TIFTON — With the season of giving fast approaching, organizations and businesses around the Tiftarea are gearing up to kick off December with a host of holiday events.

Christmas Day is close to only a month away, and festivities meant to usher in the merry month are looking to start as soon as next week.

The night before Thanksgiving, community members have been invited to gather at Fulwood Park for a Festival of Lights starting at 7 p.m., where the new holiday decorations and Christmas lights are set to be illuminated an hour later, accompanied by hot chocolate, festive music, and photo opportunities with Santa’s sleigh and two of his reindeer.

The Tifton Mall will then host old Saint Nick himself from Nov. 30 until Dec. 23, giving children the chance to meet the man in red for photos and Christmas wishes. The mall is also expected to be decorated with holiday kiosks, and patrons looking for last minute gifts will be able to enjoy an extra hour of shopping the week before the big day.

Santa will be present Friday through Sunday from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14, available from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays, but will be available Monday through Friday from 11 to 8 and Sundays 1 to 6 starting Dec. 15.

The Tift Theatre is expected to host a double feature of festive fun, beginning with a concert Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. from award-winning country music artist John Berry as part of his 28th annual Christmas tour. Dec. 6 will then feature a meet and greet with Buddy the Elf and Jovie from classic Christmas comedy “Elf” and a free showing of the titular film.

Tickets for Berry’s concert may be purchased from Purplepass, which can be accessed through the theatre’s Facebook page, and the meet and greet with Buddy and Jovie will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the film showing taking place at 6:45. Concessions will be available for purchase.

The shows at the theatre won’t be the only holiday festivities going on in Downtown Tifton, either–residents are encouraged to take part in a Christmas Open House the evening of Dec. 5, where over fifteen local downtown businesses will have their doors open for extended hours and offer their patrons exclusive sales and door prizes. Attendees can also enjoy photo booths, refreshments, and live music to make the night a little more merry and bright.

Down on Commerce Way, last year’s ice skating rink will be making a return from Dec. 5 until Dec. 7, treating the community to another sampling of the frozen stage. Patrons will have to pay $10 a night to take part, but will be provided skates and be allowed to glide across the rink for as long as they want. Kids 5 and under, however, will be able to skate for free. The rink will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 5, 4 to 10 Dec. 6, and 6 to 10 Dec. 7.

And of course, the star of the city’s holiday celebrations is set to be the Hometown Holidays festival on Dec. 7.

Set to the theme of Christmas Around the World, this year’s festivities will open at 5 p.m. with the traditional Christmas parade, which as of now includes over fifty local businesses and organizations, as well as state representative Penny Houston, serving as the parade Grand Marshal, and an appearance from jolly old Saint Nick.

Patrons will then be invited downtown to the space before City Hall for a night of live music, s’mores and hot chocolate, the opportunity to write letters to Santa or take a photo or two with him, and the lighting of the trees at City Hall at 6:30.

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will also be getting in on the festivities with the return of their annual North Pole Express at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture.

The museum’s 1917 steam locomotive, dressed up in holiday cheer, will take passengers on a trip to meet Santa Claus at his workshop, stopping in with the hardworking elves to hear the classic Christmas story “The Polar Express,” visiting Claus’s Cottage to chat with the man in red, then finishing with a holiday helping of hot cocoa and cookies.

The train will take off for the North Pole every twenty minutes from 5 to 8:20 p.m. on Dec. 4 through Dec. 7 and Dec. 11 through Dec. 14. Guests are recommended to dress according to the weather, as the train’s cars are open-air. Tickets may be purchased online at abac.vbotickets.com/events.

More holiday events will likely be announced later into December and closer to Christmas as the month continues.