Parades

Cameron

The second annual Cameron Christmas parade will be held Saturday, Dec. 1, at 10 a.m.

"Decorate your tractor, four-wheeler, bike, wagons, pets and kids," says a spokesman.

The parade begins in the parking lot of Cameron Methodist Church, turns left on Carter Street, right on McPherson and then right on McKeithan, following the same route back.

"Afterward, enjoy hot -chocolate and refreshments in the fellowship hall of Cameron Baptist Church," says the spokesman.

Carthage

The "world famous" Carthage Christmas parade will be held at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4.

Sponsored by the town of Carthage, the parade begins immediately after the Moore County Christmas tree lighting at the old historic courthouse. The tree lighting begins at 6 p.m.

According to event -organizers, the parade starts at the Carriage Oaks Shopping Center.

For more information, -contact the town offices at (910) 947-2331.

Robbins

The Robbins Christmas parade takes place on Thursday, Dec. 6. Lineup begins at 5 p.m., and the parade starts at 6 p.m.

The Robbins Christmas parade is -organized by the Robbins Rescue Squad. Participants may register the day of the parade.

For more information, call Robbins Town Hall at (910) 948-2431.

Southern Pines

The Southern Pines Business Association's annual Christmas parade, Saturday, Dec. 1, will feature four area marching bands.

While the bands will be -providing the music and -high-stepping fun, they won't be alone in the parade, which gets under way at 10 a.m.

Parade organizers say this year's Southern Pines Christmas parade is going to have plenty of floats, -dignitaries, antique cars, -beauty queens, Scout troops and costumed -characters.

And, as in years past, Santa Claus himself will make an appearance toward the end of the parade.

Tree Lightings

Aberdeen

Come join in a traditional small town holiday celebration at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, at the Depot in -historic downtown Aberdeen.

There will Christmas carols -performed by a local church choir and the Miss Noels -reading "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," the lighting of the Christmas trees, and the arrival of Santa Claus via the firetruck.

Refreshments of hot chocolate and cookies also will be available.

For more -information, contact Leigh Baggs at -lbaggs@townof aberdeen.net or (910) 944-PARK.

Carthage

The Moore County Christmas tree lighting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the old -historic courthouse.

Pinehurst

The annual Christmas tree lighting in downtown Pinehurst will be held Friday, Nov. 30, presented by the -village of Pinehurst, Pinehurst Business Guild, and Ward Productions.

Santa will be available for photographs at the Theatre Building before the tree -lighting.

"You can even play Santa to someone else by bringing new, unwrapped gifts to the event for donation to Toys for Tots," says a spokesman.

New this year is the Downtown Gingerbread House Competition, -sponsored by PineStraw -magazine.

Letters to Santa may be dropped off at the Theatre Building until Dec. 14.

The Sandhills Woman's Exchange will be selling John Root-designed 90th anniversary ornaments for a $20 donation.

Schedule of activities: 1 to 3 p.m., pet photos with Santa in the Theatre Building -parking lot; 4 to 6 p.m., -children's photos with Santa (inside the Theatre Building); hayrides through the village; 4 to 6:30 p.m., gingerbread house display and voting, games, crafts and cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus; 4 to 7 p.m., stage -performers; 6:30 p.m., tree -lighting.

For more information, call (910) 295-0166.

Whispering Pines

Holiday music, visits with Santa Claus and gifts for the children will highlight the Whispering Pines Christmas tree lighting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2.

Cookies and hot cocoa also will be served during the event, which will be held at the Whispering Pines Police Complex, 14 Hardee Lane.

Children are advised to watch from 2 to 5:30 p.m. as Santa will be traveling through the village on his way to the festive event.

Nativity Luncheon

Nativities from around the world will be on display -during the sixth annual Nativity luncheon to -benefit the Sandhills/Moore Coalition for Human Care, Wednesday, Dec. 5.

From 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., guests can enjoy mimosas and -champagne while strolling through the nativity -collection and a new Christmas cookie jar -collection. A new nativity scene has been added to the collection this year.

The luncheon speaker is Dr. John Dempsey, president of Sandhills Community College. Seagrove artist Crystal King, of Crystal King Pottery, has -created a nativity scene -auction item.

The event starts with a -preview party Tuesday, Dec. 4, -featuring guest speaker Lauren Winner, a Duke Divinity School professor. The preview party, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., will include heavy hors d'oeuvres and wine.

Both the luncheon and preview party will be held at Belle Meade, at St. Joseph of the Pines, 100 Waters Drive, Southern Pines.

Tickets for the preview party are $50 each or $75 per couple. Luncheon tickets are $50.

Call Susie Buchanan at (910) 246-3125 for tickets.

'For the Birds'

On Saturday, Dec. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources' Town Creek Indian Mound will host "Christmas for the Birds."

Here visitors can help feed the bird population by creating pine cone bird feeders using suet and bird seed. These edible "ornaments" can then be used to decorate the site trees or taken home to be shared with local feathered friends.

This holiday event is free and open to the public. Warm refreshments will be available in the gift shop.

For more information, contact the site at (910) 439-6802 or by email at towncreek@ncdcr.gov.

The site is located at 509 Town Creek Mound Road, Mount Gilead.

Gathering at Given

The O'Neal High School Glee Club, led by Baxter Clement, performs holiday music Thursday, Dec. 6, at 3:30 p.m. at the Given Memorial Library.

This event is free and open to the public.

Christmas House

The 30th annual Weymouth Center Christmas House continues through Saturday, Dec. 1, at Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

The Saturday tours are open to active duty -military for a low $5 per person. Live music and refreshments are -provided throughout the day.

Tours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door.

On Friday, Nov. 30, the popular Candlelight Tour is 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets for this tour are $30 each.

For more information, call Weymouth at (910) 692-6261 or visit http://www.weymouthcenter.org/.

Indoor Tag Sale

An indoor tag sale to benefit The Haven-Friends for Life will be held Saturday, Dec. 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Little Toy Shop, 230 SW Broad St., Southern Pines.

The Haven will also be accepting donations such as towels, newspapers and pet food.

For information, call Diana Barton at (910) 315-1650.

Holiday Craft Fair

Local and regional artisans will fill both levels of the Dempsey Student Center at Sandhills Community College on Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the Staff Council Holiday Craft Fair.

Pottery, jewelry, scarves, purses, Christmas items and much more will be available at this event.

Contact Deborah Ashby at ashbyd@sandhills.edu for more information.

Opera Series

The Metropolitan Opera in New York City will broadcast Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "La Clemenza di Tito" live to worldwide audiences on Saturday, Dec. 1.

The Sunrise Theater in downtown Southern Pines will air the live production in high definition at 12:55 p.m.

The run time is two hours, 55 minutes. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling the Sunrise box office at (910) 692-8501 or ordered online at www.sunrisetheater.org.

Tickets are also sold at the box office before each show.

The Sunrise Theater is located at 250 NW Broad St. in Southern Pines.

Holiday Harmonies

The Moore County Choral Society (MCCS) will perform its 38th annual holiday concert, "Holiday Harmonies," a collection of holiday classics and -seasonal music, Sunday, Dec. 2, at 4 p.m. in Owens Auditorium at Sandhills Community College.

Moore Brass, a brass quintet, will accompany the chorus.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $7.50 for students. Advance tickets are available at The Campbell House, The Country Bookshop, Kirk Tours/Pinehurst, Sandhills Winery/Seven Lakes, online at www.moorecountychoralsociety.org, and at the door while they last.

For more information, call (910) 215-0730.

Christmas Concert

Trinity Music Academy's "Christmas with the Chandleys and Friends" will be held Saturday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m., in the sanctuary of Trinity United Methodist Church, North Russell Street, Troy.

Paul and Sophia Chandley will be joined by the Rockhill Carolers, TMA String Quartet, Reeds of the Pines wind ensemble and the Antique Brass Quartet for an evening of Christmas music that will include sacred and secular Christmas pieces.

Tickets, which are available at the door, are $12 for adults and $6 for -students.

For more information, call (910) 576-4186 or (910) 576-8742.

Senior Center

The Moore County Senior Enrichment Center is offering many holiday-related events.

The center is -located on U.S. 15-501, north of the Pinehurst Traffic Circle. To reserve a seat, call (910) 215-0900.

Musical Performance

The SUCCEED with Music group from Sandhills Community College will be offering a performance at the Senior Enrichment Center on Thursday, Dec. 6, from 10 to 10:30 a.m.

Cookie Swap

An old-fashioned cookie swap, hosted by Pauline Taylor and Terri Prots, will be held Friday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m.

(Registration is required.)

Bring six dozen cookies and enough tins/- -containers in which to take home six dozen cookies.

"Remember to bake your cookies two to three days in advance: Fresh cookies do not travel well," says Prots. "Also, be sure to bring a copy of your recipe; we'll make enough to share with the group.

Open House

The annual holiday open house will be held Friday, Dec. 7, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Holiday treats and cheer will be served.

Bryant House

The Moore County Historical Association -sponsors an open house at Bryant House and McLendon Cabin from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2.

The Christmas open house is free to the -public, and gives visitors an opportunity to see how settlers and residents decorated their homes for Christmas in the 1700s and 1800s.

The houses are on the same site on Mount Carmel Road near Carthage.

Refreshments, live Christmas music, -demonstrations and tours are all offered by the volunteers.

For more information, call (910) 692-2051 or visit www.moorehistory.com.

'Puttin' on the Ritz'

Holiday festivities will start with a flourish at the "Puttin' on the Ritz Top Hat and Tails Benefit Gala," a stylish evening benefiting the work of Animal Advocates of Moore County.

The group's major fundraiser features a -glamorous parade of black and white dogs and cats, who will strut down the red carpet with their handlers.

The event takes place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3, at the Fair Barn in Pinehurst.

All of the animals in the parade are available for adoption.

The evening will feature heavy hors d'oeuvres, beer and wine, as well as a 50/50 raffle and silent auction.

Tickets for this year's event are $50 each and can be obtained by calling the AAMC office at (910) 944-5098 or Jan at (910) 673-2918.

They are also available at Moore Equine, The Country Bookshop, Cared for Cat and Canine, The Faded Rose and Shutterbug Grafix.

For more information, visit www.aamc-nc.org.

Reindeer Fun Run

The sixth annual Reindeer Fun Run will be Saturday, Dec. 1.

Events include a 5K Run/Walk and 12K Run (for more serious competitors), the ever-popular Egg Nog Jog for kids 9 and under, a costume -competition for race participants, and an after party held in downtown Aberdeen with lots of fun events for kids and adults. A Kids' Zone will be open from 8 a.m. to noon.

The Reindeer Fun Run's 5K curves through the historic downtown neighborhoods of Aberdeen with rolling hills and wide turns. The 12K incorporates the 5K route, along with a -scenic tour of Bethesda and the Malcolm Blue Farm. Both courses finish on a sloping downhill toward downtown Aberdeen.

The Reindeer Fun Run is part of the Sandhills Race Series, which seeks to -encourage and recognize participation and -performance in local racing and -provide support to organizations -coordinating running events for the -promotion of fun, fitness and community -causes.

One hundred percent of the proceeds go to -benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Sandhills.

For more information, including start times and locations, visit www.reindeer funrun.com.

Home Tour

The Carthage Historical Committee will host its annual Carthage Christmas Tour of Homes, Sunday, Dec 2.

Seven Carthage homes and one historic -building, all decorated for the holidays, will be featured on the tour, which is from 2 to 5 p.m.

The committee's suggested starting point is the Carthage Museum.

Tickets for the tour are $10 and can be -purchased prior to the tour at Fidelity Bank, Lisa's Boutique and the Carthage Municipal Building, 4396 U.S. 15-501.

On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased at the Carthage Museum, across from Fry and Prickett Funeral Home, and at the individual tour homes.