming out soon on them both.
The Rink has your festive ice-skating vibes this year. It opens tomorrow! I think the ice is great here for skating. I even felt confident to dance a little on the ice! Reel coming out today!
Chinese Lantern Festival is incredible this year. A lot of layers to the different displays. See Reel below. Definitely worth going it you can make it happen!
Jubala
Trophy Brewing Five Points
The Rink
Miracle at Haymaker
⭐DID YOU HEAR?
Don’t forget about The Pantry Bowl 2025. Help raise much needed funds for the Feed the Pack Food Pantry at NC State for students, staff, and faculty facing food insecurity. For the Pantry Bowl we are aiming to get more monetary gifts than rivals UNC Chapel Hill. #GoPack Learn more here.
Reeds Jewelers (Wilmington brand) is opening at Fenton this weekend (bar included)
Reformation, a sustainable + chic fashion brand will open in North Hills in the first half of 2026.
42nd Street Oyster Bar has announced it will reopen in February under new ownership, including longtime general manager, Hunter Correll.
A’Verde Cocina in Cary has closed due to financial struggles.
Foxhole Coffee has replaced Left Hook at Gussie’s. Opened 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Weds - Sun.
Crofton’s Pretzels is now open on S Saunders St next to Riparian Provision Company.
The new Barley and Burger is opened in former Dave's Dumpling location on Hillsborough St!
🖋 ON THE BLOG
📆THIS WEEKEND
You may like…
Fri: Downtown Raleigh Tree Lighting Celebration at Moore Square. Shop at the holiday market and a stage, dance to live performances and have photos with Santa.
Sat: The Raleigh Christmas Parade in Downtown Raleigh rolling through from Hillsborough St to Fayetteville. Come on down and see the floats and support local businesses!
Sat: North Hills has their Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Event with live music, kids ’activities, and holiday markets. It’s a festive atmosphere.
Sat: The 27th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration will be on all day at the North Carolina Museum of Art. The festival includes multiple demonstrations, presentations, and performances.
Sat: Light the Square at Fenton, Cary. There’ll be a Christmas market, horse and carriage rides, photo opportunities, kids’ activities, ice skating, live performances, Santa and the tree lighting.
More ideas 👇
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