The holiday season is upon us here in Oxford, with plenty of community events to get you into the spirit. Art, food, music, and fun will be in abundance all over town, not to mention Santa sightings and plenty of local shopping opportunities.
The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and the University of Mississippi Department of Art & Art History present the annual Holiday Art Market at The Powerhouse. The market will take place from Friday, November 30 through Sunday, December 2, featuring over twenty booths from local and regional artists.
Friday, the market will be open from 1 to 7 pm, with an opening reception from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. After the reception, stay for the Annual Holiday Art Gala & Artist Drawdown. Tickets for the drawdown will be sold all day Friday, and the drawdown begins at 8 pm. Featured work by University faculty will be available for you to win. Tickets may be purchased for $20 each or six for $100 for a chance to win a piece of featured work of your choice.
How does the Drawdown work? A ticket will be called out and that lucky winner gets first pick of the featured artwork. Tickets will be drawn until all artwork has been selected, and you can win more than once. This is your chance to win fantastic art for a great price, and you get to support the Department of Art & Art History. The artists featured in the drawdown are: Brooke Alexander (painter), Mike Cinelli (ceramicist), Philip Jackson (painter), Robert Malone (painter), William McKinney (ceramicist), Durant Thompson (sculptor), and Brooke White (photographer). For artists’ bios and to see examples of their work, visit http://www.thelocalvoice.net/oxford/2018holidayart/.
There will also be a silent auction, general sale, local vendor booths, cash bar, and more. The general sale will run throughout the event offering you the chance to snag some great work from across all mediums. Times for the market are: Friday 1–9 pm, Saturday 9 am–9 pm, and Sunday noon–5 pm. On Saturday, stop by between 1 and 3 pm to make a free tacky Christmas sweater ornament with Art to Go. Later that evening, you can attend Chick-Fil-A’s Dinner with Santa. There are two seatings, 5–6:30 or 6:30–8 pm. Check out oxfordarts.com for more details and tickets.
Another Oxford tradition begins Saturday, December 1 at The Ford Center. This year in addition to the traditional Gingerbread Village, they will again have a Miniature Christmas Village display and a corner celebrating holiday traditions from around the world. The Village is free and open to the public and supports local food banks. Visitors to the Village are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to donate. The Village will be open daily from December 1 through December 15. For specific days and times, as well as special events such as caroling with the Oxford Civic Chorus and story times for children, visit https://fordcenter.org/holidayvillage/. Santa Claus will make his appearance at the Village on Saturday, December 8 from 1–4 pm.
In addition to the Holiday Village, the Ford Center will host the University of Mississippi Music Department’s Ole Miss Holiday Concert, which will feature The University of Mississippi Chorus, The University LOU Symphony, The Mississippians Jazz Ensemble, and The University of Mississippi Steel Drum Orchestra. The event takes place Saturday, December at 7:30, and tickets are available through the UM Box Office (662-915-7411) for $10, or $5 for students.
One of the most popular community events of the year is Oxford’s Annual Christmas Parade in partnership with The North Central Mississippi REALTORS. This year’s parade will be on Monday, December 3, 2018 with the theme “An Old-Fashioned Hometown Christmas.” The parade will take a new route and will feature Santa, local marching bands, dancers, music, and more. The parade will begin at 6:30 pm and will make its way from the Gertrude Ford Parking lot, through The Square, and end on Price Street at North Lamar. The event is free and open to the public.
After all the weekend’s festivities, if you’re still hungry for more, stop by the Oxford Community Market’s Holly Jolly Holiday Market at the Old Armory Pavilion on Tuesday, December 4 from 3 to 6:30 pm. OXCM vendors will have beautiful gifts and stocking stuffers, special catering menus, baked goods, fresh eggs, and a load of fall produce for a lovely old-fashioned Christmas dinner. Plus, there will be raffle prizes, live music, and kids’ activities. New this year is Santa’s Soup Bar featuring homemade soups from Ajax, Elizabeth Heiskell Catering, Fergndan’s Wood Fired Pizza, Chicory Market, The Wine Bar, Ravine, and Lenora’s. You can enjoy a bowl while you shop or take some to-go. All donations will benefit OXCM.
And of course, there’s good old Saint Nick. Santa Claus will also be at The Graduate Oxford on Saturday, December 8 from 9 am to noon for the boutique hotel’s annual Breakfast with Santa featuring a delicious breakfast buffet and a fun crafts table with Studio Whimzy Oxford for the little ones. Studio Whimzy will be there from 10 am–noon. Cost of the Breakfast Buffet is $20 for adults and $8 for children 10 and under. Santa will be available for photos during this time.
Don’t hibernate this year. Get out and enjoy the many quality holiday programs available in the Oxford community this year. We won’t judge you for being a Grinch, but don’t say we didn’t keep you informed! 
