Don’t forget that Christmas in Millen is taking place this Saturday. Due to the construction on Cotton Avenue, some of the usual activities will not occur.

However, Santa will still put in an appearance. The “jolly old elf” will be at Papa’s Pizza from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. to hear Christmas wishes and have his photograph taken with local children.

The Christmas parade is scheduled for 10 a.m. with line-up at Jenkins County High School at 9 a.m. The parade will proceed down Winthrope Avenue rather than Cotton Avenue before heading back to the school.

Another annual Christmas activity, the decorations contest, is set to take place Monday, Dec. 14, from 6-10 p.m. If you plan to participate, you must leave your Christmas lights on during these hours.

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Yes, the holiday season is here, and I must admit that I am looking forward to Christmas this year as I will get to share it with our two grandchildren for the first time. They are a little young to know what everything is all about, but that won’t stop Nana and Pa from making a fuss over them.

It also brings back many memories of the Christmases I spent with my grandparents. One of my most vivid memories is that of Granddaddy trying to “sneak” a little green rocking chair into his house on Christmas Eve without my seeing him. He got it stuck in the doorway and ended up giving it to me earlier than planned.

We are looking forward to making similar Christmas memories with our grandchildren in the years ahead.

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Happy birthday this week to: Tammy Troisi, Larry Thompson, Wanda Rhodes, Fab Black, Justin McBride and Jessica Haley Godbee.

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Military Active Duty List: PV2 Brianna Joiner, U.S. Army National Guard, Ft. Benning, GA; PV2 Jeremy Johnson, U.S. Army, 59th Quartermaster Company, Ft. Carson, Colorado; Ronnie Perryman, Charlie Troop, 108th Calvary Division, 4th Platoon, Afghanistan; Lance Cpl. Adam Lanier, U.S. Marines, 8th & I Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.; E-4 Sr. Airman Roy Davis, U.S. Air Force, RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom; Lance Cpl. Patrick Barnette, U.S. Marines, Baharia, Iraq; Sgt. Adam Demshar, 44th Signal Battalion, Baghdad, Iraq; Cpl. Lee Ogden, U.S. Marines, Camp Pendleton, CA; E5 Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric B. Kelsey, U.S. Navy, NSA Naples, Italy; Senior Airman Charles F. Woods, Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, GA; Stuart Burrus, U.S. Air Force, Osan AFB, Korea; SPC 4 Travis D. Motes, 1st Calvary Division, T. Hood, Texas; Capt. Donald Slade Burke, 735th Air Mobility Squadron Detachment 1 Commander, Richmond Royal Australian AFB, Richmond, Australia; Staff Sgt. Gilbert C. Sheppard III, 48th Brigade, 118th Field Artillery, Iraq; Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamie A. Yager, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; Petty Chief Officer Andy D. Crosby, U.S. Navy, Elroy Destroyer, Norfolk, Va.; Stephanie Crosby, R.N., U.S. Navy, Lafayette Destroyer; Jimmy Cooper, U.S. Army National Guard, 878th Engineering Battalion-Augusta, Persian Gulf ; 1st Lt. J.R. Taylor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Iraq; SPC. Daniel Stuart, 18th MEDCOM, 121 General Hospital, Seoul, Korea; Jeffrey Sweat, U.S. Navy, USS Kauffman, MM3 59/E-Division, A-Gang, Norfolk, Va.; Cpl. Larry Lamont Clark, U.S. Marine Corp, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bagdad, Iraq; Khan Young, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, Persian Gulf; Robert Milton Jr., E-3, U.S. Army, Ft. Stewart, Hinesville, Ga., Mission Kuwait; Arnold R. Mosley, 2nd Lt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and Debra A. Mosley, Tech. Sgt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and SPC Charles “C.J.” Amerson, U.S. Army, Camp Adder, Iraq.