With Christmas Day just over two weeks away, many of us find ourselves rushed to decorate, cook, shop, and run all the other errands associated with the holiday season.

Between now and then, there are many opportunities to slow down a bit, enjoy the holiday season, and enjoy the company of your friends and neighbors.

This weekend at the Kirbo Center, you could enjoy a fantastic performance of the classic holiday ballet, The Nutcracker. Lucretia’s School of Dance presents the ballet every year and the dancers and coaches work awfully hard to give us the very best show possible. The first show is tonight at 7 p.m., and a repeat performance is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m.

The annual Bainbridge Christmas parade is scheduled for next Thursday night, December 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Make plans to claim your prime spot on Shotwell Street, as the parade makes it way from Bainbridge Middle School, ending at the square downtown. Again, the parade participants, to make it as enjoyable as possible for our community, spend much time, effort, and energy.

On Sunday, Dec. 16, the Bainbridge Community Band will perform a traditional Christmas Concert at 3 pm at the Kirbo Center. Led by Bainbridge High School Band Director Paschal Ward, the community band is one of the many things that make Bainbridge and Decatur County a special place.

Let me tell you, you could do a lot worse things than listening to an hour of live Christmas music performed by more than 50 musicians. You will definitely enjoy yourself, should you attend this show.

On Dec. 20, the City of Bainbridge will host Christmas on the Square at Willis Park from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hopefully, the weather will turn a little more appropriate for the season and you can enjoy roasted marshmallows, hay rides, and the wonderful decorations downtown.

Finally, on Christmas Eve, please make plans to join us for traditional Christmas Caroling on the Square with the Bainbridge Community Band. This performance will mark the 37th year of this awesome community tradition. I am honored and proud for The Post-Searchlight to help with, in my view, what is one of the best small town traditions and events in the United States.

These events are in addition to the many area church-related concerts, cantatas, and performances that are too numerous for me to list here.

So, take a little break of the hustle and bustle that the holiday season invariably seems to bring, and enjoy some time with your friends and neighbors.