Christmas Open House draws the shoppers
Published 10:14 pm Thursday, November 8, 2018
The cookies will be out, the sales will be plenty and the Junior Ambassadors and Miss Merry Christmas Aly Floyd will be on hand to welcome shoppers to the annual holiday open house.
Thirty members of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce are participating in this year’s Christmas kick-off event, which will be Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open House signs will designate businesses signed up for the Chamber promotion.
“They go all out every year decorating their windows and store fronts to really get the community into the Christmas spirit,” said Katie Nations, program chair for the Chamber.
Participating retailers offer holiday refreshments, store specials, samples and drawings.
“They all have something going on,” she said.
The event has become a Christmas tradition for many shoppers, and the weather will be perfect for it this year, Nations said.
“Saturday’s going to be a beautiful day,” she said. “It’s going to be cool and I don’t like to shop for Christmas when it’s 85 degrees outside.”
The Chamber’s 33 Junior Ambassadors will be welcoming guests at each participating retailer and Floyd will be visiting the vendors and posing for pictures with shoppers and their children.
Floyd, the daughter of John and Tina Floyd, is excited to be an ambassador for Christmas for the Chamber.
Floyd and the Junior Ambassadors will be also be participating in the annual Christmas parade, which will roll through the downtown area Nov. 29 beginning at 6:30 p.m. This year’s theme is “A Storybook Christmas.” Robert E. Tyler from Tyler Funeral Home will serve as the grand marshal and Miss Mississippi Asya Branch will also ride in the parade.
The entry fee for groups and floats is $35. Call the Chamber at 601-833-1411 for more information.
With the help of the Brookhaven Tourism Council, the Chamber will show “The Star” on the lawn at Mississippi School of the Arts on Dec. 1. Entertainment starts at 5 p.m. and the movie begins at 6:30 p.m.
Junior Ambassadors will be at the following locations Saturday:
Anna Caroline Adams (BDazzled), Ameilia Kate Anding (Beyond the Rainbow), Amira Alaina Al-Rai (Bertha’s Flower Shop), Katelyn Joy Berryhill (Clementine Country Store), Charley Ann Boyd (Castles), Sydney Kay Britt (Detour 51), Isabella Denise Ferguson (Beyond the Rainbow), Katherine Kaylee Gifford (Engravables), Alexandria D. Gines (Erin & Co.), Ainsley Morgan Griffin (Expectations), Anna Catelyn Hall, (Expectations Too), Abby Marie Jackson (Fashion Jewelry by Margaret Ann Britt), Brooklyn Nicole Laird (Three Sisters Boutique), Lydia Michelle Little (BDazzled), Amy Rebekah Melissa Mabile (J. Allan’s), Mallory Melissa Nations (Judy’s II), Jaide Danilyn Prather (Picket Fences Vendors), Sydney K. Richardson (Roxy Magnolia), Ally Paige Roberts (Smith Jewelry), Cassidy Nicole Robinson (Southern Style), Madilyn Kate Rollinson (Southern Treasures), Ann-Elise Rounsaville (Homestead at Brookhaven Nurseries, Angelin Eugenia Shows (Expectations) Ellie Christine Slay (The Well-Dressed Man), Mary Parker Stokes (The Honey Pot), Sara Katherine Teasler (Castles), Katelyn Marie Waldrop (Growin’ Green), Lilyann Ruby Warren (Zeal), Wednesday Abigale Warren (Zeal), Mallory Catherine Watts (Vendor’s Emporium) and Merritt Rowland Wolfe (Vendor’s Emporium). Mary Taylor Francis and Annie Elizabeth Sheppard are also serving as Junior Ambassadors for the Chamber.
Other merchants participating in the Christmas Open House are Broma’s Deli, Georgia Blue, Georgia Blue Bakery, The Ole Brook Makery, Melinda’s Fabrics/Interiors and Hall & Company/We Frame It.