Christmas in Cullman — featuring the annual parade and tree lighting ceremony — will be returning on Dec. 3 after it was canceled last year due to the pandemic.

The Cullman City Council approved the special event request from Cullman Parks and Recreation during Monday night’s council meeting.  

The parade route will take floats down 1st Avenue SW beginning at the Busy Bee Cafe and ending at Depot Park, where the city’s Christmas tree will be lit after the parade’s conclusion. Sign-ins for the parade will begin at 4 p.m. at the Cullman County Courthouse, and the parade will begin at 6 p.m. 

While the parade and tree lighting are set for Dec. 3, the Christmas season in Cullman will officially kick off a week earlier when the city lights its German Christmas pyramid on Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. 

Christy Turner, recreational development director for Cullman Parks and Recreation, said that event will feature a more intimate ceremony featuring a few words from city leaders before lighting the pyramid to begin the holiday season.

The city will also be hosting a Christkindlmarkt, or traditional German Christmas market, in the Festhalle on Dec. 10-11. The market will open on Dec. 10 from 4-9 p.m. and reopen on Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The market will offer people an opportunity to grab a mug of authentic Glühwein mulled wine or hot chocolate and find the perfect Christmas gift from local craft and retail vendors.

Turner said she hopes the market will bring in Cullman residents and visitors to the city to walk through the downtown area and shop and eat local. 

“We hope this is the beginning of the foundation of something great and wonderful for our community,” she said.

Councilman Johnny Cook also gave an update on the city’s hazardous waste disposal event that took place last weekend, and said more than 15,000 pounds of material — including 9,400 pounds of paint and 1,600 pounds of pesticides — were collected for disposal. 

“It was a very successful time,” he said. 

Cook also shared the news that the paving work on Main Avenue will be delayed by a couple of weeks after the company pulled workers off the job to work on another one. He said the decision was not made at the local level and is out of the control of city leaders, and the grant that the city received to fund the project allows the contractor to do so.

He said the company said the delay should be no longer than two weeks, and urged drivers to drive slow to make sure they stay safe while the road is in its rough condition.

“Just be patient with us,” he said. “Progress is painful.”

In other business, the council:

• Passed Resolution No. 2022-11 to approve the supplemental engineering services with St. John and Associates for the Sports and Civic Complex.
• Passed Resolution No. 2022-12 to approve supplemental engineering services with St. John and Associates for Field of Miracles Drive Parking Lot.
• Passed Resolution No. 2022-13 to authorize the application for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure (CRISI) grant funds for improvements to 9th Street SE, 8th Street NW and Arnold Street rail crossings.
• Held the first reading of Ordinance No. 2022-05 to approve the Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday from February 25, 2022 until February 27, 2022.