from staff reports

December means Christmas is in full swing in north Jefferson County. Warrior kicked off the Christmas season on Monday night with a tree lighting at city hall, but other cities and communities in the area will soon follow.

The annual Gardendale Christmas Parade will be Thursday, Dec. 8, beginning at 6 p.m. The route is outlined in the attached graphic.

One notable difference this year, will be that the floats and groups walking in the parade will not throw candy. This change was made after the parade drew complaints last year as several children and adults were almost injured as they ran into the parade route to gather up candy.

Instead of throwing candy during the parade, there will be a group of volunteers who follow at the end of the parade to pass out and throw candy to those watching along the parade route, which organizers believe will be much safer and more enjoyable for everyone.

Here’s a list of the other holiday happenings around the area:

•Fultondale: The annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony for the city was postponed until Dec. 8 because of weather. The ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. at Black Creek Park. There will be free refreshments, crafts and free pictures with Santa. The city will also have snow machines on site to make sure it’s a white Christmas.

•Kimberly and Morris: The neighboring towns will again team up for their annual parade, which will be on Saturday, Dec. 9 starting at 4:30 p.m. The parade will begin at Morris Walking Park. The route runs from there northward on Stouts Road, and ends in Kimberly where a tree-lighting ceremony will be held.

Trafford: The annual parade is also on Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. and runs through the center of the town.

Warrior: The city’s annual Christmas parade will begin at 6 p.m. on Dec. 14 at the ball park. For more information, contact 647-0520.