Oakland is having a Down Home Christmas celebration on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9 and 10. Friday activities start with caroling at 5:30 p.m. If you’d like to be a caroler, let them know. Carolers should be at the old Presbyterian Church at 5 p.m.
The tree-lighting ceremony with hot cider, hot chocolate and cookies is at 7 p.m. at the Oakland Public Library, followed by a short community service at the Presbyterian Church.
On Saturday, Dec. 10, there will be children’s activities — decorating cookies and writing letters to Santa to put in a Christmas mailbox at 11 a.m.
The Christmas parade starts at 3:30 p.m. downtown and the Christmas Village Market along with musical entertainment, Santa Claus and a live Nativity scene are all downtown from 3-7 p.m.
For additional information on any of the activities or events, or to volunteer, contact the Oakland Area Chamber of Commerce at oaklandchamber@gmail.com or text or leave a voice message at 601-853-3942.
I don’t know about y’all, but I was ready for a big chili and cornbread dinner Sunday. We ate the last of our Thanksgiving leftovers Saturday. Sunday, we celebrated my daughter Donna Garripoli’s birthday (I don’t have permission to tell which one) with a big chili dinner in her home at South Lakes. Birthday cake and ice cream followed! Miranda and Summer Procella, you two did a great job!
It was a rainy windy day Saturday, so I stayed in, got my Christmas stuff out and went through it all to see what I was going to use. I woke up around 6:30 a.m., and by 8:30 I had all my Christmas dishes, favorite cups and glasses washed, dried and in the cabinet.
Festus, Ruth Jane and Amanda Hailey visited with Peggy Bailey at the Grenada Living Center Nursing Home on Tuesday. Saturday they spent the day in Houston visiting Mike and Rhonda Hailey and family. Mike and Festus are brothers and they always enjoy visiting with each other.
Faye Hartley had a spot on her lung and after tests it showed up as a pneumonia scar. Faye said she still doesn’t feel good and she just can’t get over it. She cooked about 95 pans of rolls all week besides working. Faye makes the best homemade rolls.
Nathan Hartley and children, Rowland, Mary Brett and Mclendon, Kristie, Faye and Mark, had Thanksgiving supper Thursday night in Mark and Faye’s home.
Martha Box said she took most of last week off and did some decorations for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know she has been doing some crocheting, too! She had a wonderful gathering in her home for Thanksgiving. Kids did all the cooking and it was great! Even her great-granddaughter, Addie, and granddaughter Marnie cooked good. Good company, good food with a lot of laughter.
Phil and Ginger Harrison and sons, Jake and Josh, had a great time at her mommas’s, Martha Box, for Thanksgiving. All of them were able to be there including Phil’s mom, Diane Hill.
Sunday, they attended Pine Grove Church and celebrated Linda Harrison’s 80th birthday, presenting her with a plaque in appreciation of her continued service to Pine Grove as the secretary. It was a great day with more great food and cake! Josh played his guitar and sang “One Day at a Time.” He did a great job, it was told.
Diane Dukes’ sister, Ellen Parker of Greenville, came last Wednesday and visited with Diane and family until Sunday. I know she had a good time and she had plenty to eat while here, so maybe she will come again soon.
We enjoyed our visit with Wayne Taylor Thursday. Wayne comes by and checks on us from time to time. Thank you, Wayne!
Happy first anniversary to Cody and Beth Tillman Deloach on Dec. 1. May you two have a long and happy marriage.
Happy 8th anniversary to Chad and Morgan Newman Eskridge on Dec. 13. May you two have many more years of love and happiness.
Belated happy birthday to Krista McFerrin. who celebrated Monday, Nov. 28. Happy birthday to Deborah McCool and her granddaughter, Caitlyn Beavers. on Dec. 1; to Darlene Moorman on the 2nd; to twins Patrick and Peyton McMillian and Stephanie Ruis Holliday on the 3rd; to Presley McMillian on the 4th; Keith Venable the 5th; Maci McLendon Scott and Cody McLendon, who share a birthday on the 6th; Jimbo Whitaker on the 7th; Betsy Hartley the 8th; Freda Weir, R.P. Newman and Tara Rotenberry, who share a birthday on the 9th; and to my great-grandson, Bradley Holliday, who celebrates the 10th. I hope you all have a great day of celebrating your special day!
Sweet little girl cousins, Haven Rose Dukes and Joanna Pullen, visited with Santa Claus Saturday and I think one liked Santa and the other one was scared of him! I’m not telling which one was afraid, but she’s kin to me!
Tommy and Debbie McCool went to her daddy’s, Ray Bell, and fixed Thanksgiving dinner. Her daughter Kimberly, Jason and kids came. Her sister, Patsy, was a little under the weather with the rain so they fixed her a plate and took it to her. Angela, her other daughter, and her bunch decided to have Thanksgiving at home, just them. And Christopher, their son who lives in Senatobia, always fixes for his wife’s family and they come over since he has the biggest house, with plenty of room for them all.
Sunday after church, Tommy and Debbie started decorating outside their home and Debbie said they have a lot more to do. She will have to get the church decorated, which is lots of fun. Save me some of that energy, Debbie!
Those at our Thanksgiving table were Brad and granddaughter Francesca Holliday and son, Bradley; son, Timothy Sullivan; daughter, Donna Garripoli; granddaughter, Miranda and Summer Procella; and your writer and David. They all cooked and brought up and I made the dressing. A blessed day it was!
Thought for the day: Patience is the ability to keep your motor idling when you feel like stripping your gears.
