Jolly ol' St. Nick will be much in evidence this weekend as a cornucopia of events signal the start of the Christmas season in Howard County.

VA lights the lights

The Big Spring VA Medical Center will kick-start a weekend full of Christmas activities when it holds its annual “Lighting of the Lights” ceremony. The event, which will conclude with the lighting of thousands of lights decorating the hospital, will begin at 6 p.m. Friday.

“Holiday carols will be led by veterans, refreshments will be served and, last but certainly not least, Santa will visit with all children,” said Lauri Phillips, acting public affairs officer for the medical center.  

VAMC Director Daniel Marsh, assisted by children in the audience, will light the lights on the indoor Christmas tree, simultaneously illuminating the display of outdoor lights.  

“We invite the community to join in this festive occasion,” Phillips said.

Howard College luminaria lighting cancelled

Howard College's annual Christmas Luminaria ceremony, which was to feature a visit from Santa Claus, was an unfortunate victim of the storm system that moved through the area this morning.

College President Dr. Cheryl Sparks said the event, which has long been described as the college's Christmas gift to the community, was cancelled because of weather.

Canterbury Christmas Bazaar Saturday

People looking for good arts and crafts goods will want to be at Canterbury Retirement Community for its annual Christmas Bazaar Saturday.

Canterbury South (1700 Lancaster) will host the bazaar from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, organizers said.

Approximately 30 vendors will be on hand, selling a large variety of arts and crafts good, including handmade jewelry, home décor items and Christmas decorations.

The Canterbury auxiliary also will be on hand, selling homemade brisket burritos for $1.50 each.

Admission is free.

Christmas Parade Saturday

Preparations are almost complete for the 24th annual Big Spring Herald Community Christmas Parade, which will take a different route this year because of road renovations on Gregg Street.

Plans call for the route to begin lining up south on Scurry Street at the intersection of Seventh Street. The procession will actually begin at Scurry and Seventh, proceed north on Scurry to Fourth Street, turn east and proceed to Benton before turning north for one block and then proceeding west on Third Street and ending at Scurry Street.

Parade-goers are advised to stake out a spot early, as thousands of people generally line up to view the long-running event. For those who cannot attend the parade but have Internet access, the event will be shown live on the Herald's Web site at www.bigspringherald.com.

More than 60 entries have been received to date.

“This is going to be one of the best Christmas parades the Herald has ever put on,” Herald Advertising Director Rick Nunez said. “The route for this year's parade may be different, but we promise it will be as exciting as ever.”

The theme for this year’s event is “A Cotton Pickin' Christmas.” Grand Marshal will be Kathryn Wiseman.

Entrants are eligible for three cash prizes — $100 for the Best of Show Award (for best interpretation of theme); $75 Mayor’s Award (for best use of lighting); and $50 Grand Marshal’s Award (for best costuming).

In addition, first-place plaques will be awarded in the following categories — individual or family; civic group, school or church; commercial; and industrial. Also, a special award will be presented to the best sheriff’s posse, riding club or other mounted entry.

Only entries that were received prior to the deadline will be considered for prizes, but additional participants will be welcomed right up to the start of the parade. Nunez said persons wishing to participate need to show up in the vicinity of 12th and Scurry streets by 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Officials promise community residents a colorful start to the holiday season.

“We are very excited to once again be hosting the Community Christmas Parade,” Herald Publisher Ron Midkiff. “This is our Christmas gift to Howard County and we’re hoping for another successful event.”

For more information, contact Nunez at 263-7331.

Living Christmas Tree

The 31st annual Living Christmas Tree will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at First United Methodist Church, located at Fourth and Scurry. It is free to the public, but tickets must be obtained at the church office. A dress rehearsal at 2 p.m. Saturday also is open to the public.

The Living Christmas Tree, for the uninitiated, is exactly that — a 2,000-pound Christmas tree populated by more than 70 singers dressed as ornaments.

While the event will be familiar to those who have attended before, the program is tweaked every year to provide something new. Aside from long-time classics, newer holiday standards will be performed.

Christmas Tree Forest

The third annual Christmas Tree Forest will debut Saturday and run through Jan. 5 at Heritage Museum, Director Nancy Raney said.

“We're calling it 'A Homespun Christmas' this year,” Raney said.. “We'll have quilts on display throughout the museum and the various Christmas trees on display will be decorated with that theme in mind.”

Also Saturday, the museum will hold “Breakfast With Santa,” in which local youngsters will get a chance to meet St. Nick.

“Each year, when we do our Christmas program, we try to add something new or make some changes,” said Tammy Schrecengost, Heritage Museum curator. “This year we were looking for something new and just asked ourselves, how much fun would it be for the children to be able to have breakfast with Mr. And Mrs. Claus?

“We'll have doughnuts and other breakfast finger foods, and we'll also have coffee and refreshments for the parents. I think it will be a lot of fun for everyone.”

Schrecengost said the children will allowed to break bread with the big guy in red in 30-minute intervals, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m.

And while there's no admission being charged to participate, Schrecengost said they are suggesting donations be made.

“We're asking for a donation of either a new toy, which will go to Spring Tabernacles annual toy giveaway, or a non-perishable food item to go to the Isaiah 58 food drive,” she said. “We're not going to turn any children away, but we're hoping we can use this opportunity to help out both local charities that are big parts of the holiday season for many local families.”

Schrecengost said local baking expert Gale Pittman will also be on hand to help children design a special treat for the holiday season between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

“They are going to be making gingerbread men,” she said. “There is a $3 charge to cover material costs, and the kids will get the chance to decorate their own large holiday cookie. It's always a lot of fun and Gale is so good at working with the kids. And what could be better than being able to take home your own gingerbread man for the holiday? Parents need to call ahead and reserve a spot for their child for this activity.”

Also during the day-long event, kids will get the chance to have their picture taken with Santa, said Schrecengost.

Throughout the days leading up to to Christmas, the museum will host a variety of holiday events, including a visit from Santa Claus and his missus and classes to teach children the finer points of decorating a gingerbread man cookie.

The event, which Raney and other organizers call a huge success, was actually started by local baker Gale Pittman in the 1990s. After a hiatus of several years, he suggested to Raney and Curator Tammy Shrecengost that the museum could revive the display and the two women readily agreed.

“We always did something around Christmas, but nothing to this extent,” Raney said. “We thought it would be a great project for the museum and a great partnership between us and Gale.”

Raney said the best thing about the exhibit is that it serves as kind of a kick-start for the holiday season.

“I feel like we kind of kick off Christmas here in Big Spring,” she said. “It works out really well. You have the Community Christmas Parade and the Living Christmas Tree on that same weekend, and here we are in the middle of those two events.”

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it