You will need an extra page on your December calendars to properly record the many noteworthy events that will usher in this Christmas season. With fear and some trepidation, we will attempt to offer a list here, but not without this caveat: It is not only possible, but probable, that we will inadvertently fail to mention some event. When you see the sheer abundance, perhaps you will understand why.

SHOP SMALL SATURDAY, Nov. 30, 8 am-7 pm (Store Hours Vary). Twenty local businesses have stocked up, staffed up, and are ready to serve their customers on Shop Small Saturday. The parking is free, the faces are friendly, and the service is personal this Saturday, but the impact of shopping small is huge. When you shop in Canadian, you’re not only supporting independent, locally-owned businesses—owned by people you know—but every dollar you spend here, stays here, to get spent again. That’s right! Every $100 spent with a local business generates another $45 in local spending.

Each of those 20 local businesses will offer “Shop Small” specials, including door prizes and drawings; discounts; and goodies like free hot cider, popcorn, and cookies. It all comes with the added virtue of supporting your neighbors and friends, and keeping local dollars at home. And nobody knows better than Santa what a little added virtue can do to make your spirit bright.

Find a complete list of participating merchants—along with individual store hours and specials—on the following pages. Love where you live...and it will love you back!

THE WATERFIELD WALK, Dec. 2, 6 pm. The 6th Annual Lighting of the Waterfield Christmas Walk in the Citadelle Gardens is slated for Monday, Dec. 2, at 6 pm. Each year, the quiet beauty of the Citadelle grounds is transformed with a flip of a switch into a sparkling wonderland. Warm cider and Christmas sweets will be served at this public event honoring Jim Waterfield and his family for their years of service and community support.

“This is a wonderful way to kick off the Christmas season in Canadian,” said Citadelle Director Wendie Cook. “Jim was a great do-er in our town. He helped to build many community aspects and energized bold ideas. Lighting one of Canadian’s best places is the perfect way for us to say thank you to a great man who cultivated many people and ideas.” CAA LOCAL ARTIST SHOW AND SALE, Reception, Dec. 3, 5 pm. Canadian Arts Alliance will host an art show and sale at the River Valley Pioneer Musuem this Christmas season. Talented artists of all ages will display their work in the Gallery Room during the month of December. An opening reception will be held at 5 pm on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

“The CAA is thrilled to showcase the varied talents of our local artists,” said board member Ike Julian. “We invite everyone to come to the reception and see just how talented their neighbors are. This is the perfect place to find that one-of-a-kind holiday gift.”

WCTU HOLIDAY BAZAAR, Dec. 6, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Head to the Hemphill County Library on Friday for the 112th Annual Holiday Bazaar—and bring your appetite. Diners will be served a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings, prepared based on the original WCTU recipes.

This is a community endeavor that brings together a bevy of volunteer chefs, who roast turkeys and dressing, mash potatoes, prepare their favorite salads, and bake a variety of pies, before gathering at the WCTU building to present the annual holiday feast. Eager diners are seated at long tables decked in white tablecloths, and served family-style by dozens of apron-bedazzled volunteers. The festive atmosphere infuses the beautiful library building, as friends and families greet and eat, and welcome the holiday season together.

Pioneering women of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union held the first bazaar in 1907 to raise money to build a local library. Those ladies believed some sober reading and a good education might be the perfect antidote to the prevalence of bars found here in the 1900s.

The Hemphill County Library still stands, housed in the original WCTU Building, which has benefitted from extensive remodeling, renovation, and expansion, courtesy of county taxpayers. All proceeds from the Bazaar are used to buy books and other materials for the library.

Dinners are $10/adult and $5/child. Takeout orders may be placed in advance by calling Sally Whittle at 806.239.4632, and will be available for pickup at the library’s 5th Street entrance.

SANTA IS COMING TO TOWN! Dec. 7, 9 am to 12 pm. Guided by the bright marquee lights of Main Street’s Palace Theatre—and maybe a firetruck with sirens blaring—the big man in red will arrive at 9 am on Saturday morning, Dec. 7, and will be available until noon to visit with all his young fans and pose for a photo or two. Those keepsake photos will be shot by the talented Natalie Pino of Peanut Photos. Swing by early and sign up, before strolling around downtown to enjoy all that Christmas in Canadian has to offer. Registrants will be called on their mobile phones when it’s time for their Santa session. Forms to order prints will be available at the theatre that day.

A photo of each child’s visit with Santa will be published in the special Thursday, Dec. 19, Christmas edition of The Canadian Record, along with those delightful letters to Santa and holiday greetings. (Parents: If your children have not written their mistletoe epistle with their Little House or elementary-school classmates, please take a moment to help them record their Christmas wants and wishes, and send the letter to Santa Claus, c/o The Canadian Record, PO Box 898, Canadian, TX 79014, or by email to news@canadianrecord.com). Even Santa has deadlines, so we need them on or before Monday, Dec. 9 at noon, please.

CHRISTMAS IN CANADIAN, Dec. 7, Beginning at 9 am. Santa will not be the only North Pole visitor in Canadian on Saturday.

Santa’s helpers will be circulating around town, passing out goodie bags to the kids throughout the day, as they and their families celebrate Christmas in Canadian.

There are so many things to do around town, you won’t know where to start. Kiddos are invited to write their letters to Santa, sitting atop a stool at the Soda Shop. They can decorate Christmas cookies in the Dungeon Diner; create their own Christmas tree ornaments at the River Valley Pioneer Museum; and enjoy making a holiday craft and cookie pop-up at Happily Hawkins Farm just across 2nd Street, next door to the Cattle Exchange.

New this year...several Main Street businesses will host Christmas carnival games, with game tickets available for purchase at the Palace Theatre concession stand. Brown Bag Roasters will be serving specially-priced hot cocoa to kids, and will also host a Christmas trivia game. Enter for a chance to win a Brown Bag gift card! And at 3 pm, the Palace Theatre will have a free showing of The Santa Clause, starring Tim Allen.

CISD CHRISTMAS CONCERT, Dec. 8, 2:30 pm. Band students from every school campus will assemble at the CHS Gymnasium on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2:30 pm, for the best Christmas concert you’re apt to hear this year. This not-to-be-missed performance is sure to rouse the spirit of the season. Come early to shop at the Band Boosters annual bake sale and auction. The gymnasium and parking lots will be packed.

CAA YOUTH CHRISTMAS RECITAL, Dec. 8, 4 pm. While you’re in the holiday musical spirit, head around the corner to the Texas Crown Performance Hall, where the Canadian Arts Alliance will host its 5th Annual Christmas Recital at 4 pm. Our community is richly-blessed by the presence of so many skilled and hard-working students. This recital offers them the opportunity to demonstrate their musicianship, show their progress, and lift your holiday spirit. There’s more in store at Canadian’s First Baptist Church, which will host a Christmas concert at 6 pm, featuring the extraordinarily talented pianist Paula Forrest. The public is cordially invited to enjoy traditional hymns and all their Christmas favorites. Hot chocolate and cookies will be served in the fellowship hall after the concert.

LIVE NATIVITY AND CHILI COOKOFF, Dec. 11, 5:30-7:30pm. Strange combo? Not really, read on … For more years than we can count, the First Presbyterian Church has presented a Living Nativity in Gazebo Park across from the church. In doing so, they evoke not only the joy of the holiday season, but the spiritual meaning of Christmas and the celebration of Jesus’s birth. After viewing the live nativity on Wednesday, Dec. 11, the public is invited to come to the Fellowship Hall for the annual Chili Cook-Off—a flavorful way to spread the joy of the season.

LADIES SHOPPING NIGHT, Dec. 12. In what has become a treasured tradition for many, the Canadian/Hemphill County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring their annual Ladies Shopping Night on Thursday, Dec. 12. Local merchants will keep extended hours that Thursday evening, offering their shoppers treats and great in-store specials. A complete list of participating merchants will be posted in this newspaper.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTING CONTEST, Judging on Dec. 14, 6-8 pm. The Chamber of Commerce Lighting Contest is back again this year...and so are the prizes. So dig through those boxes of decorations, hang ‘em up, and plug ‘em in. This contest is open to all in-town residents and businesses. Pick up your entry form and rules at the Chamber office inside the Canadian Visitors Center, or register online at https://bit.ly/2KJmkMz. Prizes will be awarded for both residential and commercial entries. Three residential lighting winners will be named, and awarded prizes of cold, hard Canadian Cash in denominations of $100, $75, and $50. The commercial winner will receive $100 in Canadian Cash.