AREA HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES KICK OFF THIS WEEKEND

  

Tis the season to be jolly, and there will be lots of ways to celebrate this weekend, with activities all around the area.

Some of those events include:

• The Brenham Christmas Stroll begins Friday with the Jingle Bell Market at the Ant Street Inn from to 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the First Friday Farmer and Artisan Market on Baylor and Park Streets from 3 to 6 p.m.  The Barnhill Center will host a Polar Express Party at 6 p.m. and a viewing of the movie “The Polar Express” at 7 p.m.  Unity Theatre will present “The Game’s Afoot – Holmes for the Holidays” at 8 p.m.  On Saturday, Must Be Heaven will have Breakfast with Santa, and there will be more holiday shopping at the Jingle Bell Market at the Ant Street Inn from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.  The courthouse tree lighting ceremony and Christmas caroling will take place at 5 p.m., with the lighted parade through downtown beginning at 6 p.m.  Children will then be able to meet Santa at the courthouse gazebo and ride on the 1950 Invader fire truck at the Brenham Fire Museum.  Unity Theatre will have another showing of “The Game’s Afoot – Holmes for the Holidays” at 8 p.m.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brenham will host “The Greatest Gift” nativity displays Friday and Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., with music from local artists at 7 p.m. on Friday.
• Bellville’s Small Town Christmas begins Friday at 6 p.m. with the lighting of the tree at the courthouse and the lighted parade.  That will be followed by activities at the Mini-Park and a street dance with the Red Bulls at 8 p.m.  On Saturday at 8 a.m., there will be Breakfast with Santa at Newman’s Bakery.  At 9 a.m., shopping will open around the courthouse square and under the Jim Bishop Pavilion at Chesley Park, along with food trucks, performances and music.  St. John’s Lutheran Retreat Center will have nativity displays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
• Round Top’s holiday festivities begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday with shopping around town and the Round Top Area Historical Society’s Tour of Homes at 11 a.m.  Events around the town square start at 3 p.m.  Judging of floats in the lighted parade will be at 6 p.m., prior to the start of the parade at 6:45 p.m. 
• The Carmine Chamber of Commerce’s Polar Express Christmas Fest on Sunday at the Carmine Hall begins at 11 a.m. with the serving of beef stew and hamburgers.  Kids can also ride the Polar Express and see Santa, while parents can shop at over 20 vendors.  Round Top-Carmine Elementary students will provide entertainment with a musical at 1:30 p.m.

KWHI and KTEX-106 will be in Bellville Friday night for Small Town Christmas and in downtown Brenham on Saturday for the Christmas Stroll and Lighted Parade.