So. Much. Merry!

Me and my best boys at Deck the District!

 

I've been immersing myself in the holiday season for a bit. Here are some of my shenanigans! 

Mistletoe Marketplace

This annual shopping extravaganza is the start of the holiday season in the Jackson area. Of late, my attendance at the Mistletoe Marketplace Preview Gala has been spotty - first due to the pandemic (but then I made it last year!), and this year due to a graduate class I'm teaching (more on that later). Though I missed the gala, I *was* able to get by there for a great afternoon of shopping! Sweet Anita and I spent a few hours there and bought all kinds of sequined apparel - she for a holiday trip to NYC and me for a January jaunt to Las Vegas! Yummy nibbles, fun merchandise, and so. Much. GLITTER!

Anita and I found SO many sequins at Mistletoe Marketplace this year!

Christmas Open House at The Township at Colony Park

We worked hard to cheer him up!

I made my first trip to this cute little open house at a this walkable, open-air shopping center last year, and I loved it so much that I put it on the calendar again this year. Our group started with a free wine tasting and a delicious dinner at Anjou (a great little French restaurant), and then enjoyed free music (a fun guitarist out by the firepit, and a jazzy little trio at the coffee shop - We sang Jingle Bells!), photos with both Santa *and* the Grinch, shopping, and free little bites and sips from area restaurants and vendors. (The berry margarita at Sombra was delish!)

Capital City Lights

Next up was Capital City Lights! I've come to love this annual night out in downtown Jackson. So many local merchants and attractions are open and have special offerings - acapella singers at the 2 Museums and the Old Capitol Museum, musicians on an open-air stage on Capitol Street and in the new Capitol Building, Santas at both the Governor's Mansion and the Jackson CVB office, free cookies and hot cocoa everywhere, cookie decorating in the Electric Building, tons of lights, the Festival of Trees at the Westin Hotel, and the gorgeous Bethlehem Tree at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Shawn and I met for dinner at Estelle, then explored from there. So much fun! 

Yule Run Clinton

Yule Run Clinton always has
fun swag!

This is a fun one! They offer a 5K and a 10K (darling Kelly and I did the 5K.), and the finisher's medal is always super-cute! The route starts and ends in the pretty decorated brick streets area of Clinton. Kelly and I almost bagged it due the 75% chance of rain in the forecast. However, the weather changed at the last minute, and off we went! Because I grew up in Clinton, I always see people I know at this run, and it's fun catching up. 

Deck the District

This is another great public holiday event that's been added to my seasonal calendar. The District at Eastover hosts fun events like this one all the time out on their green space. For Deck the District, they set up a huge lit tree and a movie screen (for holiday movies), bring in live music, serve seasonal cocktails, and manufacture snow! Hubs, Clay and I had dinner at Sal and Mookie's, then got cocktails, saw Santa, enjoyed the music, and relaxed on the green before heading home. The whole thing is fantastic for families and is so fun! 

Annual Work Peeps Breakfast and Holiday Shopping Spree

Ok, so this is not a public event. But I love it. So much. Once a year, my co-workers and I throw on festive apparel and get together for a lovely breakfast at a local restaurant. Then, we head to a retailer that has a Toys for Tots box. We go shopping for all of the toys that we secretly want for ourselves, and then we take those toys and fill up the box! It's great fellowship, team-building, and community engagement, all in one. 

There's more merrying to come, but these are a few of my fave events so far from this year! Happy holidays! 

Did we buy all the toys? Yes. Yes, we did.