NATCHEZ — Christmas lovers and volunteers will have plenty to do this weekend with music, a play, breakfast with Santa, parades, tours, a packing party and a benefit garage sale.

A Christmas Cabaret

The Natchez Community Center will be filled with the sounds of the season as the Christmas Cabaret crescendos into life Friday.

The event, presented by the Natchez Festival of Music, invites guests to get into the Christmas spirit with comedy, song and dance.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. Individual tickets are $35. Tables for 10 can be reserved for $300.

Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling 800-647-6742.

Guests who buy a table will be let in starting at 9 a.m. to decorate for the best-decorated table contest.

A cash bar will be available. Food trays must be ordered in advance.

For food trays, call 601-748-3355 or 601-807-2593.

Operation G.R.I.T.S. Packing Party

This Friday, Operation G.R.I.T.S., Gifts Raised In The South, will put the finishing touches on care packages for soldiers serving overseas.

For the past several months, G.R.I.T.S. has been collecting items to send to soldiers deployed in other countries. With Christmas only a few weeks away, it’s time for volunteers to prepare the boxes for shipping.

The packing party beings at 6 p.m. at Reed Insurance Agency, 107 Carter St., Vidalia.

For more information, call Pattie Jones at 601-807-6470.

Marty Probst benefit

First Baptist Church Vidalia will host a benefit garage sale, silent auction and bake sale in its gym.

The proceeds from the benefit go to the family of Marty Probst, who recently died from a terminal illness, to help pay expenses.

Organizer Evelyn Stiner, said organizing the event has been a group effort.

“I cannot begin to number how many people are involved in this,” Stiner said. “Marty was liked, loved, well-known in the Miss-Lou community.”

Shoppers can browse through items such as furniture, clothing, kitchen items and jewelry.

“So many people are bringing things and baking cookies, cakes and pies that I truly feel that it’s going to be enormous,” Stiner said.

First Baptist Church is located at 100 N. Hickory St. The benefit will be from noon to 6 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, Stiner can be reached at 601-334-6674.

“A Natchez Christmas Carol”

The Natchez Little Theatre is inviting audiences to journey back in time for “A Natchez Christmas Carol” this season.

The play will be every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday until Dec. 20. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Tuesdays.

Performances are 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased by calling 601-442-2233 or visiting natchezlittletheatre.org.

Jefferson Street Preschool Breakfast with Santa

Get ready to share the most important meal of the day with the jolly fat man himself, Santa Claus, at Jefferson Street Preschool Saturday.

Proceeds from the event benefit the preschool. Tickets can be purchased from JSPS students or at the door.

Tickets are $8 per child with the event running from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Natchez, Ferriday and Vidalia Christmas parades

The Natchez Christmas parade will be at 6 p.m. Saturday. The parade will start on Broadway and roll through downtown.

The Town of Ferriday’s Christmas parade is also Saturday, starting 6 p.m. at Ferriday High School and travelling through E.E. Wallace Boulevard, Louisiana Avenue, First Street and Kentucky Avenue.

The Vidalia Christmas parade, themed as “A Star Spangled Christmas,” will start 3 p.m. Sunday at Vidalia Upper Elementary School and ends at Vidalia High School.

Library Tour of Homes

Locals and visitors alike will be able to tour houses not usually open to the public from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The Friends of the Library group sponsors the event as a fundraiser for the Judge George W. Armstrong Library.

The four featured houses are Elward at 612 Washington St., 408 S. Commerce St., 415 S. Commerce St. and 203 Clifton Ave.

Tickets are $15 for one person and $25 for two. Tickets can be purchased at the library, Natchez Pilgrimage Tours in the Natchez Visitor Reception Center and tour locations Sunday.

Alcorn State University Christmas Concert

As the second Sunday of Advent draws to a close, the Alcorn State University choir will perform its Christmas concert at St. Mary Basilica.

The community is welcome to attend the free concert listen to the songs of the season.

The performance begins at 7 p.m. Sunday.