There is a chill in the air and the holiday season is here. 

Our fun-filled annual Lighting of the Tree event in downtown Natchez will be on Friday from 4 until 6:30 p.m.

The event had originally been scheduled for Saturday evening but was moved up to Friday due to concerns over inclement weather forecast for Saturday.

At 4 p.m. Friday, Santa will arrive in style and he and Mrs. Claus will be inside Home Bank handing out cookies and asking all the good girls and boys what they want for Christmas.

From 4 until 6 p.m. Friday, the North Pole Playground will be open for the kids, which includes a bungee trampoline for the adults.

Five dollars buys unlimited rides for the kids and $5 per jump for the adults.

In case you get hungry, we have Regina’s Kitchen’s Little Easy Cocktail Bar, Natchez Heritage School for Cooking and Rolling ’N’ the Dough all will be selling festive food, cocktails and yummy treats. 

At 6 p.m., we have a special treat as the Natchez Ballet performs excerpts from “The Nutcracker.”

At 6:15 p.m., we will sing Christmas carols around the tree and at 6:30 p.m. we will have pyrotechnics and snow as we light the Christmas tree.

Don’t forget downtown stores will have Open House Specials so be sure to shop local!

This event always draws a huge crowd to the center of town; come be part of the fun.

Home Bank is proud to be a part of the community and the lead sponsor of this family loved event. We also appreciate our fellow sponsors, The Markets, First Natchez Radio Group, Natchez Ford, Good Hope Land and Timber Management, Merit Health, Coke, Stine, Byrne Insurance Agency, Jordan Kaiser & Sessions, City of Natchez, Adams County, Visit Natchez and Taco Bell who donated our beautiful tree.

We would also like to thank the many volunteers who help with the event and a special Thank You goes out to Justin Dollar and the Public Works crew who work tirelessly to help make the City have that special Christmas feel.

Thanks for everyone’s help and generosity that makes this family fun event possible.

Come help celebrate and start the season off right. I look forward to seeing y’all there.

Deanna L. Kimbro is a member of the Christmas in Natchez Committee and Mississippi market president of Home Bank.