The Wilson County Convention & Visitors Bureau is pleased to bring you sample highlights of upcoming holiday events in our area. We have everything from parades to train rides with Santa, to holiday theatre musicals and amazing drive-thru light displays! Wilson County has something for everyone this holiday season!

Pack up your family and head to some of Wilson County's drive-thru Christmas light displays! The Festival of Lights is open from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., every Thursday through Sunday inside historic Fiddlers Grove at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center from Nov. 26 through Dec. 26. Admission is $5 per car. Then visit one of the nation's largest Christmas light displays at Chad's Winter Wonderland, located just off Hwy. 109 in Lebanon. Admission is $10 per car. View over two million lights and visit the live Santa while you're there!

Another holiday favorite is the Tennessee Central Railway's North Pole Express Train with Santa. The train will run Nov. 27, Dec. 4 and 11. Tickets for the train sell out quickly, so get yours today! For train information and tickets, please contact the Tennessee Central Railway Museum at 615-244-9001, or visit www.tcry.org.

Experience the holiday cheer with marching bands, floats, Santa and so much more! Enjoy the City of Lebanon's Christmas Parade on Dec. 5, beginning at 2 p.m. The Jingle Jog 5K will take place prior to the Lebanon Christmas Parade. This fun run is sure to warm your heart! And don't miss the City of Mt. Juliet's Christmas Parade on Dec. 11, beginning at 11 a.m. The theme for this year's parade is "Toy Store Christmas."

If you love shopping during the holiday season, you're in luck! The Art Mill in Lebanon will host a Parent's Day Out "Shop 'Til You Drop" Kids Art Camp on Nov. 26 and 27. You can treat your kids to a fun painting class while you do some holiday shopping. Then head to Mt. Juliet for their annual Holiday Bazaar at the Mt. Juliet Community Center on Dec. 4 and 5. Get in the holiday spirit with caroling, carriage rides, hot apple cider and more at Providence Marketplace's annual Tree Lighting Celebration on Nov. 27. Also on Dec. 4 and 5, Providence Marketplace will host Snowfest. Enjoy outdoor ice skating and visit with Santa. You can also visit with Santa on the Watertown Square on Dec. 4 and 11.

Celebrate Christmas the old-fashioned way with the City of Watertown at their annual Christmas Tour of Homes on Dec. 11 and 12. You'll tour some of Wilson County's beautiful and historic homes. You also won't want to miss Historic Lebanon Tomorrow's 3rd Annual Tour of Historic Places on Dec. 4 and 5.

All dates and times are subject to change. For more information on these events and others, contact the Wilson County Convention & Visitors Bureau or visit www.visitwilsoncounty.com. You can also look for us on Facebook and Twitter!

PHOTO BY candrews

On Saturday, Dec. 4, and Sunday, Dec. 12, Garr's Rental & Feed in Mt. Juliet invites the community to its annual Open House, where pets (and families) can have their photos taken with Santa. The popular event will be from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4 and from noon until 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12.

"This year, we have a wonderful outdoor Christmas scene complete with elves and reindeer," said Roy Garr, president and owner of Garr's Rental & Feed. "Many families use the photo for their holiday greeting cards. All families, with or without pets, are welcome to participate. It's great fun for everyone."

The pet (and family) photos will be taken by a professional photographer. A variety of photo packages will be available for a cost of $5 to $20, plus a $5 sitting fee. Photo packages can include photos on a CD, and numerous "backdrops" will be available with the Christmas scene for a wide variety of photo opportunities. Families can bring their own cameras and take their own photos for a sitting fee of $10. A percentage of the proceeds from the photo sessions will be donated to Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation in Mt. Juliet.

"Santa loves animals, and so does everyone at Garr's Rental & Feed," remarked Garr. "All kinds of pets and their people are welcome to our Open House."

Pets and their families will be photographed on a first-come, first-served basis. Complimentary refreshments will be served.

While Santa will only visit Garr's on Saturday, Dec. 4 and Sunday, Dec. 12, the Christmas scene will be available for use as a backdrop for holiday photos beginning Friday, Nov. 26, for all customers to use for their personal holiday photos. A $10 sitting fee will apply to those wishing to use the holiday backdrop, with a portion of the fee also benefiting Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation.

Garr's Rental & Feed, a family-owned business, is located at 11620 Lebanon Road in Mt. Juliet. It is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and is open Sundays seasonally.

As the weather cools and the leaves change, I begin to mourn the departure of summer with its grilled food and time outside. Late September to mid-October is particularly difficult, as it's too cool to play in the sprinkler but too warm to enjoy the changing leaves; unless of course they're drying to a crisp. However, by the time Halloween rolls in, I've accepted it.

Now begins the time of year that we term, "The Holidays." So much is crammed into the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas that by the time we throw away the last of the wrapping paper, we wonder where it all went. Take pictures, make dinner plans now and drink up this festive time because January and February will soon be here and unless it's a snow day, don't bother me.

One of my joys of the season is watching Christmas movies. I'll be purchasing Mickey's A Christmas Carol soon, adding it to Rudolph, Frosty and Charlie Brown. Elf with Will Ferrel is a favorite in the Sadler household, too. Ferrel's character, Buddy, meets a girl (played by Zooey Deschanel) who says, "I'm just trying to make it through the holidays." Buddy is dismayed by this and begins converting her to his belief in the Christmas spirit. For some, Deschanel's take on this time of year mirrors their own. The feeling I have in late September doesn't end for these who must bear a month of turkey dinners and yuletide cheer. What to do?

This state of bah-hum-bug can come from many sources. With the focus on family during this time of year, many are thrust beside cousins, siblings, or even parents that they don't care for very much. What to do? Make the most of it. Conversation can be had with almost anyone depending on the level that you want to take it. Don't have much in common with cousin Jeb? Talk about sports or some other interest that both of you have. You're a hard worker, but your in-laws are lazy? Talk about the dinner plates or your gun collection. You're bound to have something in common. These mundane topics may seem pointless, but they keep everyone civil and the holiday atmosphere comfortable.

It's not only the present that can get people down, but like the Ghost of Christmas Past, events long gone can make a joyous time of year one to be dreaded. The weather doesn't help either. With less sun and people staying inside, the things that normally make us feel good are a little harder to come by. Chocolate can only do so much to make us feel good.

What may be the culprit here, besides the weather, is that the holidays are made up of traditions and when those traditions change because of the passing of a loved one or some other event; it may be difficult to move on. While the person can't be replaced, new traditions can be established. After all, there are grandchildren who want what you had so many years ago; holidays and traditions to remember and pass on to their children. You can make it happen.

By DALE SADLER

Listen at wqkr.com, 95.9FM or 1270AM, on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 4:30 p.m. when Dale will be discussing the holidays. Visit www.dalesadler.net for more information on Dale's work with families and the non-profit, Project Family.