As we turn the last page on the 2017 calendar today to the month of December, the holiday spirit is alive and well in the Natchez area.

Each day this weekend, residents have an opportunity to enjoy a little bit of Miss-Lou Christmas 2017.

Tonight, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. the Natchez Visitor Reception Center will host a Natchez Family Christmas Festival.

The event will center on a decades-long tradition in Natchez — a series of drive-through Christmas displays created by a man who was eventually dubbed, Mr. Christmas.

The works created and inspired by the late Lanus Hammack for the International Paper Natchez mill’s holiday displays have delighted young and old alike for more than 50 years.

This year’s displays are even more special as volunteers, primarily one man, who has now been dubbed Mr. Christmas Too, have refurbished the displays.

They look amazing, a testament to the hard work of the refurbishers and in honor of Hammack’s original inspiration.

But the holiday celebration doesn’t end tonight. On Saturday night, the annual Natchez Christmas Parade will roll through downtown, beginning on Broadway and effectively making a loop down Main Street, over to Franklin and back to Broadway.

Even more Christmas fun is in store, though, on Sunday when the Vidalia Christmas parade rolls down Carter Street. The parades and the holiday light festival are almost sure to put a holiday smile on your face.

All these events do not come together without great effort by the many volunteers who plan, organize and kick into action to bring the holiday spirit for the community to enjoy.

We offer our many thanks to those who will help make our weekend filled with holiday joy.